Project Name: PARKing curves

Location: Tchaikovsky Boulevard, Yaroslavl, Russian Federation.

Client: Festival Social Revolution

Landscape project type: Urban ecological object

Architect: Tengiz Alaverdashvili

Design Period: 2013

Awards: Special Diploma of the Jury (International design competition)

Competition Website: http://competition.su/r/blog/2013/05/winners-of-the-competition/

Task:

Festival of social architecture "Social revolution" announced the international competition "PARK'ing": for making up the design of the urban ecological object. Modern city in the magnitude of it's tasks usually forgets about the human and his essential need in privacy and comfort, his desire of harmony. We compete with cars, highways, shopping centers, with each other to find our area for the rest, for a place to "park". The task of the competition was to create these "parks" ('PARK'ing' places)- the urban objects for communication of citizens (families, youth, integration of different social and age groups). Contestants had the unique opportunity to have a public dialogue with the historical heritage of the 1000 years old Yaroslavl, to construct a bright and functional object and to express in it the unique artistic credo of an author. Objects will be located in the historical center of the city — on the Tchaikovsky boulevard — the purlieu of townspeople.

Concept of the project:

The task is to make existing park more attractive and interesting for “parking”. First of all it has to be easier to access. At the moment the boulevard is isolated from surrounding space and can be accessed only from distant ends of the park.

Designed object is placed in front of the Center of Belarusian culture (House-Museum of Maxim Bogdanovich). This is a central part of the park and it is a good place for making a connection between Tchaikovsky street and the alley. Also there are some good views from this place – the Center of Belarusian culture, House of Ariadna, the obelisk, boulevard and the park itself.
As the park isn't a street only for walking through, it has to have some places for people to “park”. These “parking” places should be attractive for families, youth, different social and age groups.

Designed object is a park bench named “PARKing curves”. This is a place for gathering, connecting with each other, having fun, or just sitting, having a rest and enjoying park views. Also it serves as a connection between city and the park. The bench has a curved outline which goes around the existing trees, creating many “parking” places with different views. Some parts of the curves are more open to the street and boulevard views and some are cozier.The inner part of the “PARKing curves” is filled with soil. In the centers of the curves where are the existing trees the ground level is left unchanged, so some nice landscape curves are created.

The concept of the design was to make it very flexible. Thus it has a certain shape as shown in the proposal it can be changed according to the place, budget, etc. The outline of the “PARKing curves” goes around existing trees. It can be split into several small objects, or unite into bigger ones. This flexibility of the design makes possible to adjust it to any place of the park.

This concept can be used not only for a single installation. These types of “PARKing curves“ can be placed in different parts of the park, or they can form groups and be placed side by side.

Making connections between the alley and the streets and creating nice places for “parking” will give the park a new life and make it more attractive and inviting for people.

Technical description:

The basic materials are concrete, steel T beams, metal sheets and timber. Dimensions are 0.4mX18.0mX18.0m. Structural steel elements will be prefabricated and mounted on site. The design is very flexible, so dimensions and forms can be changed on site according to situation.

To make the construction of the object easier 1mX1m grid should be made on site (as show on plan drawing) with wires or ropes.

Most of the works will be made on site and it will be amazing experience for inhabitants of Yaroslavl watching step by step construction of “PARKing curves”.