SPbGASU Specialists Rejuvenated the Square in Valdai
On 11 November, the Freedom Square in the city of Valdai, Novgorod Region, reopened after reconstruction.
1. Freedom Square in Valdai before the reconstruction
2. Freedom Square in Valdai after the reconstruction
✔ In 2020, the concept for the square development, offered by employees of the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, was among the winners of the All-Russian competition for creating a comfortable environment in small towns and historical settlements. The competition has been held by the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation since 2018.
Appreciation letter
The project managers are Svetlana Bochkareva, associate professor at the SPbGASU department of architectural environment design, chief architect and director of the university design studio, and Aleksandr Demin, associate professor at the department of AED, general director of the Kremlin Studio LLC. Employees of the SPbGASU design studio Nikita Batrakov and Mikhail Lyubetsky, as well as a student of the department of AED Daria Barkeeva, were involved in the project.
Valdai is a small town in the Novgorod region. It is known for its rich history and nature, preserved almost in its original form. The town with all its attractions is part of the Valdai National Park, which was formed to preserve the unique lake-and-forest complex of the Valdai Hills and create conditions for the development of organized recreation in this area. In Valdai, an ice arena, a swimming pool, a modern youth center "Mesto#VALDAY", and the park "Glade of Fairy Tales" located on the shore of the lake have been built and are operating.
The authors called their project “Valdai_CENTER”, since all proposals are related to the development of the central part of the city.
There are three stages of design and implementation. To date, the first stage has been completed – the reconstruction of the southern part of the Freedom Square. This is the lower part of the square, which is closed by the city museum and which opens the perspective view of Narodnaya Street, leading to the sports complex under construction. The area of the design site is 1.17 hectares.
The second stage of the Valdai_CENTER project involves the development of the upper (northern) part of the Freedom square, where the main mass events of the city take place. This part of the square is a memorial: here is the Heroes park with eternal fire and two places of worship – the Vvedenskaya Church and the Trinity Cathedral.
The third stage is the development of the territory of the former street market, which is currently privately owned, but is of great importance for the development of the city center. The implementation of the third stage depends on private investment, therefore it takes time to resolve complex issues with the owners.
The shaping of elements of the urban environment and the general concept of the project are developed on the basis of five main concepts associated with the name of the city - Valdai:
- Valdai Lake – a wave, movement, water - a wavy line passing through the entire space of the boulevard;
- Valdai Hills – the use of elements of geoplastics in lawns layout;
- Valdai National Park – ecology: planting wild herbs and flowers typical of the region on the lawns and flower beds of the boulevard;
- Valdai bell – a brand of Valdai: this symbol of the city is actively used in the design of small architectural forms;
- Valdai bagels – urban sculpture "Valdai girls with bagels", which is planned to be installed at the intersection of Lunacharsky street and Narodnaya street. On the firewall of house number 4 on Narodnaya St. it is proposed to make a painting depicting the historical view of this street, against which to install the sculpture.
After the reconstruction. Boulevard
The implemented concept of the first stage of development has made significant changes to the urban environment. Due to the new profile of the road network, a pedestrian boulevard was organized from the side of the preserved historical buildings, where commerce is actively developing. On the pedestrian space of the boulevard, four functional zones are identified, interconnected by a single compositional concept. The information and exhibition area is opposite the museum and next to the bus stop. Information stands are installed here, telling about the sights of the city. This site can also be used for temporary exhibitions of the open-air museum.
Another functional zone is a platform for holding small city events. It serves as a continuation of the extended pedestrian crossing across the road. The location and dimensions of the pedestrian crossing provide a good connection between the projected boulevard and the existing open urban space of the youth center "Mesto#Valdai". As part of this stage, a competition of children's drawings was held, the most successful of which were embodied in durable material and built into the paving of the central platform of the boulevard. This ensured the implementation of the principles of participatory design.
Another zone is a mini-playground, where recreation for residents with children is provided. Opposite the bar and cafe, located on the first floors of former merchant houses, seasonal summer cafes with awnings can be placed. All functional areas are interconnected by a single wavy line, which serves as the boundary between lawns and the hard surface of the boulevard. Benches and city equipment are placed along this line.
Active residents of the city are involved in the creation of the project. The design was carried out in close contact with the administration of Valdai with the support of the Governor of the Novgorod region Andrey Nikitin.
According to Svetlana Bochkareva, “the authors of the project hope that the implementation of the first stage will accelerate the processes of significant transformation of the urban environment. The city has a unique opportunity to form a system of multifunctional, interconnected public spaces and qualitatively change the environment. It's nice that almost all the ideas have been implemented, and one can hope that the updated landscaping style proposed by the university will find its continuation, and the square will regain its former popularity and become a favorite recreation space for citizens.”.
Text: Igor Glebov
Photo: presented by Svetlana Bochkareva
✔ Learn more about the department of architectural environment design