25 teams - 11 consortia and 14 individual participants - applied for participation in the competition, which was announced in May together with another, for the concept of a tourism cluster in Oymyakon. Both competitions were organized by the LETO Urban Environment Competence Center and the Future Generations Trust Fund in partnership with the CENTER Agency for Strategic Development and were actively supported by the government of Yakutia. And for both, the format was chosen to merge Russian bureaus, which already have successfully implemented similar projects, with local architects. At the end of July, three finalists began to develop projects. The task was to create a new face not only for the city, but for the entire Republic of Sakha - the project for the reconstruction of the square is planned to be implemented in 2022, by its centenary. Forming a new look that meets the needs of the city's residents, it was necessary to preserve and emphasize the symbolic and historical significance of this place.
Lenin Square - as you might guess, the main square of Yakutsk. The monument to Ilyich was erected not in the center of its space, but behind the eponymous avenue in front of the building of the government of the republic, the former regional committee, so so far Lenin Square is a very large - about 1.5 hectares - paved space between three government buildings and a children's art school. The area of the design site, including the rectangle with Lenin in front of the government house - 16 680 m2… If you look at a comparison of sizes, it is larger than Red Square in Moscow and quite a bit inferior to Palace Square in St. Petersburg (although, of course, the infamous Tian'anMen is four times larger).
The jury, the list of which can be found at
the competition website, evaluated the work of the finalists according to a whole set of criteria: compliance with the requirements of the Russian and republican regulatory framework and the difficult climatic conditions of the region, the originality of architectural and design solutions, functionality and, of course, economic feasibility.
As a result, the concept of the consortium TPO "Reserve" and the Yakut bureaus LSTK-Project and Yakutproekt was recognized as the best. The architects won the main prize of half a million rubles and the right to conclude a contract for the further development of the project and supervision of its implementation. The two teams that took second and third places received 300 and 200 thousand rubles, respectively, and many of the jury members also speak very positively about their projects.
Below are all three winning concepts.
First place
TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA
TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project
* The name of the consortium TUYMAADA is borrowed from the name of the valley in which Yakutsk is located
Consortium project TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA combines two key approaches: an appeal to the traditions of the region and the desire to create a space that meets the needs of today's networked society (flexible, borderless, green, rich in technology). This is the idea of the concept - a technological landscape enclosed in a clear ethnic form.
The project is full of allusions from the Yakut culture, first of all, the authors erect the shape of the ring to archaeological and national jewelry, temple rings, earrings and necklaces, which are characterized by a ring with a tapering contour. The ring thus turns out to be a cyclopean adornment, and the obelisk is a kind of nail for its fastening. The theme of the circle is explained in the symbolism of the flag and coat of arms of the republic, the arrangement of national buildings and the cult of the "white sun". “The associatively round square sends us to the image of the circle of the sun - the main symbol of the national culture of Yakutia,” the authors explain. The circles are reflected and multiply: in addition to the main ring and the holes cut in it, they are continued in the grassy "peas" of various sizes, which condense into rays that radiate outward from the center of the square. And in round, on a leg, shelters from the sun and rain. Circles are everywhere here, permeating the project at all levels.
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zooming 1/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 2/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 3/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 4/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 5/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 6/6 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
The sun participates not only symbolically, it is vividly included in the game: the metal canopy is covered with a perforated pattern, whose graphics are borrowed from the Yakut petroglyphs: on a clear day, and in summer it is hot and sunny, the rays will pass through the holes, forming patterned shadows.
In the paving pattern under the circles, Yakut amulets are laid out, and the paving of a large circle is occupied by two stylized figures, definitely, like the structure itself, visible from space.
A spiral is superimposed on large figures in the center of the square - the image of the traditional Yakut calendar in the form of QR codes: you can point your phone at the code of each day, and it will tell you about its holidays and memorable dates. So a completely traditional calendar acquired a completely modern interpretation.
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zooming Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
Various options for working with light have been thought out - if in summer and daytime circles and drawings "accept" light and let it pass through themselves, then in winter and at night the circle itself, thanks to the spotlights, can become a focus of warm light.
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zooming Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
Small circles, meanwhile, received not only a symbolic purpose in the project. According to the plan, in the summer in most of them a "dry fountain" can work with water jets from above along the contour of the hole - in order to run inside and run out, having cooled down. In summer in Yakutsk, the heat is up to 40 degrees. In winter, part of the circles can become a climatic attraction of a different plan - infrared heaters are also planned along the circuit.
In one of the circles, a warehouse for summer pavilions is conceived - stalls, swings, gazebos with tables and benches - they are designed as transformable octahedral ones. In summer, temporary elements will fill the area with functions, in winter they will “hide” without taking up much space and even without requiring a separate warehouse.
Meanwhile, the symbolic center is the obelisk - oval in plan, made of metal and glass, 79.2 m high together with the structure of the spire. Its authors consider it to be something between the Eiffel Tower and the Ferris wheel, since the structure is not only for beauty and significance, it is a species attraction. An open elevator will continuously move along the obelisk, like a ferris wheel or the pater noster mechanism popular in the 1930s (this was installed at the Le Corbusier Centrosoyuz). The vertical of the patern-noster, although the authors do not stipulate this, can also be explained in the ritual pillars of the Yakut holidays, although, on the other hand, it can resemble the town hall tower and the obelisks of the Renaissance and Classicism squares.
