On June 25, in Moscow, the results of a closed competition for the development of the concept of the Dynamo park were summed up, which from a neglected transit park should turn into a comfortable oasis with sports and recreational corners. The competition was organized by VTB Arena CJSC, which is engaged in the reconstruction of the stadium of the same name, the architect Ilya Mukosey became the curator, and five teams were invited to participate - Wowhaus, Praktika, Pole-Design, Buromoscow and Ilya Zalivukhin (architectural and urban planning company "Yauzaproekt") in partnership with the architect and artist Alexander Konstantinov.
The expert council of the competition, which included the state expert on the protection of cultural heritage Tatyana Kudryavtseva, Moscow publishers Mikhail Korobko and Denis Romodin, architects Yuliy Borisov and Konstantin Khodnev, architectural critics Elena Gonzalez, Alexey Muratov and Yegor Korobeinikov, chose two best projects at once - one of them were developed by the Praktika bureau, the second by architects Alexander Konstantinov and Ilya Zalivukhin. The official announcement of the results of the competition was preceded by a public discussion of all five projects, which took place on June 19 in the School pavilion of the Muzeon park, during which the Praktika bureau project was also named the best.
Below we publish all the projects of the participants and the full transcript of their discussion.
"Dynamo machine". Architectural bureau "Praktika"
Grigory Guryanov:
The history of Dynamo Park is the history of its gradual decline. Historical materials show how different pieces were gradually cut off from it and in the end there was a small triangular fragment of greenery, which we are now invited to transform. And our main task was to find a solution that could stop this trend of a decreasing park. Hence the idea of creating not a small park at the stadium, but a stadium in a large and green park was born.
In order to implement this concept, we proposed a strategy of several successive steps, where the first and most important is the introduction of a ring element, a cycling ring. This is a 2 km sports and walking trail that covers the existing park together with the stadium. This ring should become the main artery, an energy channel that will feed the entire territory of the park with its sports energy, it will unite and glue the park and the adjacent territories into one whole.
The ring is divided into a two-lane treadmill, a bicycle path and a fairly wide comfortable walking area where all those who do not want to play sports can take a leisurely stroll. If you run around the loop at an average pace, it will take about ten minutes, and this is a completely normal route for practicing health sports. The cycling and running loop has cute, winding ramps that allow you to increase and diversify your route. On the square between the metro pavilions, it is very convenient to organize a start, to hold all kinds of mass events for residents there. It is also possible to make paving and plant lawns there in order to give these adjacent territories a park-like quality.
The creation of a continuous loopback route required some redesign of the transport scheme. We have proposed to move one of the entrances to the underground car park in order to avoid the intersection of automobile and bicycle-running streams. In addition, we proposed to remove car traffic from the backup of Leningradsky Prospekt.
The second important structural element of the project is the organization of pedestrian transit through the park. The customer wanted the park to be completely covered during public events. What to do with transit flows in this case? We solved this problem using a through blue bridge. The bridge consists of typical elements, which are picturesquely composed into one pixel line. You can go down from the bridge to the park using several stairs and ramps. Park infrastructure, rental areas, cafes, etc. appear under the bridge. And most importantly, the bridge separates the park from the stadium at the time of the matches: it is equipped with sliding, scissor-style fences, which at the right time can completely block access from one part of the park to another, while the transit of residents across the bridge is not interrupted. We also considered this bridge as an attraction, a recognizable and memorable element of the park, which may become a new symbol of this place.
The next question that our customers asked us to answer: what is a physical culture and sports park in the modern sense? In our understanding, this is a place where the townspeople go in for physical education and sports. Therefore, a cycling and running ring appeared around the park, and inside the park, all tree-free zones, according to the project, were turned into sports grounds. In the southern part, there is a whole sports cluster integrated into the winding branches of the running ring.
