Sokolniki Park of Culture and Rest and the ArchPolis Centre for Territorial Initiatives, with support from the City of Moscow Department of Culture and the City of Moscow Agency for Parks and Recreation (Mosgorpark), announce a competition to generate a conceptual framework for the development of Sokolniki Park.

Developing green space and parks has been an important aspect of Moscow government policy in recent years. Among the most prominent examples are the comprehensive renovation of Gorky Park and its connected river embankments, current reconstruction of the historic VDNKh exhibition centre and a completed design competition for the new Zaryadye Park next to the Kremlin. Reconstruction of Sokolniki Park is the most recent step toward widespread transformation of public space in the capital.

Competition objective: preparation of an updated conceptual framework for the oldest and largest park of culture and rest in Moscow, which should combine a variety of landscapes and programming that meet the needs of diverse populations with a sustainable financial model for long-term development. The park should also become more open to balanced use, as current activity is highly concentrated in the central area while a large part of the territory is relatively neglected. The chosen conceptual framework will define a strategy for Sokolniki's development over the next 15 years.

Andrei Lapshin, director of Sokolniki Park: “Our task is to preserve the rich traditions of the past while developing Sokolniki into an innovative centre, a world-class attraction and source of pride in the city. It is important that Sokolniki not only functions but also generates new projects and circles of frequent visitors. These are the priorities to consider in developing concepts for the park.” 

Competition format: open, international.

Timeline: 19 May ­– 17 September 2014. Acceptance of applications: 19 May – 17 June 2014. Announcement of winner: 17 September 2014.

Participants: Architects, landscape architects, designers and planners from Russia and abroad are invited to participate and encouraged to collaborate with specialists in engineering, public space management, entertainment, cultural programming, economics and finance, sociology, ecology and natural resources management.

Jury: The jury is composed of experts in the fields of urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture and park development. It is chaired by Sergei Kapkov, municipal government minister and head of the City of Moscow Department  of Culture. Vice-chairs of the jury are Marina Lyulchuk, director of Mosgorpark, and Olga Gritsan, head of territorial development for Mosgorpark.

Sergey Georgiyevskiy, director of the competition organising committee and partner at ArchPolis: “We see this competition as an effective means of generating the best ideas, with the potential to spark broader changes in society. It will help develop a plan for Sokolniki’s historic territory, one that rises to contemporary challenges, realises the park’s cultural potential, preserves its valued traditions and opens its landscapes to the city from a new perspective.”

Organiser of the competition

ArchPolis Centre for Territorial Initiatives – The ArchPolis Centre for Territorial Initiatives is responsible for managing the Nikola-Lenivets Project (a park for the arts covering 650 ha). The Centre’s research and development work focuses primarily on public space, including a pedestrian zone in the City of Zaraysk, the design concept for a park of historical reconstructions developed by RDI in New Moscow, a pilot “Landscape School” for the Sparrow Hills Nature Reserve in Moscow, and the design concept for Maslenitsa celebrations in Moscow’s Gorky Park. In 2003, ArchPolis launched New Leaders in Territorial Development, an education programme that integrates urbanism, architecture, economics and social sciences. Experience developing public space — especially green space — along with organising and implementing open events has provided valuable preparation for carrying out the Sokolniki Park competition.

Partners

The competition is supported by the City of Moscow Department of Culture and the City of Moscow Agency for Parks and Recreation (Mosgorpark).

About Sokolniki

Sokolniki Park of Culture and Rest is the largest park in Moscow, with a total area of 515.7 hectares. The territory's development into a place of recreation can be traced to the 15th century, when it served as a site for royal falcon hunting. Under Peter the Great it hosted mock battles and folk festivals for nobles and commoners alike. During the 19th century, the park was officially established and equipped with an iconic design that has survived to the present day: seven radial glades extending from the “Circle” to a curved glade that connects their endpoints. Sokolniki Park became one of the most popular areas for summer cottages, many of which were inhabited by musicians, writers and other artists. During the Soviet era, it acquired new landscapes — such as the Large and Small Rose Gardens — along with many other attractions, including verandas for dance, concert stages, libraries with reading rooms, athletic facilities and an exhibition hall. In 1979 it became a protected monument of garden-park design from the 17th through 19th centuries, which substantially limited further transformation. Tracing the park’s evolution reveals its important role in the history of Moscow and of Russia as a whole. Distinct periods in its development are marked by dynamically reconfigured identities of epochal significance. Sokolniki continues to evolve in a manner that reflects important characteristics and values of our time. Conceptual frameworks developed through the present competition should offer compelling visions of what the contemporary park could become.

> via conceptsokolniki.com