“The park and the embankment will be a priority”: details of the competition for the best concept for the development of the territory on S.Khakima Street

Ilsiyar Tukhvatullina, chief architect of the city, and Valery Kravtsun, managing partner of Kravt Group, replied the questions of the press.

Today, at a press conference at the Tatar-Inform News Agency, Ilsiyar Tukhvatullina, Chief architect of Kazan, and Valery Kravtsun, managing partner of Kravt Group, launched the international competition for the best architectural concept for the development of the territory on Sibgat Khakima Street. For information, this is an area of 8.9 hectares, located between Sibgat Khakima Street, the Riviera hotel, the water area of the Kazanka River and the proposed Horizons Park, which is currently being designed by the French landscape architect Michel Pena.

“This territory is very important, we cannot allow any mistakes. Therefore, there should be a balanced concept of the development of the territory”, - said the chief architect of Kazan Ilsiyar Tukhvatullina.

She noted that the architects face a very challenging task: they need to create an attractive design for the territory from all angles. Attention will be paid not only to the functionality, but also to the exterior. “The contestants need to develop a recognizable, unique architectural silhouette, harmoniously integrated into the panorama of the Kazanka water area. The second point is that everything needs to be associated with the Horizons Park. The design should interact with it harmoniously. The third is to ensure a continuous embankment linked with the concept developed by the Orchestra bureau, which must be accessible to everyone. Fourth – it is necessary to reflect the identity of Kazan, because the city is multinational and diverse. We need to reflect this in the architecture”, - I.Tukhvatullina explained

The competition customer is the Tatkravtinvest company, which is the new owner of the Riviera entertainment complex. The total prize fund is 8.1 million rubles.

“Previously, we proposed several solutions for the development of this territory. Considering the responsibility and importance of the location, we have proposed to hold an open international architectural competition for its development. We are glad that our proposal has been supported. We believe that this approach will allow to get a great concept that will meet international standards”, - said Valery Kravtsun, managing partner of Kravt Group. He also noted that he appealed to the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin with a request to head the jury of the competition.

Currently, the organizers of the competition are also working on inviting well-known architects and urban designers into the jury, not only from Russia, but also from other countries.

“The park and the embankment will be a priority. Any buildings should be located closer to the road, not to the water. It is very important to develop a single line and extension of the park, even opposite the multifunctional complex”, - V.Kravtsun emphasized and noted that according to the terms of the tender documentation there will be no housing construction.

Russian and foreign architects, urban designers, professional architectural bureaus and workshops or consortia are invited to participate in the competition. The application campaign and registration of participants will run until June 1. The projects are accepted until June 24. The winners will be announced on June 30.