In the park itself, in view of the existing restrictions, it was impossible to introduce new elements. In fact, only the surface of the tracks was left for us to work with. The tools we have chosen are paving and small architectural forms. All of the park's paving is inspired by the Dynamo theme, so blue and energetic triangles dominate here. We also developed a special line of small architectural forms, which we called the "podium". These are various objects made of white concrete, which, while maintaining and developing the shape of the pedestal, become either a park bench with a flower bed, or a bench with a table, or a drinking fountain with a step for children, or containers for separate waste collection, or a play element on the playground, and then and an integral part of the skate park. If you look at the layout of these elements in the park, it looks very picturesque - as if all the "pedestals" were taken and scattered, creating an additional layer of public space. We paid special attention to the landscaping of all adjacent territories. In fact, they are not a park, but it is quite possible to create the feeling that they belong to an integral park structure.
And on the Alley of Heroes of Sports, the pedestals are monuments with the names of famous Dynamo players. The alley occupies two different parts of the park, one part of which celebrates the heroes of the past, and a shorter one is reserved for new young football stars.
All these elements make up our master plan, illustrating the idea of a stadium in the park. And I would like to draw your attention to another very important point - the building of the Academy of Sports. Probably, his appearance in this place is necessary, but the fact that it should be just like that is a big question. It is a huge building with a facade length of about 200 meters. If, while maintaining the function and purpose of the building, it could be divided into several separate volumes, then all of them would be very picturesque and neatly integrated into the park. This would be the maximum realization of our concept, and the park would return to its former and natural dimensions.
"Movement and Air". Alexander Konstantinov and Ilya Zalivukhin
Alexander Konstantinov:
When we got acquainted with the terms of reference of the competition and examined the park itself, we immediately realized that the technical assignment was fraught with some contradictions. Our project under the motto "Movement and Air" seeks to remove these contradictions, while not ignoring the wishes of the customer. It is not so important what will be built on the territory of the park, it is much more important to clear it of debris - this is the first thing to do. The main goal of all transformations is the free movement of visitors in a clean and comfortable space.
In our opinion, the territory of the park, which is set aside for design, is an integral part of the space around the Dynamo stadium. The links between the park and the city are obvious and numerous. It is impossible to design a park without regard to its surroundings, just as it is impossible to separate these territories with a fence. This is the essence of our proposal.
The park is located in a very dense ring of surrounding buildings, consisting of residential complexes, sports facilities and highways. To build something else here, even temporary pavilions, and fill an already small green space with them, is at least unreasonable. Therefore, our project does not envisage any construction at all, with the exception of 2-3 dressing rooms for athletes. We focused all our attention on the park itself. And the park is, first of all, air, greenery and traffic routes. In the past, we already had experience working with parks - for example, we did projects for Sokolniki and Fili park. Then we analyzed how it is possible to transform the territory of the park with minimal interference with the natural environment. As a result of this analysis, we realized that if the architect does not want to harm the park, then all he has to do is provide for the paving of paths and think over the dendrology.
In our project for the Dynamo park, we focused on creating convenient traffic routes. There are only two types of movement: in a straight line - along the trajectory of the target, and along a smooth curve - along the trajectory of the walk. In another way, a person never moves. This principle was well developed in the 1930s. architect Lazar Čerikover. His project for Dynamo consisted only of straight and smooth lines, and comparing it with the existing situation, we found out that many elements have survived to this day. The lake and many large objects did not survive, but the outlines of the planning scheme are clearly visible. Thus, our project is based on the Cherikover plan, we have a lot of coincidences and direct quotes, a new principle of movement along smooth arcs and rectilinear routes is superimposed on the historical plan.
Straight paths have not been completely preserved, all of them, like the main alley, go from nowhere and come nowhere. In this regard, the idea was born of creating alleys that arise from the air, and then dissolve in it. All of this is illustrated by the paving that turns into a green lawn. This is how all direct routes, which form a rather dense network, have been resolved. Whenever a pedestrian enters an intersection, he sees that his path suddenly ends, but at the same time he always has the opportunity to continue moving along a different trajectory intersecting with his route. In addition to straight lines, there is also a network of curved roads. All entrances to the park are marked with paving only. Fences and gates are completely absent. Paving is a signaling system that allows you to choose your route and your strategy of behavior in the park already at the entrance.
