The competition for the renovation of the 4th, 7th and 8th microdistricts was carried out by order of the administration of the city district within the framework of the concept for the development of the regional center until 2024. The operator was the Moscow company RTDA - it is planned that, based on the winning concepts, it will develop a new urban planning regulation in the future. It was recently announced that the project won in the nomination "architectural and planning solutions for development", and the further fate of all projects will be determined by the jury.
Over the past few years, the Yuzhno-Sakhalin administration has initiated a series of competitions, including a competition for the concept of the spatial development of the city, in which it won
JSB "Ostozhenka", competition for the concept of an educational cluster - won by UNK project. And this speaks of at least three important things: firstly, about the unresolved urban planning problems that Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has faced at the current moment, secondly, about the moral and physical deterioration of the building, and, finally, thirdly, about how that the administration is ready for a broad dialogue on this topic.
Speaking of "renovation", in the case of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, one fundamental point must be taken into account: when Moscow improves the environment and living conditions of its citizens, we are talking about "improvement", about bringing the environment closer to certain modern standards, if not for which, it would be possible to live by - In any case, some five-story buildings, as you know, refused to enter the program in the old way. When Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk decided to renovate - and it had already begun in the same 8th microdistrict, where two municipal buildings were built - it was about the total replacement of the fund, not just morally obsolete, but simply unsuitable and posing a real danger to residents due to accidents and inconsistency with modern construction requirements in seismically active zones.
Therefore, the renovation program in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is not commercially charged to such an extent and does not require the Moscow coefficient of increasing the building density. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, according to the tender specification, with the existing population density of 20,852 people / km2, the increase will be only 9%, that is, 22,288 people / km2. In architectural and urban planning terms, this, first of all, testifies to the possibility of maintaining a low number of storeys - in the UNK project concept it does not exceed 4-9 floors with an increase in the area of apartments by 20% - as well as to make large courtyards and public areas in the solutions proposed by architects.
Geographic features
The renovated microdistricts 7 and 8 - and in this UNK project found support from the administration - will become a starting, exemplary site that will show the future "face" of the entire city. The nature of residential development is the implementation of the typology of urban blocks - a small size of perimeter blocks with a clear division into urban and courtyard areas and restricting the entry of cars. The topic of urban blocks has been trending for several years at various urban planning forums. But despite the fact that it was born together with the Moscow renovation, in the capital itself there is still no practice of urban blocks, implemented by city order. The experience of renovation, however, comes down to infinity buildings, which are detached towers.
There is, of course, an understandable explanation for this - the incommensurable difference between the overvalued Moscow land and the same Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. But the Far East region has its own difficulties, arising primarily from geographical features. First, there is increased seismicity. If we rely on Soviet standards, then no urban blocks would have worked, since the snips indicated the need to put houses further from each other in case one house “collapses” as a result of an earthquake - does not touch the neighboring one. With the development of modern technologies for the design and calculation of buildings, tested by the experience of neighboring Japan, the need to move houses away from each other has disappeared, and the seismic resistance of buildings is now provided in less archaic ways. All new homes ultimately provide structural strength that can withstand earthquakes up to 9 points.
Secondly, the monsoon climate is a big problem on Sakhalin - there are cyclones with colossal amounts of snow. The head of the UNK project, Yuliy Borisov, notes that this is not the first time working in the region, the architects have already become convinced of this specificity, and therefore immediately reflect the necessary solutions in the projects. So, the width of the driveways should take into account the methods of snow removal, and the contour of the roofs - mainly pitched - its abundant accumulation.
Snowfalls, in addition, are especially difficult for motorists - that is why the concept gives priority to underground parking over flat parking, this will free car owners from having to dig their cars out of the snow. Underground parking lots have been built under almost all urban blocks. The surplus budget of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk can afford such a decision.
