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Large renovation project of a historical street in the city center of Irkutsk. Reorganisation the urban territory into the main public place in a district. Carefully crafted every public space.

Date
Location
Study project
2020-2021
Irkutsk, Russian Federation
Moscow, Russian Federation









HISTORY

Stepana Razina is one of the main streets in the historical center of Irkutsk. It was built one of the first in the city, so here you can find buildings belonging to different styles of architecture. From the wooden buildings of the 19th century to the buildings of the Soviet period, this street offers a fairly wide variety of historical buildings.

Now, like most streets in the center, it bears the burden of outdated planning and incorrectly set priorities. Narrow uncomfortable sidewalks, many obstacles in the way of pedestrians, lack of greenery, noise and unpleasant smell from cars, negatively affect the desire of people to spend time here.
Despite the large number of transit pedestrians, the street is not adapted to stationary activity, walking and recreation.


TRANSPORT REFORM

The most important solution to reduce the load on city streets and attract pedestrians was restrictions on entry and movement of personal cars. The main flow of personal transport will be redirected to bypass the city center, and intercept parking is provided at the entrance to the center.


Stepana Razina will become one of the main streets for moving by public transport. Pedestrian space will be increased by reducing the transport zone. This solution will ensure the smooth movement of the tram, as well as give impetus to the development of the street as the main public space of the district.

STREET IS A PUBLIC SPACE

Being the most important public spaces in the city, streets are often not used efficiently enough. Any street not only provides movement around the city, but also plays a serious role in the life of cities and their communities, so the project combines public space with a transport artery. The urban environment project should take into account the needs of all participants in the movement in a city with limited space. The successful solution of this task contributes to the development of entrepreneurship and service, as well as educational institutions located on this street.


Sidewalks play a crucial role in the life of the city. These public spaces are the showcase of the city and enliven the streets socially and economically.
In the project, much attention is paid to the facade and instrument zones. In the front area there are tables of cafes or other establishments, the doors of which go directly to the street. Near residential buildings, the facade zone, most often, serves as the personal space of the residents of the house. In the instrument area, you can also often see cafe tables, but also a lot of places to relax on benches, chairs and even sun loungers or on the grass. Also, in this area there are public toilets that meet the basic needs of pedestrians, which are universally ignored. At the corner of the block there is a tram stop with waiting places.

All these solutions are designed to attract pedestrians to use the street not only as a transit, but also to spend time on it, have fun and relax.








Master plan of the Stepana Razina street.





A NEW CITY SQUARE INSTEAD OF AN ASPHALT WASTELAND


One of the design solutions was to transform the empty space in the middle of the street into a new city square, which would provide residents of the area with a place for a relaxing holiday.

The project provides for the creation of a fountain as the center of the square. Nearby there are places to relax, and trees are planted around the perimeter of the fountain to protect from the sun and contribute to the greater visual attractiveness of the place. On the square along the facades there are cafe tables and a small garden of a residential building. The square is framed by buildings on three sides, but one side is open to the street. For pedestrians moving along the sidewalk, the space deepened deep into the block looks attractive enough to stop, relax and observe city life.





Current condition.










Some sketches.



















PLAYGROUND FOR EVERYBODY


School No. 17 is adjacent to an abandoned site and an old building on it. Now this territory is fenced with a high fence and is not used by the city.

The project provides for the use of an empty house and territory for children's leisure. The old building will become an additional academic building of the school, and a large playground will be located next to it. It is created according to the type of island series. Different islands offer different leisure scenarios, but nevertheless provide an opportunity for children of different ages to interact with each other. The adventure-filled space and high-quality design guarantee that every student will have a good time, whether in a group or alone, actively or passively.

Since the playground is open to the whole city, it can attract additional users, which, as a result, will make the street space even more lively and attractive.











RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PARKING LOT


The empty parking space has been transformed into a public space with a large dry fountain and seating areas.
Specially planted lawn and raised seats are attractive for organizing a picnic, meeting or just sunbathing. A grotto for climbing and hide-and-seek games is organized for children. You can also play table tennis and table football on site. For employees and visitors of the bank, there are places for sitting in the fresh air, where they can have lunch or just sunbathe.



Current condition.












The meaning of urban space has changed dramatically. Now people have the reason to be there.






























POCKET PARK TO REDUSE RAINFALLS


Green empty space has been transformed into a small park with rain gardens. New pedestrian paths were laid, focused on the intuitive movement of pedestrians, and in order to attract people to carry out stationary activities, various places for recreation with pleasant views and surroundings were provided on the territory.

Rain gardens are designed to reduce the load on the city sewer system, improve the quality of water in nearby water bodies, and, in addition, improve the quality of movement around the city.









URBAN ADVENTURE INSTEAD OF BORING SIDEWALKS


In the project on the sidewalks, much attention is paid to the facade and curb zones. In the front area, tables of cafes or other establishments are most often located, the doors of which go directly to the street. Near residential buildings, the facade zone, most often, serves as the personal space of the residents of the house.

In the curb zone, you can also often see cafe tables, but at the same time there are many places to relax on benches, chairs and even sun loungers or on the grass. Along the street there is a play space for free pastime of children and parents. Also in this area there are public toilets that meet the basic needs of pedestrians that are so often ignored. At the corner of the block there is a tram stop with waiting places.



Nothing happens here at all: there are few doors, nowhere to sit, nothing to look at.


















Now sidewalks are the best place to walk!






© Copyright Sych Eugenia 2024