The Cushman & Wakefield consortium announces that it has been selected as the winner of the contest organized by the Russia Geographic Society and Moscow Region Government for the Masterplan and Business Strategy for the development of Park Russia. Park Russia is an ambitious tourism and cultural project on over 1,000 hectares and 30 km south of Moscow near Domodedovo airport.
The consortium’s winning proposals provided the Jury with a masterplan and business strategy showing three main zones of the park and opportunities for investment in leisure projects for the day visitor and in the development of a strong tourism resort destination where large numbers of visitors will stay in the park. The business strategy shows a 12 year investment period, principally by the private sector, and Cushman & Wakefield show how viable development projects can be marketed to the private sector. The development is to have strong “green” building credentials and intends to optimise rail access from Moscow and Domodedovo to cope with the large numbers of annual visitors ranging up to a potential 10 million per annum. Russian cultural experts NEBA directed the unique cultural & heritage program of the proposals.
The master-planners were UK based:
Gillespies was the Design Team Leader, Masterplanner and Landscape Architect for the competition-winning design;
Buro Happold created an engineering framework for Park Russia to become an exemplar for green development in Russia, defining a new standard for integrated design including a strategic rail and road plan with an emphasis on public transport;
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios were responsible for designing the cultural and commercial heart of the Park proposal with a particular focus on the central transport interchange hub that will be the gateway to key attractions;
Rider Levett Bucknall provided the costs and project programming inputs to the financial model;
Fourth Street placemaking economists provided the destination economic analysis.
Cushman & Wakefield and consortium companies will start working on the project in the beginning of 2014 with the aim of mobilizing private sector investment.
Project Leader Richard Tibbott FRICS of Cushman & Wakefield Russia, sees this Park as “a uniquely Russian leisure park responding to Russian consumer desires for imaginative leisure and cultural development and creating a major new destination for the rapidly growing Russian visitor economy” – it will be a credible comparator to Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay and eventually to the Parks at Orlando, Florida”.
Sergey Riabokobylko FRICS, Managing Partner Cushman & Wakefield, Russia comments: “It was a great opportunity to participate in the extremely interesting integrated development project of Park Russia and it’s a great honor and responsibility to win this contest. We believe that our vast experience on the Russian Market and the work of our Consortium around the world will allow us to create a truly innovative concept for Park Russia that will make it a signature leisure destination of global significance”.
The Cushman & Wakefield consortium comprises
Russian companies: Strategy Partners Group, NEBA Cultural, Terra Viva, Country Format
International masterplanners from the UK: Gillespies, Buro Happold, Rider Levett Bucknall, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios & Fourth Street Place Consultants (UK)
Specialists: Puy du Fou International (France), MaxMakers (Switzerland), Jack Rouse Associates (USA), Ray Hole Architects (UK), Populous (UK), & Conventional Wisdom(USA).
Jim Diggle, Partner at Gillespies who led the design team says of the competition winning design: “Park Russia features an inspiring and compelling design vision captured in a robust Masterplan framework. It has been designed to be delivered flexibly over many years. It will be an unforgettable destination based on multiple and complimentary attractions, offering layers of interest with fun and learning experiences for all. Gillespies’ Masterplan for Park Russia celebrates the country’s unique history, cultural legacy and future. Park Russia embraces innovative sustainable design, with best practice green principles enshrined in the Masterplan and major constituent design components such as buildings, landscape and supporting infrastructure.”
Gerry Prodohl, Buro Happold’s group director for Transport, cited “Access will play a key part in the delivery of the new Park, and ensure ease of connectivity for the millions of annual visitors, as well as improving movement across the region. Buro Happold developed a strategic rail and road plan with an emphasis on public transport that will see a new rail link created between Domodedovo airport and the Park, as well as greatly improved rail services between the airport and Moscow. These interventions will act as a catalyst for wider economic and infrastructure growth.“
Andy Theobald, Partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity of creating the first element of an extremely ambitious vision – planting a seed that will potentially grow into a sustainable and playful garden.”