Year's Results - MASTER'S Plan

Resource: RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTION COMPLEX

“City is a complex structure. The question of whether all projects should be discussed with residents is not an easy one. Today the city is oriented towards having a dialogue with the residents but still, in my opinion, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between the projects-dominants, which sometimes have a solution ahead of time, and projects implemented in areas of mass development.” – Yulia Zubarik.

Yulia Zubarik, founder of the urban planning bureau MASTER'S Plan:

What do you think is the best way to discuss projects?

City is a complex structure. The question of whether all projects should be discussed with residents is not an easy one. Today the city is oriented towards having a dialogue with the residents but still, in my opinion, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between the projects-dominants, which sometimes have a solution ahead of time, and projects implemented in areas of mass development. For example, today's project “RED” on the Garden Ring or the Roskosmos project in Fili may be incomprehensible to citizens who are simply not used to such decisions. This has always been the case, if you look back in the past, and then such projects have become the pride of the city. In these cases, the voice of professionals - architects, urban planners and critics - must be decisive. They have a better understanding of contemporary architectural trends, understand the context of the place, visual analysis and so on.

The areas of mass development, some of which were included in the renovation program, are another matter. Here a dialogue with residents is absolutely necessary both for the residents themselves and for the architects. Of course, before the latter ones start working on design solutions, they study the area, conduct research and so on. However, without the opinion of the residents they do not have the whole picture. After all, people have lived in these areas for years and they know better what they need for a comfortable life.

Tell us about your experience on Prospect Vernadskogo.

That is how the work with the territory planning project for the area of Prospect Vernadskogo was carried out. The territories of neighborhoods 32, 33, 34, 35 are included in the renovation program. Initially, the Prospect Vernadskogo territory planning project was created as a consortium of a Russian and Spanish bureaus, and as a result, it became the result of the cohesive and constructive work of residents and architects.

During the four months, from August to November, there were several meetings with residents and municipal deputies. And, it must be said, the residents were active and united. Thanks to their active participation and, most importantly, their balanced and reasonable suggestions, which were taken into account, the design decisions were rethought. At the request of the residents of the preserved houses on Koshtoyantsa str., the projected houses were moved away as much as possible. By doing so it became possible to preserve the adjacent territory, playgrounds and the way of life of the preserved development. Also, following the suggestions made by residents and by the prefecture of the West Administrative District, an additional sports complex of urban significance near the metro, with a swimming pool and an ice rink, gyms and game halls was added to the project. It was decided to build a new building for the Grieg School of Music in the place of the nine-story building that was being demolished. The new polyclinic will appear at the intersection of Mikhail Pevtsov and Voikov streets, so that the residents of this part of the neighborhood will not have to cross Prospect Vernadskogo anymore. Addtionally, a large educational cluster will be built on Pevtsova str. which will include a school, a kindergarten and a swimming pool.

What are your plans? What interesting things await you (and us) in 2020?

Our plans for the project on Vavilova str. are to work with the design documentation, its approval and preparation for the start of construction processes. We are also working on other sites, including territory planning projects of industrial zones. It is a very interesting work, most of these sites are in good locations and there is a lot to think about.

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