The park has a very smooth relief gradient, which is very rare in Moscow. We also try to preserve and emphasize this element of the landscape. Since the entire territory in our project is considered as a single one, we took the liberty of displacing the existing basketball court, and in its place, citing Lake Cherikovera. Thanks to the relief, such a lake will be visible from anywhere in the park. In addition, it will justify the presence of the central alley and become its logical conclusion. The monument to Lev Yashin needs to be moved closer to the stadium walls. And, of course, you need to remove the ugly green plastic covering that mimics the grass. The only tree-free space, according to the project, will become a large green meadow. When I was little, there were a lot of glades in Moscow parks, but then there were almost no open spaces left, priority was given to green spaces. And in order to lie on the lawn, Muscovites today need to fly to New York's Central Park.
There are established transit routes on the territory under consideration. Their presence is a great gift. Most of the park's visitors are transit pedestrians who head from the metro station to their home. There are many residential areas around, but only one road is used for transit, along which an incredible number of people are constantly moving. Our idea is to distribute pedestrian flows in such a way that everyone can choose the most convenient path through the park. After several such passages, people will certainly want to come specifically to the park.
Of the new facilities, we envisage the construction of only children's and small sports grounds with gymnastic apparatus. As for the infrastructural facilities, all of them will be perfectly accommodated in the structures already existing on the territory.
In conclusion, I would like to stress once again that we are categorically against the fence. The only possible solution is to fence off the entire territory of the park along the perimeter, including the multifunctional complex and the stadium. And, of course, it doesn't have to be a three-meter fence. Fence construction and maintenance costs much more than good security for many years to come.
"Horizons of motion". Studio "Pole-design"
Vladimir Kuzmin:
Our project, in a sense, argues with the previous one. But the fact is that we took a rather responsible attitude to the terms of reference of the competition, and considered it for granted, not admitting that it requires any adjustments. The fence was one of the conditions of the customer. And it seems to us that the establishment of boundaries, in any sense - philosophical, plastic, spatial, design - is rather a blessing. In this particular case, it is also an opportunity to arrange a kind of buffer zone between the city and the park. And this opportunity is of particular value, given that we can practically do nothing inside the park. There are many restrictions that do not allow bringing anything new there. And we are not at all opposed to preserving the history of Dynamo, remembering Cherikover. But at the same time, we do not see anything wrong with working with the fence of the park, making it a communication zone, not an obstacle.
The Motion Horizons project proposes to focus all activity on the border zone. The existing park is squeezed into a powerful grip of the city, and this, in fact, makes it impossible for it to function normally. The park needs protection, and we have developed a system for protecting the park from external negative influences. Inside, it is necessary to preserve the natural, historical and functional fabric without any serious design and even more so architectural implementations.
The fence system is a two-level traffic route around the perimeter of the park, which returns the border zone, measured in hundreds of meters and currently not used in any way, into the system of physical activity so lacking in the park. These are modular elements, from which a long blue gallery is assembled, forming a canopy over the route at ground level, and also forming a walking space on the second level, at a height of 2.4 meters, with a total length of more than one and a half kilometers. The whole structure is assembled from 373 standard modules. Accordingly, the same structure acts as a physical fence for the park. To climb the fence bridge, a whole system of ramps and stairs has been developed, which are located at a significant, but completely reachable distance from each other in order to provide a comfortable climb for all segments of the population, including the elderly and people with limited mobility. Also, cyclists or roller skaters can climb the ramps to the bridge.
We tried not to enter the territory of the restored park, although we are rather skeptical about the very idea of restoration. Those minor interventions in the park that we allowed ourselves are natural infrastructure elements and functionally complement the existing sports facilities. These are changing rooms, storage areas for sports equipment, rental points, etc. All these functions will be located under the gallery. It is proposed to create several open areas, a stage with an amphitheater, volleyball or football grounds, as well as a swimming pool in summer and an ice rink in winter on the site of the existing parking lot and a large concrete wasteland. On the site where the entrance to the underground parking is now located, we propose to place the most active and noisy sports zones - paths for cyclists and rollerbladers, workout, parkour, etc. Localization of sports activities in a separate area will prevent conflict between athletes and residents walking in the park.
