Consortium Led by HSE University Wins Norilsk Renovation Competition
The Open International Architectural and Planning Concept Competition for the Renovation of Norilsk up to 2035 received a total of 27 submissions from 12 individual applicants and 15 consortiums from 13 countries. The winner was a consortium of six companies from Russia, Austria, and France led by HSE University. Eleven HSE University institutes and competency centres were involved in the development of the project. The aim of the competition was to create a comprehensive vision of the development of Norilsk up to 2035.
The members of the winning consortium are HSE University, ABTB, Citymakers, Research Center of Construction, individual entrepreneur Leonov A.A. (Russia), PETITDIDIERPRIOUX Architectes (France), and Bartenbach AG (Austria). Second place in the competition went to a consortium led by the State Research and Design Institute for Urban Development of the City of Moscow, while a consortium led by KrasnoyarskGrazhdanProekt came third.
The results were decided by an expert jury chaired by Dmitry Karasev, Head of the City of Norilsk, who remarked that, ‘the winners presented not just a concept, but a full-fledged research work on the city’s development.’
The winning project takes an interdisciplinary approach to the city’s development by creating a high-quality environment for the development of human capital. The concept is oriented around different social groups, including the core group of permanent Norilsk residents, as well as temporary residents (contract workers, the creative class, exchange students, tourists, and others).
The concept involves the implementation of a range of architectural and planning solutions, the formation of a spatial strategy oriented around urban compaction, the development of transport infrastructure, a focus on the development of public spaces, and the adoption of energy-efficient construction and engineering technologies, innovative materials, and more.
The project outlines a total of 1.33 million square metres of construction space in Norilsk, including 971,000 square metres of living spaces and 328,600 square metres of public buildings, apartments and hotels. The project also includes plans for 120,000 square metres of landscaping work and the creation of almost 5,000 jobs.
The concept also designates a number of priority projects, including a Norilsk educational cluster, the creation of a smart eco-buildings utilising modular solutions, the construction of an Artic technopark, and more. One major proposal involves the creation of a federal-level pilot space in the city for developing new regulatory policies and construction technologies in the Arctic.
Natalia Ryazantseva
‘Taking part in the competition was a real challenge for our large interdisciplinary team. When we were working on the project, we focused first and foremost on the interests of people and the development of human capital. We worked to present solutions that will help transform Norilsk into the capital of the Arctic by 2035—a city for living, developing, and finding personal fulfilment,’ explained Natalia Ryazantseva, head of the project and HSE University Director for Regional Government Relations. ‘This project required us to come up with comprehensive approaches to the development of cities in the Artic region, as well as to develop a framework from new solutions and strategies that promote the stable development of Norilsk,’ she added.
Timur Bashkaev
‘It was a unique task: creating an architectural renovation concept, and essentially for the development of a whole Arctic city! We were successful thanks to the fantastic organisation of the work by the leader of the consortium, HSE University. They displayed outstanding professionalism and a huge amount of trust in their partners. I am thankful for the invitation and I’m happy with the result,’ said Timur Bashkaev, Workshop Master at ABTB Architectural Bureau.
The Open International Architectural and Planning Concept Competition for the Renovation of Norilsk up to 2035 was organised by the Norilsk city government and the Norilsk Development Agency with support from the Nornickel company. The project launched after the announcement of the decision to invest 270 billion rubles in the renovation of the city, as well as the Russian government’s approval of a comprehensive socio-economic development plan for Norilsk in December 2021. It is one of the biggest renovation projects in Russia.
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