Zaha Hadid Architects has released design for a new smart city complex in Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye, a small new town in the west of Moscow. 

Called Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye smart city, the project was selected from among top international architects, including Nikken Sekkei (Japan) with UNK Project (Russia); and Archea Associati (Italy) with ABD Architects (Russia) in an invited competition. 

Developed in collaboration with local architects TPO Pride Architects, the 4 million-square-metre masterplan will include new homes for 66,500 residents in addition to new schools, medical clinics, transport infrastructure and shopping districts, as well as new civic and cultural institutions. The project will be led by ZHA's Principal Patrik Schumacher and Christos Passas.

Video by Morean Digital Realities, courtesy of ZHA

The neighbourhood will also accommodate 800,000 square metres of office space for Moscow’s growing financial, consulting, legal and auditing sectors.

Covering a total of 4 million square metres of new buildings, the masterplan will be developed in Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye over 460 hectares to the west of Moscow. A third of the neighbourhood will be parklands and forest bordering the Moscow River with a  30-hectare lake at its centre.

"With Moscow’s population increasing by more than 3 million people (over 30%) to 12.4 million in the past 20 years, Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye is integral to accommodating the Russian capital’s continued growth without increasing congestion in the centre of the city," stated ZHA.

"As an important new residential, employment, civic and cultural hub to the west of Moscow, a new 19km metro line is scheduled to begin construction in 2020 to connect Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye with the Shelepikha interchange station of Moscow’s Metro system."

Image © Flying Architecture

The masterplan is being developed to be a global benchmark for smart, sustainable cities. Supported by the EDF Group’s platform for 3D simulations of energy and urban scenarios, ZHA's design scheme will optimise the consumption and production of sustainable local energy sources while integrating electric mobility, new technologies, services and infrastructure to increase connectivity and efficiencies.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ proposal for Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye is a phased development designed to enhance residents’ interactions with each other, with nature and with new technologies.

"Founded on research and studies that conclude people’s well-being and happiness increases from greater interaction with their local community, the design creates a diverse ecology of spaces for living, working, education or leisure that encourage engagement and communication," said the firm in its project description.

Image © Flying Architecture

The masterplan will integrate smart technologies within the urban fabric of Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye. The project also enables residents and visitors to unwind with their families, friends and the natural world that permeates through the heart of the city; creating an urban environment of ecological technology that seamlessly integrates natural and human-made systems.

"Working with specialist teams in Russia and Europe, we developed a people-centric design for a smart interconnected city that brings people together not only through innovative technology but also through organising the public realm; building a community that integrates the natural aspects of the site with principles of openness and inclusivity in high quality architecture suited for the 21st century," said Christos Passas, project director at Zaha Hadid Architects.

Image © VA

JSC Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye will continue to work with the selected consortiums to develop the design and construct the new neighbourhood. 

Zaha Hadid Architects develops its portfolio in Russia, the firm recently won a competition to design a Philharmonic Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg. The firm is also working on a new masterplan which will be situated along the city of Novorossiysk's waterfront in Russia. 

Project facts

Project Team

Client: JSC Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)

ZHA Design Team
ZHA Project Directors: Patrik Schumacher and Christos Passas
ZHA Project Associates: Hussam Chakouf, Eider Fernandez
ZHA Design Team: Kwanphil Cho,  Sattor Jabbor, Melhem Sfeir, Alicia Hidalgo, Ekaterina Smirnova, Maria Eleni Bali, Aleksandar Bursac, Duo Chen, Anna Uborevich-Borovskaya
ZHA BIM Specialists: Eckart Schwerdtfeger, Valeria Perco, Maria Avrami, Zsuzsanna Barát
ZHA Administrator: Nastasija Hahonina
ZHA Graphic Designer: Silviya Barzakova
ZHA Researcher: Vera Kichanova
ZHA Interpreter: Liudmila Harrison-Jones

Consultants

Local Architects: TPO Pride
Transport Systems Engineering: Systematica
Civil/ Infrastructure Engineering: Metropolis
Landscape Design: Arteza
Urban Lighting: Arup Lighting
Environmental Simulations: Rheologic
Creative Functional Programming: Citymakers
Identity and Branding Strategy: Instid
Urban Planning Consultant: Lawrence Barth
Financial Modelling: Pricewaterhouse Cooper
Cost Consultant: Rider Levett Bucknall

Top image © Flying Architecture

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