The only point for which we developed our own architectural solution was the fountain area. There used to be amazing mosaics here, which, in our opinion, must definitely be restored, because they are living smalt, handmade and incredibly beautiful decor. Their reconstruction is a much more important and necessary task than the restoration of the parterre composition in place of the trees that have grown during this time. The ideological orientation of the mosaics does not really matter. In this regard, we dared to propose three options for the development of the fountain zone. The first version, called "Agora", suggests a genuine restoration of the fountain. In this case, its composition will be fully preserved, but the fountain itself will be surrounded by a bench, and a route connecting it with the amphitheater will be formed. The next option is "Dynamo Hill". Here the fountain is proposed to be memorialized by building something like a mausoleum over it. Above will be planted with blue and white flowers that do not require special care. And under the design of the flower bed there will be mosaics that can be seen through special openings. The latter option involves the construction of a pavilion on this site, which will assume the representative functions of the park. The fountain will partially cover the pavilion, and then the mosaics will become part of its interior.
Pedestrian transit through the park takes place in three main directions. We preserve and develop transit routes, taking into account the fact that a project is already being developed to restore the parterre composition and all historically existing tracks. The entrances to the park are also preserved. Gradually, the inner space of the park will open towards the city. For this, we have provided for several scenarios for organizing additional entrances - for example, the gates can be arranged from the side of the future shopping, entertainment and sports center with access to the main alley or in the northeastern part of the park.
The pavilions that we identified in our project only show some possible development prospects, emphasizing a certain zoning of the park. All of them are also assembled from modular elements that are conveniently combined with each other, can form various compositions, and also serve as a decoration for non-sporting events. Structurally, these are typical modules made of metal structures, produced at Russian factories and do not require heavy architectural foundations.
Implementation of the project is possible in a year and four months. In three years the fence will be overgrown with wild grapes, and in ten years the blue color will disappear and the metal structures will be covered with rust, which will make Dynamo akin to English, Danish or Dutch parks.
"Physical Education". Bureau Wowhaus
Anastasia Rychkova:
Dynamo Park is actually quite small, intimate. Our main task was to do as little as possible and not harm the existing natural landscape. In our project, we identified three main scenarios for the existence of the park. First, I must say that this is not a city-wide park, but a resting place for residents of the district and a new residential complex. In addition, this is the main transit area for pedestrians, traveling from the Dynamo metro station to residential buildings. And finally, the park is a buffer space around the stadium during mass events. In the general plan developed by us, we have separately identified the transit zone, recreation areas and sports grounds. In case of mass events, the park is fenced around the perimeter. The rest of the time, the park should be open and free for visitors to access.
Two new objects have been designed in the transit zone: there is a small kiosk at the entrance, and a cafe in the central square. Both of these structures are temporary, non-capital. All transit routes will be well lit at night.
Recreation areas are located in the most landscaped parts of the park. They are large flower beds surrounded by rings, benches, and vary in size and color. There are three round flower beds in total - red, yellow and blue. All of them are formed by specially selected flowers and plants of contrasting shades and exist as zones of continuous flowering in the warm season. The existing trees are also preserved inside the flower beds, so it is necessary to choose flowers that survive in shade conditions. Flower gardens are the main attraction points in the park. And the ring benches are offered as an alternative to the usual park benches. In the cold season, they will be brightly illuminated, and in the place of sports grounds in winter it is possible to create an ice rink and slides.
We paid special attention to the section of the park adjacent directly to Leningradsky Prospekt. The park is extremely small, in winter it is visible through and through, and, being at its far end, you can clearly see and hear how cars move along the avenue. In this regard, it seemed to us very important to separate the park space from the noisy highway. The main sound-absorbing element here is an attraction fence with the figures of athletes illuminated from the inside. This fence gave the name to the whole project - "Physical culture". Its main function will be sound protection. In addition, it will form an additional alley along which it will be possible to walk safely and calmly.
It is important to remember that the park is of local importance. To think that he, following the example of Sokolnikov, will attract people from all over the city, specially coming from other areas, is rather absurd. Even after reconstruction, this park will remain a park serving the local interests of residents living near it and using it as a transit zone. This explains our decision to minimize the new architectural presence, reduce the number of functions, restore the historical one, and most importantly, provide safe and comfortable transit and recreation for local residents.
