Unlike the guest zone (Z1), which is assigned the function of the business and presentation center of the innovation city, the role of the D1 ("South") district is much more modest - this territory is located on the outskirts. Despite its proximity to standard, non-innovative buildings (“Yuzhny” is adjacent to a regular highway), the D1 area is perceived by the developers as a place quite autonomous, equidistant both from the outside world and from the pompous Central District (Z1), looped and closed in itself University (D3) and the Technopark (D2) clustered around its main boulevard. In other words, the D1 district turns out to be the quietest and most peaceful, intended "for internal use": about a third of its area is occupied by residential and office premises, 39 thousand square meters are given for external parking, another 60 thousand are given over to the hospital territory located away from the total array of buildings, and almost the same area (68 thousand "squares") will go for the construction of the Data Processing Center of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation. According to Sergei Tchoban and David Chipperfield, the main thing is that all of the above objects are harmoniously adjacent to each other, otherwise the Yuzhny district will turn into a dying out in the daytime "sleeping" area or into a business center that is emptying closer to night.
During the presentation of the project, Tim Barrett, director of development for the D1 district, announced the general requirements for this territory of the future innovative city. So, "Yuzhny" should embody all the best that there is in small towns. In particular, it should be convenient for pedestrians (and therefore all buildings, be it an office, shops, cafes or a fitness room, should be located within walking distance from housing). In addition, the district is expected to offer a significant diversity in terms of the architecture of residential and non-residential premises. In addition, "Yuzhny" should not lack all kinds of green spaces, selected taking into account the capricious Moscow climate. In other words, the D1 area should become a “pleasant place to live”, in which the transport issue will be unequivocally resolved in favor of electric vehicles, non-petrol route taxis and bicycles.
The composition center of D1 will be a large, but not a high-rise multifunctional complex: the architects propose to place housing in 3-4-storey buildings, and to make offices no higher than 5 storeys. The buildings are located around a courtyard with a recreation area and are interconnected by a system of transitions. As for the architectural solution of the complex, it is planned to split it into several phases, each of which will be entrusted to a separate bureau - this is how the authors of the concept plan to achieve maximum architectural diversity. Numerous glazed galleries between the houses promise to become a distinctive feature of D1, designed to solve the problem of the unmerciful metropolitan climate. It is here that a variety of retail outlets, beauty salons, cafes, etc. will be located. “We will not have streets and backyards, instead of them we will have a mixed space, a living environment that will not bore anyone,” stressed Sergei Tchoban.
Another dominant feature of the new district will be the Sberbank Settlement Center. This project, also referred to as the "Technopark of Sberbank", is allocated about one-sixth of the entire area D1. According to Andrey Stroyev, Director of the Department for Real Estate and Material and Technical Support of Sberbank of Russia, over three thousand employees will work here, and about a third of them will at some point find permanent housing in Skolkovo. According to Sergei Tchoban and David Chipperfield, it is Sberbank's technopark that should "set the rhythm and pulsation" for the entire district. But it is too early to talk about how this object will look - a separate architectural competition will be announced for the Design Center project.
