The competition was announced at the beginning of the year by the administration of the Kursk region. For the development of concepts, an area of 400 hectares was designated. The prize fund, which was at stake, was 3 million rubles. The competition was held in two stages and collected 75 applications, and not only from Russian architects. Following the results of the first round, an exhibition of works was organized, and after that - public discussions. Ten projects reached the final: five were chosen by the jury, and five more - by the visitors of the competition website. They were finalized and re-submitted for consideration.
The winners were announced at the end of the summer. They were Kursk architects Mikhail Zautrennikov and Kirill Budykin. The second place was shared by the Moscow company "Service Grad" and REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI. The third - a team of architects from St. Petersburg under the leadership of Elena Bogomaz. All of them are presented below.
First place
Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
The architects set themselves the task of comprehending the territory indicated in the competition project, identifying its problems and potential, and understanding where to direct efforts in order to achieve positive changes. It is obvious that the city center suffers from a lack of amenities, an accessible environment, public spaces, playgrounds and sports grounds. The situation is aggravated by chaotic parking lots.
From the point of view of landscaping, the project was based on the following solutions: narrowing the carriageway, expanding and transforming sidewalks into public spaces, consolidating unplanned parking lots, modernizing the urban transport network and creating dedicated lanes for its movement, landscaping and greening of streets, forming a system of pedestrian connections, saturation of buildings with various functions, etc. However, there is another side: the return of the historical center to the city, as well as the preservation and protection of the historical, including archaeological, heritage. Here is the main city symbol - Kursk Detinets, the most effective development of which formed the basis of the project.
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zooming 1/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 2/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 3/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 4/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 5/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 6/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 7/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 8/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 9/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 10/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 11/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 12/12 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
Some of the buildings existing on the territory retain their function, and some are endowed with new ones. In the building of the former male gymnasium, for example, it is proposed to place a registry office and a creative cluster with educational spaces, offices and coworking spaces. In the former buildings of the KEAZ plant, a hotel, restaurant, MFC, commercial premises are planned. The former courthouse houses a museum of modern art. There will also be new buildings - a museum of local lore, a puppet theater, etc.
Another important symbol of Kursk is the Tuskar River embankment from where a breathtaking view of the city center opens. It is planned in a modern eco-urban style - with wooden paving, an abundance of public and children's playgrounds, modern outdoor furniture, fishing and relaxation areas.
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zooming 1/4 The concept of restoring the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 2/4 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 3/4 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
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zooming 4/4 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk. General plan and analytical schemes Mikhail Zautrennikov, Kirill Budykin (Kursk)
Below is a video prepared by architects for the final presentation of the project
Second place
REC "Urbanism" MARCHI
The main components of this project are the preservation of historical buildings, the creation of new objects strictly within the dimensions of existing buildings, the improvement of the territory according to the principle of the formation of a lively urban space, attractive to residents and guests of the city.
Some buildings are acquiring new functions: the architects placed a wedding palace in the building of the district court; one of the buildings of the Kursk Electrical Apparatus Plant was proposed to be converted into a hotel, and the former building of the men's gymnasium was to be given to the local history museum.
Serious attention is paid to the creation of new public spaces, as well as the development and reconstruction of existing ones.
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zooming 1/10 The concept of restoring the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 2/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 3/10 The concept of restoring the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 4/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 5/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 6/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 7/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 8/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 9/10 The concept of restoring the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
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zooming 10/10 The concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk REC "Urbanistics" MARCHI
Second place
"Service Grad"
Among the key solutions proposed by the architects are the reconstruction of the CHP, the creation of a cable-stayed bridge over the Tuskar River, the transformation of Lunacharsky Street into a pedestrian zone, the construction of an MFC with a multi-level underground parking, and the return of its original appearance to the former building of the Bratsk Corps.
In the main tower of the CHP, a viewing platform with observation elevators and a restaurant is organized, and it is proposed to start a cable car from the 1 May park in the direction of the river. The very same park zone, according to the architects, needs to be reconstructed, to arrange sports zones and public spaces in it.
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zooming 1/5 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk "Service Grad"
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zooming 2/5 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk "Service Grad"
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zooming 3/5 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk "Service Grad"
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zooming 4/5 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk "Service Grad"
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zooming 5/5 Concept of restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of the central part of Kursk "Service Grad"
Third place
Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova
The project was based on the image of the pre-revolutionary Kursk. The authors sought to identify and reveal the identity of the city, "consulted" with the old master plans and historical photographs. Having learned that the space in front of the circus was previously a train station square, the architects decided to transform it based on the old train station. The landscaping imitates railway tracks that lead to a multi-functional all-season pavilion.
One of the directions of the concept is the reconstruction, preservation and construction of colorful wooden buildings. Another emphasis is placed on a significant expansion of the pedestrian zone.
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zooming 1/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 2/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 3/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 4/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 5/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 6/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 7/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
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zooming 8/8 Elena Bogomaz, Alena Amelkovich, Vera Burmistrova, Elena Blinova (St. Petersburg)
You can learn more about the competition on its website. There you can also get acquainted with the projects of the participants and comments to them.