"Second wind". Architectural and urban planning company Buromoscow
Olga Aleksakova:
In our project, we will also talk about the fence. It is difficult to add something to the speech of Vladimir Kuzmin, who described in great detail why a fence in this park is necessary. Our projects turned out to be similar, because we proceeded from the terms of the technical assignment of the competition, according to which it was necessary to close the perimeter of the park. In addition to the fence, the nature of our project was determined by the idea that was voiced in one of the articles of the Bolshoi Gorod magazine, that any improvement has a negative impact on parks. Therefore, we decided to include all additional functions in the fence, and completely leave the park with landscaping, preserving its ecosystem, in which leaves fall and rot, insects, squirrels and birds live. Our fence performs the functions of either the main alley, or the promenade, or the reinforcing earthen rampart. With the change of function, the shape of the fence also changes.
Julia Burdova:
We also proposed expanding the area in front of the stadium to allow residents to pass from the metro station to residential areas bypassing the park, thus directing the main transit flows along its outer border. But having reduced the park on one side, we enlarged it on the other, joining the park along Leningradsky Prospekt with the help of an “ear” crossing, which, in the form of a large ramp, rises above the roadway and descends back into the park.
Having carefully analyzed the existing entrances to the park, we saw that they form a fairly logical and well-established scheme. Therefore, it was decided to keep all of them in the same places. However, additional entrances were provided, allowing us to climb our bridge. Two new entrances are provided near the metro, two - in the back of the park, near the old tennis court, and another ramp leads to the same "ear" that I mentioned above. We thought about other road users, for example, cyclists. There is no point in organizing bike paths along the park, because either pedestrians from the subway are walking in slender rows there, or grandmothers and mothers with strollers are walking. Therefore, we invited cyclists to climb the bridge alley. Its width is five meters, which is quite enough to provide comfortable traffic for both pedestrians and cyclists.
For the construction of the bridge, it is planned to use the lightest possible metal structures. The bridge itself is full of various functions - somewhere it is a cafe, somewhere sports grounds, somewhere a recreation area, somewhere a room for renting equipment. It can also serve as a canopy over park benches. In addition to the second level, where you can walk around the park between the crowns of trees, a separate zone has been created that emphasizes the central ground route. I'm talking about the central alley, along which we set up benches, and at the end of it we organize a small cafe. In the summer, the park is open as usual. In winter, the "ear" is covered with ice mats and turns into a skating rink, and part of the fence is used as a zone of ice slides.
It is important to note that the project preserves the historically existing fence along the Leningradskoe highway. This is the main identification mark of the park from the side of the road, and we decided to keep it as a monument. In this area, the new fence rises and departs from the old fence. Our bridge offers quite flexible and plastic solutions; on the one hand, it closes the park, and on the other, it opens it up to the city. To make the park clearly visible from the Third Transport Ring and from Leningradka, it is proposed to move it as close to the road as possible.
Olga Aleksakova:
Thanks to our proposed new route, the length of the tracks is increased by 1.4 km, and the area of the park is increased by 15%. We do not restore or recreate anything, but a new element in the form of a fence bridge gives the park a second wind.
Question from the audience:
How is the issue of ascent to the second tier of people with disabilities resolved?
Ilya Mukosey, curator of the competition:
Half of the projects do not have a second tier. And where there are bridges, in all cases, ramps are provided, along which both cyclists and skaters, as well as low-mobility groups of the population and mothers with strollers can climb up.
Grigory Guryanov:
Our bridge is exclusively pedestrian, there is no provision for cycling on it. But the ramps with a 5% regulatory slope have been designed.
Ilya Mukosey:
Grigory, isn't it harmful to your health to run around your ring, given your surroundings?
Grigory Guryanov:
Moscow is generally a harmful city. But look how many people ride their bicycles through the streets without a little embarrassment. For example, in New York, people run in huge numbers on the famous Manhattan grid. Therefore, we do not see any problems in this.
Ilya Mukosey:
What is the reason for such a random tracing of the bridge?
Grigory Guryanov:
It offers flexibility in the sense that the detailed and concrete design of the bridge will have to take into account and bypass the trees in the park. That is why a system has been developed that is able to adapt to certain conditions.
Ilya Mukosey:
A question to the authors of "Second Wind": won't it be too gloomy, cold and damp under your bridge?
