Image courtesy ZHA/Flying Architecture
Zaha Hadid Architects have been chosen along with five other practices to develop a huge site west of Moscow
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is the highest profile firm selected to design the massive Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye smart city west of Moscow, intended to be a “global benchmark” for data-driven, sustainable cities.
The plan for the section designed by ZHA with Russia partners for a section of the development unites offices and accommodation with a ribbon-like motif that curls across the waterfront. Their project will be joined by developments by two other teams, including Russian practice UNK Project and Japan’s Nikken Sekkei.
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye, which covers nearly five square kilometres around a lake, includes housing for a population of 66,500, plus schools, shopping districts and 800,000 square metres of offices intended for financial institutions and law firms.
The winning proposals were selected by a jury including Kristin Feireiss (Aedes Architecture Forum) and landscape architect Andreas Kipar (LAND).
Image courtesy ZHA/VA
Bordered by the Moscow River, 4 million square metres of new buildings will be developed in Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye while about a third of the neighbourhood will be parklands and forest, according to developers.
The developers say the project will optimise the production of sustainable local energy and minimise consumption, while integrating “electric mobility, new technologies, services and infrastructure.” But the digital systems are designed to work to further the area’s natural beauty and public spaces, says Christos Passas, project director at Zaha Hadid Architects.
“Working with specialist teams in Russia and Europe, we developed a people-centric design for a smart interconnected city that brings people together not only through innovative technology but also through organising the public realm; building a community that integrates the natural aspects of the site with principles of openness and inclusivity in high quality architecture suited for the 21st century.”
