In Kyiv, Ukraine, architect Illya Rastvorov has won the 2019 CANactions Youth Competition. His proposal repurpose the depot of the Copenhagen Railway Station in Denmark into Copenhagen Playground, a park for people of all ages that boosts the quality of life in this section of a city that’s already renowned for its high quality of life.
The competition’s challenge was to adaptively reuse an abandoned building complex at the railway depot into a sports recreation area. Abandoned rail yards often create negative social conditions, so Rastvorov wanted a redesign that would help revitalize the surrounding neighborhoods, not just the target property.
The site comprises a flat surface with 9 parallel tracks and 21 old freight railcars. Each car was renovated, repositioned, and given a unique new function.
Both children’s playgrounds and hazardous areas were fenced for safety, and some elements of the site were equipped with stairs, ramps, and transitional areas. The plan includes a parking area, a playground, a sports grounds, a food court, and an interactive section.
The sports zone serves as a point of attraction, and art installations can be displayed in the same space. The parking area offers a space for music, theater, and other live performances.
To add a sense of discovery, Rastorov created a tunnel under one of the trains, giving visitors the chance to see what the rail cars look like from below.
The 2019 CANactions International Architecture Festival focused on an exploration of a notion of “Hromada” — Ukrainian name for the ‘community’, which is embedded into the country’s historic and cultural codes and reflected in contemporary social movements and architectural forms.
CANactions is an educational platform which integrates the most relevant world experience in the sphere of architecture and urbanism to educate and inspire responsibility active change makers.
Since 2008, the festival has become the biggest educational event in the sphere of Architecture and Urbanism in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Winners of the Youth Competition receive Master’s degree scholarships, plus a 6-month paid internship at the MLA+ offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
All renderings courtesy of Illya Rastvorov.
See the 2019 CANActions Youth Competition website.
See full project presentation, as submitted to the competition.