Description:
 

The competition entry was designed by a team of six members. The territory is a part of the Coziness Valley sports & recreation complex in the southern part of Murmansk. Located in a lowland, a 23.38-hectare trapezium-shaped site verges Lyzhny Passage in the North, Morskaya Street in the South, Lomonosov Street in the East and Kolsky Avenue in the West. Its terrain reminds me of a truncated flat-bottomed bowl with steep slopes in the North, West and East. Varnichnoye Lake with two inflowings and one outflowing stream sits in its centre. 

 

The key concept was to generate a two-level park, using the existing landscape characteristics with maximum preservation of site topography. The upper level consists of multiple footbridges, that connect the main points of attraction around the site (public transport stops, athletics arena, school and hospital) and provide fast transfer across the park. The footbridges are also roofs for pavilions and all-weather shelters. The lower-level masterplan is formed of the existing pathways with the introduction of upper-level duplicating routes; a large cycling and pedestrian ring, convertible into a ski track in winter; a small skating route, connected with an ice rink; an open-air amphitheatre; flat areas with sport, game and merchant amenities and warm pavilions with cafes, rental places and restrooms. The western slope height difference allows producing a barbecue area, formed of a series of terraces where visitors would rest with the necessary degree of privacy. A separate block, that contains administrative and technical spaces with cafes and rental places, is placed in the south-western area with maximum access from Kolsky avenue. Five archways mark the main entrances. Visitors can also choose the level they need here. The archways’ architecture refers to traditional dwellings of Saami, an indigenous people of the Kola peninsula, while striped facades of main pavilions reconstitute the shape of northern lights, commonly observed in the Murmansk region during the polar night. The proposal introduces minimum intervention in the power lines buffer zones, confining it to decorative lawns, bushes and one pet ground. The lake and stream’s contours become more regular while maintaining the existing shape.

 

Project Group Members: Arseniy Borisenko, Alexander Krokhin, Vladimir Malashonok, Mstislav Kochkin, Olga Melnichenko, Polina Prokopenkova