The concept, designed to revive the historical center of Tula, was developed within the framework of a competition initiated by the government of the Tula region. The Fourth Dimension Architectural Bureau was invited to participate as the winners of a recent competition for a project for the reconstruction of the Tulskaya metro station in Moscow, in which they showed maximum respect for the history and culture of the city. Participants in the competition for the project for the improvement of public spaces in Tula were expected to offer proposals for the creation of a pedestrian zone along Soyuznaya Street and the restoration of a pedestrian bridge across the Upa - the main river of the city that flows through it from the south-east to the north-west. The architects of the "Fourth Dimension", however, looked at the task more broadly and, in addition to the walking route, proposed a whole range of solutions: to reconstruct and recreate the fabric of the city, intelligent organization of transport and pedestrian connections, as well as to arrange comfortable and open public spaces, parks, squares and embankments. According to the results of the popular vote on the portal of the government of Tula, the architects of the "Fourth Dimension" became the winners and will implement their projects for Soyuznaya Street, the bridge and the entrance to the park.
It must be admitted that the small historical center of Tula today looks sad: old buildings and whole streets have noticeably dilapidated, some buildings have not been used for a long time, and vacant lots have formed on the site of the completely lost architectural monuments. The existing public spaces look unkempt and scattered, there are practically no connections between them, and city squares and sidewalks serve as spontaneous parking lots for cars. Another problem is the shallow and swampy Upa River, the approaches to which were closed for the townspeople for a long time.
The design area, which includes the Tula Kremlin and the main city square, was a site bounded on one side by an extended and uneven loop of Sovetskaya Street, and on the other by the coastal zone of the river. Within the designated boundaries, the architects proposed to organize a continuous walking route designed to unite all significant areas of the historical center.
The main pedestrian boulevard in the project is Soyuznaya Street leading to the Kremlin. Here, in addition to complex landscaping with planting trees and flowers, paving sidewalks and installing outdoor furniture, the architects proposed to renovate existing houses and fill in empty spaces with low buildings of new hotels and apartments. They proposed a similar scenario for most other streets in the central part of Tula, where the building density is rather low. Life on the boulevard should be in full swing in the summer: tourists, cyclists, street cafes. Traffic on adjacent streets and lanes in the project becomes one-way, in addition, by narrowing the carriageway on Blagoveshchenskaya Street, in Blagoveshchensky, Soyuzny and Denisovsky lanes, the authors widened the sidewalks there, thus finding a place for bike paths, bushes and lawns.
The Soyuznaya Street Boulevard ends with Krestovozdvizhenskaya Square. Until 1933, there was a baroque church in the middle of it (1776-1825) - when it was demolished, the square was renamed into Chelyuskintsev square; later the name was returned, but now its space is a roundabout with a parking lot at the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower and the Government House. The architects propose to recreate the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, and turn the square into a pedestrian one. Nearby, at the intersection of Revolyutsii and Mendeleev streets, the construction of the so-called "People's House" is planned, which, according to the plan, should become the new cultural and educational center of Tula.
The central task of the project is the return of the Upa River to the city. The river, forking, forms an elongated island near the northern wall of the Kremlin, just like in Moscow or Paris. But for all the seemingly attractive riverside landscape, the coastal zone occupied by industry is tightly fenced off. The project proposes to widen and clean up the river bed, liberate the coastal areas and organize a landscape eco-park with a beach and a boat station, a green embankment, a wooden promenade and recreation areas near the water along the entire length of the river within the boundaries of the historical center. In winter, it will be possible to arrange a large ice rink here.
Two pedestrian bridges have been thrown across the river - they will unite the pedestrian zones and embankments of the right and left banks of the Upa. The authors decided on the new bridge on the site of the former Chulkovsky bridge in the style they proposed for the Tulskaya metro station in Moscow. The constructions interpret the image of the Tula accordion, and from a distance they resemble the skeleton of a giant fish. With all the courage of the proposed solution, the new bridge, which the authors called "Harmonious", seeks to preserve the memory of the place, using the surviving supports of the destroyed old bridge at the base of the structures. The second "Harmonichesky Bridge" is planned to be built along the existing road, continuing the line of Sovetskaya Street. A green embankment is also being formed on the north-eastern bank opposite the Kremlin, and a modern business district is planned to be built in the distance.
Having covered the entire historical part of Tula with the project, the architects also thought about how to connect it with the Central Park. P. P. Belousov and the Arts Square located in front of the park entrance. Communication should be provided by sidewalks and bike paths along Engels Street; in addition, an additional tram stop was planned with access to the Arts Square, which is interpreted as the main scene of action. Now blocked by barriers and crowded with cars, it, according to the plan, should turn into a lively space. Parking lots are not destroyed, but located around the perimeter, freeing up the central part for city programs and events. For competitions, concerts and festivals, transformer stands are provided: when folded, they can serve as the basis for installations and exhibitions. On weekends, the square can be a fair, in winter - a skating rink.
The diagonal paving of the Arts Square with integrated LED lighting indicates the entrance to the park. Its entrance is an ensemble of four small wooden pavilions, whose facades are designed in the form of large letters. From the side of the square they add up to the word "park", and from the side of the park - into the word "Tula". Inside each pavilion there are ticket offices, bike rentals, an information center and a souvenir shop. The architects proposed to modernize the park itself and fill it with functions, preserving its unique eco-system, birch grove and forest. The center of attraction of the park area should be an art object - a large heart made of metal and translucent elements. Coming closer, on the numerous faces and surfaces of the symbolic "heart" of Tula, you can see navigation screens, get acquainted with the historical panoramas of the city, read proverbs, sayings and stories about Tula or learn about the famous natives of the city.
By their own admission, the authors of the project, they studied and fell in love with Tula, they consider it a city with great potential and a future tourist pearl of the middle lane. But the city needs to be dealt with not just pointwise, but comprehensively, - the architects affirm. That is why they went far beyond the scope of the test project and considered the city center broadly and, at the same time, in detail.
