2013 SU Update: Teachers and Students design Universiade Park

KAZAN – The team of teachers and students of Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering won the Best Universiade Park Design Competition.

The main criteria for entries’ evaluation were compliance of the idea with the existing appearance of the city, originality of idea and forms of presenting information, town planning decision, development of the natural complex, creation of a comfortable urban park area for children’s recreation, creativity and originality of the entry. Four design entries were shortlisted for the next in person competition.

Opening the final discussion of presented entries, Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Larisa Sulima said:«The contest attracted a huge public attention, there were entrants from other regions ofRussiaas well. We hope that today’s summing up will become an important stage in implementing such a significant project as designing the Universiade Park.» The panel of judges evaluated the entries strictly but justly. It should be noted that the discussion stirred a vivid interest of all attendees, provoking debates and disputes.

The project of theUniversiadeParkbased upon ecological peculiarities of the territory allocated for building designed by Nafisa Mingazova, Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering of Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering that eventually became the winner of the competition charmed everybody with its multi-functionality. A group of nearly 20 people has been working on the project for over a year and a half. The result is obvious:the project meets all norms and international standards that are placed on sports parks, and also includes measures necessary for restoring and preserving a unique natural zone in construction sites of the Universiade venues.

The project designers propose to divide the park into two zones:a zone for holding sporting competitions and a leisure landscape zone intended for ecotourism. «The park with a total area of over 70 hectares will become a place for family recreation and playing sports», said Nafisa Mingazova in her presentation speech. Besides, 26 decorative elements, one for each sport enlisted in the program of the 2013 Summer Universiade, will be erected in the park.

The project of the park of leisure and entertainment Minutka (‘just a minute’) designed by composite authors of the Kama Institute of Arts and Design headed by Farid Ilyasov (Naberezhnye Chelny) fascinated the panel with its uncommonness. However, the lack of green areas in the park was named among the main drawbacks of the entry. The project of the park Small Architectures for 2013 Summer Universiade designed by Irina Berezova, the youngest entrant of the competition (she studies in the 11th grade of School 56 in Naberezhnye Chelny) was inspired by  Ancient Greece. The project of the park Chat designed by Elena Katasonova and Maria Manuylova, students of the Kama Institute of Arts and Design (Naberezhnye Chelny), reflects the age of information technologies and innovations. The park’s project is based on the construction of a microchip. Two young designers offered to build a two-level park, thus stressing the innovative nature of Tatarstan and up-to-dateness of the Kazan Universiade. «We are confident that the cities of the future will be growing ‘up’, and our future lies with multi-levelness,» said Elena Katasonova.

Winners and finalists of the competition were awarded diplomas and presents granted by MegaFon, the General Partner of the 27th Summer Universiade. But the main reward for the entrants was the promise given by head architect of the city of Kazan Tatyana Prokofyeva that the final design of the Universiade Park would be built upon all presented ideas and projects. «We are grateful to the Universiade Directorate for organizing the competition. It’s very important to use new ideas in designing parks of Kazan and we will be doing it by all means», she said.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)