A New Meeting Place for Moscovites SWA/Balsley Wins Paveletskaya Plaza Landscape Competition 
Aerial view at night – courtesy SWA/Balsley 5+ Design
0f the nine railway stations in Moscow, Paveletskaya is the largest and one of the last of those that opened around the turn of the century. Compared to other Moscow stations, Paveletskaya, designed by Alexander Krasovsky and opened in 1900, represented a lower-key presence in its sprawling configuration, similar to palaces such as a Sans Souci without the ornamentation. The original site for the recent competition included a small park facing the station, bordered on one side by the Ring Road. Post WWII, the site was bifurcated by a road, thus separating the front entrance of the station from the grassy area facing it. 
Paveletskaya Station (2020) Photo: ©A. Savin
The competition was launched with the purpose of addressing this situation—reducing the size of the drop-off area in front of the station and also introducing retail as an integral element of a new park design. The project began with an invited competition for the entire site, which included the retail venue below grade. Here one should note that only one competition was initially planned for the entire project, whereby SWA/Balsley of New York and 5+ Design of Los Angeles—the eventual winners—had already teamed up in that initial stage. Although already identified as the winner in the competition for the entire site, the client then decided that a subsequent competition between SWA/Balsley and Gillespies for the landscape scheme should take place to bring more clarity to the project. This subsequent event was the basis for the total landscape design of the site. Although Gillespies from the U.K. had already been involved in several landscape projects in Moscow, SWA/Balsley from New York had only been involved in one invited competition in Russia, and that without success. Their luck turned out to be better this time, as the SWA/Balsley scheme prevailed. Since the location of the two entrances to the below-grade mall had already been determined in the initial stage, the landscape element, in the words of Tom Balsley, was simply putting “icing on the cake.” Still, their scheme had to present an idea that would set it off from a conventional approach to this challenge. As is the case with many landscape plans including major buildings, the client insisted in this instance that that height restrictions be honored to guarantee unobstructed sitelines to the station from the plaza.  
The section (left) and diagram (right) illustrate the transitional, two-level site strategy.
SWA/Balsley settled on an innovative, but logical solution, which would not only address the height issue, but add some positive features to the plan. Their strategy was a two-level park, with the edge at street level, then transitioning gradually to a lower level, which contained the two major entrances to the underground mall, café, and other amenities. The oval-tilted roofs of the two entrances to the mall were not only aesthetically welcoming, but eliminated the necessity of major signage to lure potential shoppers to the lower level mall. At the same time, pedestrians arriving at the park’s edge could look down to identify the various options they might be interested in, facilitating their journey to an intended destination. One cannot ignore the two-level strategy as a time-honored contrivance employed by landscape architects to create an impression that the distance from one point to another is greater than it might actually seem. Thus, one walking along the edge of this site will come away believing that it to be actually larger than normally would be the case with its 7+ acres. Because of the plaza’s proximity to both the Pavaletskaya Station and the Metro, this site represents your typical high-volume traffic situation. Because of the inclusion of a mall to the mix, other amenities, and a very well conceived, thoughtful concept containing all the features needed for multi-generational appeal, it promises to not only serve as an asset for the local neighborhood, but a major meeting destination for many Moscovites. -Ed 
 
 
Above: mall section
 
Unless otherwise noted, all above images courtesy SWA/Balsley 5+ Design |
The Makasiiniranta South Harbor Competition
 Helsinki South Harbour and Tori Quarter Suomen Ilmakuva Helsinki. Image credit/ Tietoa Finland, Janne Hirvonen
As a prelude to a competition for the design of a new Architecture and Design Museum to be located in Helsinki’s South Harbor, the City of Finland staged an open competition to establish a roadmap for the future redevelopment of the Makasiiniranta harbor area, the last old harbor area to be transformed for public use in Helsinki. The competition for the museum is scheduled to take place later this year; but the entire surrounding area has come up with a plan to review improvements for the entire harbor environment.