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zooming 1/5 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 2/5 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 3/5 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 4/5 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 5/5 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
Finally, the longitudinal edges of the square are raised, as is the case with a large sheet of paper when we carry it from place to place. The space turns out to be oriented along the axis from the government house and the monument - to the children's art school, in front of which the architects outlined a portico-stand of tall thin columns, also with round holes in the ceiling, echoing the circles in the main ring. Parking spaces can be arranged under the edges of the square, or there can be shops and cafes, so it also gets the necessary retail additions, people need to sit somewhere and buy something pleasant. The project also includes a glass shed covering over the courtyard between the two buildings of the government house.
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zooming 1/3 Scheme of the formation of the "raised edges" of the square. Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 2/3 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 3/3 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
An important part of the concept is the schemes for the various uses of the multifunctional space: for walks with "Brownian" movement, fairs, lectures, concerts or holidays, for example, the New Year. The architects tried to give the space a “tolerant” quality, to address the area to all citizens.
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zooming 1/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 2/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 3/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 4/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 5/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 6/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 7/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 8/8 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
It is quite obvious that in addition to the richness of the program, the project is distinguished by an active attitude towards the space of the square, since it is large and, in addition, should become significant for the city and the region. This makes the obelisk, the structure of the ring-shaped canopy, and the plastic of the raised edges more than appropriate.
The project also features an interesting approach to integrating modern approaches with ethnocultural ones. Firstly, the content is not limited to the ornament, but really permeates all parts of the project, broadcasting a message not only to the city and the republic, but also to the orbit of the planet Earth - some time after implementation it will be possible to search for the area on satellite imagery. Meanwhile, modernity is not limited to QR codes and is not reduced to an asymmetric digital-geological form (which, surprisingly, does not exist here at all). The form is built on a combination of a very simple and correct basis of the circle - with the energy of mobility, which does not allow it to freeze centripetally. The obelisk is not in the center, the band of the ring changes the width and diameters of the slots - this is one of the favorite techniques of TPO "Reserve", to take a very simple form, something basic, and manifest energy in it. So it turns out that the ring looks like not only a necklace, but also something technical, for example, an old movie camera with many different-caliber lenses - more than one comparison can be made, but Vladimir Plotkin says that he has been interested in the form of subordination of the rings for a long time.
The ring on the square is, of course, similar to a large, cosmic-scale gazebo, the Apollo gallery, projected in our time and circumstances, especially since a portico appears in front of the school of art, and the obelisk tower is read as a well-known and successfully working element of the squares of classicism; even if he is two and a half times taller than the Pillar of Alexandria and "put to work", not only rises, but entertains people. Presumably, a balance of classicism, ethnic theme, modernism and modern landscaping has been found here, and a kind of dense mixture of different layers, closely and consistently linked to each other, has turned out. So the square can simultaneously serve as a ceremonial accent, and not be empty, attract people - and this is the most difficult thing.
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zooming 1/3 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 2/3 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
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zooming 3/3 Concept of Lenin Square in Yakutsk Consortium TUYMAADA | TUYMAADA (TPO "Reserve", Yakutproekt, LSTK-Project)
Second place
BAZA14 + Architectural bureau ASADOV + S4S / Architects
The idea of this project is in the synthesis of an original Yakut culture and a unique natural environment. Hills pavilions appear on the square, where it is proposed to plant plants from all over the region. A kind of arboretum right in the center of the city will allow its residents and guests to learn more about the nature of the republic, and those who wish can read in detail about each plant using the QR code system. "Sopki" are constructed of wood and covered with a layer of vegetable soil-substrate, which has artificial heating and a microclimate system.
In the center of the square there is a dry fountain gushing from the spiral of the eternal Yakut calendar, which serves as a reminder of the traditions and culture of the Sakha people. It will be possible to warm up in winter in warm pavilions. The amphitheater seats are also electrically heated.
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zooming 1/4 Consortium BAZA14 + Architectural Bureau ASADOV + S4S / Architects
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zooming 2/4 Consortium BAZA14 + Architectural Bureau ASADOV + S4S / Architects
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zooming 3/4 Consortium BAZA14 + Architectural Bureau ASADOV + S4S / Architects
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zooming 4/4 Consortium BAZA14 + Architectural bureau ASADOV + S4S / Architects
Third place
"May 32"
Evgeny Leonov, United Riga Architects SIA, Tatiana Kornienko, BM-projekts SIA, APB, Erkin
“We will cover the square with a blanket woven from the Yakut mountains and rivers, myths and fairy tales; we will weave the Lena pillars, the diamond quarry, and the alaasy into the fabric of the square. Figuratively rethinking, we will turn them into a climbing wall, an amphitheater, a fountain - the amazing land of Olonkho in miniature. Let's make the square a meeting place for people with culture, a bright landmark, a legend. Let's turn the square into a real map of the planet Olonkho,”the architects say in their presentation to the project. In addition to the figurative component, this concept contains elements of climatic correction, a variety of options for active and passive recreation, numerous references to local traditions and history.
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zooming 1/4 Improvement of the square. V. I. Lenin in Yakutsk Consortium "May 32" (Evgeny Leonov, United Riga Architects SIA, Tatiana Kornienko, BM-projekts SIA, APB "Erkin")
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zooming 2/4 Improvement of the square. V. I. Lenin in Yakutsk Consortium "May 32" (Evgeny Leonov, United Riga Architects SIA, Tatiana Kornienko, BM-projekts SIA, APB "Erkin")
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zooming 3/4 Improvement of the area. V. I. Lenin in Yakutsk Consortium "May 32" (Evgeny Leonov, United Riga Architects SIA, Tatiana Kornienko, BM-projekts SIA, APB "Erkin")
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zooming 4/4 Improvement of the square. V. I. Lenin in Yakutsk Consortium "May 32" (Evgeny Leonov, United Riga Architects SIA, Tatiana Kornienko, BM-projekts SIA, APB "Erkin")
