Urban Reclaiming the Shore in Kyiv, Ukraine by Taller 301 Architect

Article source: Taller 301

After presenting the project before the jury members in Kyiv/Ukraine, TALLER 301 was awarded First Prize in the International Architecture Competition URBAN LANDSCAPING IN KYIV FOR EURO-2012. The project entitled Reclaiming the Shore consists of 413 hectares between the Dnieper River and the City Center, and envisions a series of interventions to be developed for the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship 2012 hosted in Kyiv, as well as a long term vision for the city.

Ring

• Architects: Taller 301 Architect
• Projects: Urban Reclaiming the Shore
• Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
• Software used: Blender 3D and GIMP for renderings

Aerial View

THE DNIEPER WATERFRONT – KYIV BEYOND THE UEFA EURO-2012:
The efforts of the Kyiv Central Department for Urban Planning in hosting the European Football Championship Finals in 2012 must be seen as means to an end, not the end in itself. The Dnieper River embankment recuperation and reinvigoration is but a mere step in transforming and strengthening the entire Ukranian region. Just like the Dnieper is a geographical unit, the correspondence between city and nature must be carefully planned. The potential that this small intervention can actually undertake in eventually transforming the region starts here. More important than just improving the embankment, the city must offer strong connections that lead to the different natural resources and enliven the city. Just like Berezina is an affluent of the Dnieper, pedestrian and bike promenades should also become “urban affluents” of the Dnieper, existing forests and mountains.

Land Bridge

RECLAIMING THE SHORE – KYIV LANDBRIDGES:
Problem: The highway acts as a barrier between the city and the river.
Solution: Reconnect the city and the river through landbridges.

Nocturna

IMPROVEMENT OF THE EXISTING PATH:
The Edge is already a rich and complex walkway that has been worn out by time and lack of proper maintenance. It is the backbone of Kyiv´s most important Metropolitan park. As such there needs to be a general intervention along its entire length for it to reach its full potential. There needs to be an effort to restore the existing paths to their original state. Restoration has to include improvements in lighting, ramps for the disabled and the inclusion of bicycle paths. The new Edge will have different types of movements such as walking, jogging, in-line skating and bicycles.

Ski Slopes

RING NODE STRATEGY – STRUCTURING THE LANDSCAPE:
If the Edge functions as the backbone of Kyiv’s Metropolitan Park the Ring nodes function as its joints. They contain activities, solve height variations, structure the landscape and help connect the city with the river. By deforming the ring node, traffic continues uninterrupted creating an iconic reference along the edge. The node connects all pedestrian walkways creating diverse relations and shortcuts.

Vista Embankment

EXTRACT FROM THE JURY REPORT: 1st PRIZE
Reclaiming The Shore
This proposal is addressing the challenges of the brief in two overall levels of scale. How can the city in a literal sense bridge the gap created by the infrastructure along the Dnieper River? And how can the edge between the city and the park become animated through a series of new nodes.

Vista Ring node

On the scale of the Territory the project proposes to re-use the idea of wild life passages in an urban environment. The riverside park is extended over the road to reach the water in a series of green plateaus that can be programmed with public recreational programs as harbor baths, beaches or skiing hills. The land bridges are plausible as proposals, flexible as ideas, and beautifully visualized. As an overall vision they are addressing the challenge of the urban landscape of Kiev in a bold and very literal sense, while being flexible enough for further development. A challenge of the idea though, will be how to connect the plateaus individually along the water to improve the circulation in the park.

Axonometrias

Between the city and the park the project proposes a series of ring-shaped bridges at selected infrastructural crossings. The bridges are not only a significant upgrade to the underground pedestrian passages of Kiev but will also become public spaces of their own – hovering between the trees in the park, or encircling a busy traffic node. The circles have an iconic quality and are addressing the need for an improved and recognizable pedestrian infrastructure as well as public gathering spaces for the 2012 Euro-cup.

Corte Landbridge

The two ideas can work independently or together. The project is proposing tangible ideas that can work in the short term planning of the Euro-cup as well as in a long term vision for the city. With only few interventions Reclaiming the shore has the potential to strengthen the identity and enhance the recreational qualities of a unique urban landscape in Kiev.
Signed April 30/2011 by Jury Members:
– Sergiy Tselovalnik:   Head of the Kyiv Central Department for Architecture and Urban Planning Vice President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine
– Igor Sokolov:  Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine
– Vladymyr Shevchenko:  Arch.Studio “V.Shevchenko”, Ukraine
– Andreas Klok:  Pedersen BIG, Denmark
– Lorenz Dexler:  TOPOTEK 1, Germany
– Fabian Hoermann:  EM2N, Switzerland
– Vasiliy Popov:  Popov Architecten, The Netherlands

Diagrama

COMPETITION TEAM: Pablo Forero, Julian Restrepo, Ivanovha Benedetto, Juan Carlos Cuberos, Manuela Mosquera, Susana Somoza and Alejandro Montoya.

TALLER 301 is an architecture studio based in Bogotá, Colombia. They work within the fields of architecture, urban planning and landscape design, with a highly academic approach through rigorous research and analysis. TALLER 301 is founded and lead by architects Julian Restrepo and Pablo Forero.

TALLER 301 has received numerous prizes in international architecture competitions such as “The Bering Strait Project” (1st Prize), an Adaptable Floating Gallery in London, England (2nd Prize), the Embankment for the Drava River in Maribor, Slovenia (3rd Prize), Social Housing in Luanda, Angola (Honorable Mention), as well as different national competitions.
They have been guest lecturers at Isthmus School of Design in Panamá, SAP Landscape Architecture Conference Cycle in Bogotá, CANactions Festival 2011 in Ukraine, and have also presented some of their projects in different universities in Bogotá.

They are currently commencing the construction of a house in the outskirts of Bogotá for the Zambrano-Clavijo family and will develop a 9,000 m2 Cultural Center for a university in Bogotá alongside TAB / Taller de Arquitectura de Bogotá.

Tags: Kyiv, Ukraine

Category: Restoration

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