Read more… Young Architects in Competitions When Competitions and a New Generation of Ideas Elevate Architectural Quality 
by Jean-Pierre Chupin and G. Stanley Collyer
published by Potential Architecture Books, Montreal, Canada 2020
271 illustrations in color and black & white
Available in PDF and eBook formats
ISBN 9781988962047
What do the Vietnam Memorial, the St. Louis Arch, and the Sydney Opera House have in common? These world renowned landmarks were all designed by architects under the age of 40, and in each case they were selected through open competitions. At their best, design competitions can provide a singular opportunity for young and unknown architects to make their mark on the built environment and launch productive, fruitful careers. But what happens when design competitions are engineered to favor the established and experienced practitioners from the very outset? This comprehensive new book written by Jean-Pierre Chupin (Canadian Competitions Catalogue) and Stanley Collyer (COMPETITIONS) highlights for the crucial role competitions have played in fostering the careers of young architects, and makes an argument against the trend of invited competitions and RFQs. The authors take an in-depth look at past competitions won by young architects and planners, and survey the state of competitions through the world on a region by region basis. The end result is a compelling argument for an inclusive approach to conducting international design competitions. Download Young Architects in Competitions for free at the following link: https://crc.umontreal.ca/en/publications-libre-acces/ Vltava Philharmonic Hall Design Competition 
View to Concert Hall from bridge ©BIG
Classical music is still part of a vibrant musical scene in Prague, with at least four principal venues hosting concerts, ballet and opera. As a modern European city, the only missing venue from these choices is a state of the art concert hall. Other European neighbors have also recently staged competitions for such projects: Munich, won by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten of Bregenz, Austria; Belgrade, won by AL_A of London; and Vilnius, Lithuania, won by Arquivio Architects of Spain. It should be noted, however, that one of the most important competitions for a concert hall, not only in Europe, but the world, was the 1961 Berlin Philharmonic hall competition, won by Hans Scharoun (below). It was the interior of that building, in particular, that served as a model for many others that followed, one of the first being Los Angeles’ Disney Hall by Frank Gehry. Read more… Budapest’s Nyugati Rail Station Competition 
Image courtesy Budapest Development Agency ©Grimshaw
Completed in 1877, Budapest’s Nyugati Railway Station has witnessed many of the twists and turns of Hungarian history: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, revolutions of post-World War I and 1956, and various shades of expansion and shrinkage in their territory. Its important location in Europe’s history as a contested land in southeastern Europe has not only served as a path for armies of conquest, but as a matter of great interest for major powers. Amid all the changes it has experienced, Hungary, and Budapest in particular, has retained a fascination for outsiders, making it one of Europe’s high profile tourist attractions. Read more… A Quest for that Elusive Connective Formula 
First Place: Pedestrian perspective from Parliament – Zeidler Architecture in association with David Chipperfield Architects
How do you find a common thread that can connect an eclectic collection of buildings, visually as well as physically, all located within a one-block site, located just across from Canada’s Parliament building in Ottawa. To identify this common thread that could tie everything together, the client turned to a design competition for answers. With the aid of consultants, [phase eins] from Berlin and experts from Canada’s’ own Université de Montréal’s School of Architecture, the client turned to an invited international format to finally settle on six teams that could rethink the site. Read more… Vilnius Railway Station and Public Square Competition 
Vilnius Station competition Image: ©Zaha Hadid Architects
In European cities, recent history has seen their central railway stations become the subject of upgrades, or totally new projects, many of them springing up in Eastern Europe. In most cases, the focus on this phenomena occurred several decades after earth-shaking political events. In Germany it was the construction of a new main central station (Hauptbahnhof) shortly after the reunification of Germany and Berlin. in Estonia, and now Lithuania, it has occurred after the independence of those countries in conjunction with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And in Hungary, it was the subject of a recent competition encompassing a large area surrounding the station. Read More… |
