The New York–based architecture firm ODA kicked-off 2020 by winning an international competition to revitalize a 23-acre post-industrial site near Moscow, Russia.
Moscow, a city of more than 12 million people – a number expected to grow in the coming years, is maximizing its urban sprawl by developing former industrial sites on its outskirts for residential, commercial, and public use.
As part of these new urbanization efforts, ODA designed a striking master plan for Magistralnaya Ulitsa, also known as the MAZD Territory, located within the west sector of the city’s Third Ring Road.
The project is a comprehensive kickoff for the conversion of the former industrial territory, acting as a catalyst for the future growth of the surrounding neighborhood.
Aiming to create a meaningful contribution to the development of the urban fabric, ODA will set guidelines for a future destination, with pedestrian, green and mixed redevelopment.
“Moscow’s center is predominantly dedicated to office, commerce, hospitality, cultural, and governmental buildings. Most people live around the second and third rings in large-scale formulated housing complexes, while industries are concentrated mostly along the third ring,” Eran Chen, founding principal of ODA explained.
“City life is a constant movement from the outer rings to the city center and back through systems of highways and public transport. MAZD is one of the city’s first attempts to creating a real mixed-used neighborhood in the outer rings. Its aim is to address the growing desire of millennials to live in a self-sustained, walkable neighborhood where the lines between live, work, and play are blurred,” he added.
For the site, ODA has envisioned a unified plan defined by sprawling structure and a prominent roofline that mimics the topography of a hill, plus a series of towers whose forms extend the undulating silhouette of the complex.
ODA’s design creates an iconic roof that marks MAZD within the skyline and organizes open and enclosed spaces, including residences with courtyards and open sightlines.
As a mixed-use project, two typologies are introduced: villa residences with quiet patio spaces and condominium towers featuring retail and dining experiences, urban green spaces, and offices, all interconnected with pedestrian walkways in a manner that blends landscape with architecture.
The competition was organized by Citymakers for the redevelopment firm Glavstroy.
This large mixed-use redevelopment intended to kick-off the regeneration of a whole series of industrial zones just outside Moscow City.
The city has a significant number of these post-industrial sites in valuable areas, directly aligned with main transportation vectors. The MAZD area is 9.3 hectares and will, in many ways, affect the further regeneration of the surrounding neighborhood.
ODA’s stated objective is to create a meaningful contribution to the development of this urban fabric, one that will, overtime, set the guidelines for a more pedestrian, green and mixed-use redevelopment, and one that will become a destination in this valuable part of the city.
The MAZD Territory will be an innovative neighborhood, establishing a visible marker along the Third Ring Road of Moscow’s multipurpose, green, and accessible urban agenda.
The New MAZD will update the deployment of public programs along the West sector of the Third Ring Road, close enough to the bustling influence of Moscow-City, from which it will become a beacon with its iconic silhouette.
The proposed projects follow Moscow’s trends for a dense, mixed and walkable region where architecture and landscape are designed in conjunction.
The interweaving of public and recreational spaces with residences and offices will strengthen the sense of place that this location much needs.
On the ground, leisure and retail are laid out to enjoy the experience of the continuous park. This modular development can adapt to different typologies, masterplans and can influence the north and south expansions of future developmental stages.
It’s hoped that the new MAZD will transform these forlorn sites into an iconic and multilevel tapestry of life for leisure and human interaction.
All images courtesy of ODA.