Olga Aleksakova:
I think not, because we even provided holes for the trees so that their crowns would pass through the bridge.
Ilya Mukosey:
Alexander, there was a question for you on Facebook. One user wrote that he almost voted for your project with Ilya, but then he saw that you did not foresee a single shop. Why?
Alexander Konstantinov:
We did not specifically consider any MAFs, because we believe that this is a subject for a separate design. It seemed to us superfluous, it is just a derivative of the overall project. If our project is accepted for implementation, then small architectural forms will appear in it. It is essential that all of them be developed specifically for this park.
Question from the audience:
All the authors had a rather negative attitude towards the historical part of the park, which I probably also share. As far as I understood correctly, there is nothing to reconstruct, and the park in its original form has already been lost. Or am I wrong?
Vladimir Kuzmin:
It seems to me that restoration is one of the possible systems for the development of the park. We were told in the assignment that such a project was being prepared. It seems to me that as one of the elements of the attraction in the park, you can restore an alley with statues of athletes from the 1930s. - it's funny. But I am categorically against the complete restoration of the park as a whole.
Alexander Konstantinov:
Most of our tracks quote or follow what has survived from earlier times. But to restore the park in full and make another remake, in my opinion, is pointless.
Anastasia Rychkova:
You can restore something, but not to fanaticism. We are quite satisfied with the preserved road network, and we do not want to add additional routes to the park. The fewer there are, the more greenery.
Olga Aleksakova:
There is no negative attitude, there is just following the task.
Grigory Guryanov:
In our opinion, there is nothing to save in the park. What is left is the shards, by which the previously existing wholeness cannot be read in any way. Although we do not touch the park paths at all.
Question from the audience:
Historically, there was a pond on the territory of the park, but in most projects this is not taken into account in any way.
Ilya Mukosey:
Yes, in 1936 the park had a different size and there really was a pond in it, which was gradually decreasing. In the early 1950s. built a new Bashilovka, and the southern bank of the pond, instead of the naturally meandering one, became straight. In the 1970s, after other construction projects took place, the pond completely acquired a rectangular shape. And by the time of the Moscow Olympics, the pond disappeared altogether, and the whole area ceased to belong to the park. Several projects of our competition play on the theme of water. For example, in the project "Motion and Air" it is proposed to make a pond, and in the "Horizons of Movement" a small reservoir and fountains appear.
Question from the audience:
A question to the authors of Dynamo Machine. What materials are the bridge structures made of and how is movement ensured in the places of its turns and displacements?
Grigory Guryanov:
We intend to use wooden, easily erected structures. As for the rotations, the principle is the same on which any pixel graphics are built. Rectangular modules are delivered offset, multiple offsets result in one smooth line. The minimum passage width at the turning points is 2.5 meters.
Question from the audience:
Considering the proximity to the stadium, the question arises, to what extent are all objects and small forms vandal-resistant?
Julia Burdova:
For this case, we have provided an earthen rampart.
Vladimir Kuzmin:
And in our project, a fairly strong metal and appropriate reinforcements are used in the necessary places up to total protection.
Grigory Guryanov:
We have provided special measures to separate the park from the stadium area using a sufficiently strong sliding fence. And small architectural forms are made of concrete, nothing can be done with them at all.
Ilya Mukosey:
In conclusion, I will ask each of the participants to name the competition project they liked the most, excluding their own.
Julia Burdova:
We like all projects that are without a fence.
Vladimir Kuzmin:
With all my love for the authors of "Second Wind", I would still give preference to the "Dynamo Machine" project, because it perfectly complements our solution.
Grigory Guryanov:
Our bureau, which is almost fully represented here, voted and as a result four votes were cast for the project of the Pole-Design studio, and I myself voted for the project of Alexander Konstantinov and Ilya Zalivukhin.
Alexander Konstantinov:
We chose between projects that do not provide for permanent fencing of the park, but these are the concepts of the Wowhaus bureau and the Praktika bureau. But “Dynamo-machine” is more to our taste.
Anastasia Rychkova:
I was bribed by the sports component, so we are also for Dynamo-car.
Ilya Mukosey:
Well, according to the results of our impromptu voting, it turned out that the project of the Praktika bureau won.
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