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zooming 1/15 The layout of the elements of the planning structure. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 2/15 Scheme of the development plan. Renovation of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 3/15 Wave migration scheme (1 wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 4/15 Wave migration scheme (2nd wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 5/15 Wave migration scheme (3rd wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 6/15 Wave migration scheme (4th wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 7/15 Wave migration scheme (5th wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 8/15 Wave migration scheme (6th wave). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 9/15 Wave relocation scheme (completion of construction). Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 10/15 Landscaping scheme. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 11/15 Number of storeys. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 12/15 Layout of social infrastructure facilities. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 13/15 Pedestrian traffic organization scheme. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 14/15 Transport scheme with the organization of the road network. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 15/15 Cross-sections on the territory. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
Building principles
When implementing urban blocks, the large urban planning grid of the Soviet era is divided into a smaller structure - where the dimensions of the "module" do not exceed 2.5 hectares with a maximum length of 200 meters. What are the advantages of such a structure - it has already been said many times. Recall that the concept of urban-boks was once the central idea of the new RNGP (regional urban planning standards), which several years ago were presented by the Moscow City Architecture Committee at the Arch Moscow exhibition. The project was developed by RTDA - the operators of the current competition, and ideologically there is a lot in common.
The main quality of the urban block system is accessibility - a chain of living spaces is created with pedestrian access to social infrastructure facilities, a permeable and safe walking environment. It is cut through by the so-called "urban green frame" - a network of boulevards, city squares, inner courtyard gardens - allowing to build new town-planning formations into the natural mountain landscape and implement a tourist route in the city center. So, 7 and 8 microdistricts are connected by a boulevard connecting the City Park with the Central Square and the business quarter.
The residents - with whom the concepts were repeatedly discussed during the competition - were especially closely following this particular part of the project, literally studying from which windows the neighboring hill would be best seen.
Yuliy Borisov: “Our task was to show urban planning and architectural approaches to the implementation of the renovation, and most importantly, to get feedback from residents. We believe that the townspeople of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk were our co-authors and, indeed, gave a lot of valuable advice. The discussions were in the period of the pandemic, but we had a tent built in the center of the city, they came there and discussed the project with us via video link."
The concept also presupposes such an important quality of the renovated environment as multifunctionality and a variety of scenarios for the use of territories: with a predominant residential function, non-residential public ground floors, specially designated courtyard areas for vegetable gardens and greenhouses, the creation of new urban centers are envisaged. The concept lists Teatralnaya Square, Restaurant Street, Sports Ground, Central Square, Delovoy Tsentr, Sakur Boulevard. Of course, at the concept stage, all of them have so far only the character of proposals that consolidate the main ideas for further urban planning.
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zooming 1/7 Scheme of public spaces. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 2/7 Scheme of the functional filling of the area. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 3/7 Territory improvement scheme. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 4/7 Layout of underground parking lots. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 5/7 Scheme of the architectural and artistic solution. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 6/7 Scheme of the inner courtyard of the Urban block. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
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zooming 7/7 Facade design code. Shaping schemes. Development of an architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the urban district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" © UNK project
The architecture of the urban block itself is built on the principle of diversification of volumes, a variety of facade solutions, as it were, of individual houses, assembled into a single quarter. UNK project proposes to fix a certain regulation in the concept - the so-called design code of buildings, which includes height, plastic, types of roofing, facade materials and placement of advertising structures. Transferred to the new standards, such a code could significantly affect the quality of further design, resulting in a more harmonious and easy-to-use development.
South Sakhalin scenario
Yuliy Borisov believes that the renovation scenario proposed to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is suitable for many Russian cities of a certain size, population density, and, most importantly, the cost of land. Despite the fact that in the regions the ratio of the cost of land and construction is much less dramatic than in Moscow, where during the renovation they try to squeeze the maximum square meters from each piece, Russian cities are trying to copy the Moscow model based on a fundamentally different economic situation. At the same time, high-rise construction in the regions, firstly, does not come out so cheap. And secondly, urban blocks only make sense when the number of storeys remains within 9 floors, the architect emphasizes.
Yuliy Borisov, UNK project
“The decisions that are now in the renovation concept, in my opinion, are key and important not only for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. If the city manages to implement these approaches in such parameters, it may be a good example for other Russian cities, because Moscow is still a separate agglomeration, and now most regions follow the Moscow path, which seems to me not entirely correct. I would like to see a different perspective on resettlement. There is a logical solution - 8-maximum 9-storey buildings, it has a good economy, everything is correct from the point of view of residents, and we must strive for it."
