Developing Great Public Spaces: A Pleasant Surprise from Moscow
I am an architect, which means that I have primarily two sources of joy: designing and taking long walks in great cities. A decade ago, I walked next to the demolished Rossiya Hotel site in the heart of Moscow. I was sure then that this prime real estate site would be used for a large commercial development, taking advantage of the relaxed (compared to the U.S.) public space and art regulations in Russia.
Revisiting Moscow this summer, I heard that the site has been developed into a park with a large public mixed-use component. A park? I was skeptical.
When I found myself walking nearby, I decided to explore it for myself. I discovered that there were a lot of attractive project features, perhaps even too many. It is an extravagant tour de force, with a slick cantilevered bridge over the Moskva River, underground ice caves and many more impressive and expensive elements to discover. That being said, I was blown away and pleasantly surprised by the simplest thing - the native flowers and plants used in the landscape composition.
Russian culture does not typically display the ungroomed wilderness that spans for miles and miles from Europe to Asia, especially not in the heart of a city where it is important to demonstrate proper order. Yet, this contradiction of having a park where one would expect a building, and wild plants instead of a groomed European landscape creates a phenomenal effect!
The wild native flowers and plants in the heart of Moscow not only make a bold statement of reminding us how important it is to preserve the environment, but also pleasantly surprise us by contradicting the status quo and to the locals, bring back the memories of childhood in the Russian countryside.
Above is a mix of the photos that I took during my visit and the illustrations of park “Zaryadye” that one can find on the web. Here is a link to one publication on the project: https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2018/. If you are interested in this project, I encourage you to google the name and read published articles.
Success of Bold Moves in Great Public Spaces
When we design, we aim to strike the balance between overdesigned and unfinished. We aim to create an appropriate vision for the site and the culture. In the process, we have to be mindful of the budget, the zoning and building codes, the possible and the impossible. Design is an act of balance, akin to walking the on a tightrope. Architects often have to be conservative and careful - but to make an experience better than what is expected, one has to learn from projects like Zaryadye and make a bold move.
The lesson learned from Zaryadye for designing great public spaces is to create pleasant and unexpected surprises by throwing in unthinkable and bold design moves.
Rossiya Hotel illustrated above was the largest hotel in Europe until it was demolished in 2006. The site was standing unused until the construction of Zaryadye Park that opened in 2017. Kremlin in the background, the Moskva River on the right. This is the prime real estate site in Moscow and it is not a great public space.
We love talking public spaces and we love designing them even more.
