Samara Arena Stadium Masterplan, KPMG JSC Russian Architecture Competition, Design Contest News

Samara Arena Stadium Masterplan Winner

23 Nov 2020

Samara Masterplan Design Competition Interview

“We wanted to develop a concept that would not just be “beautiful pictures”, but a viable project that was attractive to all stakeholders”: interview with Andrey Asadov and Sven Osmers, winners of the international competition for a master-plan of the FIFA World Cup-2018 Legacy territory in Samara

Interview conducted by Veronica Shevchenko

On 2 October the final jury meeting of the Open International Competition to develop a master plan for a territory adjacent to the Samara Arena Stadium took place. This site had the potential to become one of the most significant locations in both the city and the entire region.

Samara Masterplan Design Competition First prize – design by KPMG JSC:

The jury, chaired by Dmitry Azarov, the Governor of the Samara Region, assessed and chose the best of four projects submitted by the finalists. A consortium led by KPMG JSC (Moscow, Russia), (members: LAND Srl (Milan, Italy), Asadov Architectural Bureau (Moscow, Russia), and Samara State Technical University) won. The competition was initiated by the Samara Region Development Corporation, with support from the Samara Region Government and the Samara Urban District Administration. The Agency for Strategic Development CENTER was chosen to oversee the competition.

Representatives from the winning consortium, Andrey Asadov, General Director of the ASADOV Architectural Bureau, and Sven Osmers, partner at KPMG JSC, spoke to us about their project and the opportunities that will be opened up for city residents after its implementation. They also shared their impressions of the competition and their emotions after winning.

KPMG JSC, the consortium leader, is one of the world’s largest networks in the field of financing and providing audit and consulting services. They rarely participate in such competitions as consortium leaders, and even more rarely win. Does this mean that economics played a key role in the project?

Andrey Asadov. In order to successfully tackle such a complex and large-scale challenge as the development of the Samara Arena territory, a cross-disciplinary approach was needed, which combined an exciting functional programme, economic strategy, and well-thought-out architecture and landscape. This was not our first experience of working with KPMG: previously we resolved a challenging issue in Kazan when taking part in a competition to develop an Eco-district master plan[1].

Samara Arena Stadium Masterplan Winner – design by KPMG JSC:

Sven Osmers. KPMG JSC provides a wide range of services, including working with companies in the real estate and construction sectors, which is a separate type of activity that we specialise in. In our project, finding balance played a key role, as one of the consortium leader’s tasks was to verify the solutions proposed by team members in terms of their economic viability and feasibility. It was important that elements of the project concept were supported by demand from both investors and end consumers. We wanted to develop a concept that would not just comprise a “beautiful picture”, but a viable project that would be attractive for all stakeholders (the city, region, investors, and residents).

You mentioned during the project presentation that the main idea of the master plan was cluster development within the territory. Could you please expand on that?

Andrey Asadov. In order to make the project as attractive and sustainable as possible, we divided the territory into a number of thematic clusters that could be developed independently and autonomously. These included a technical cluster with a research campus and science museum, a conference and exhibition centre with hotels, a musical theatre and an art village, as well as a sports facility with a race track and an extreme and water sports centre. All these clusters were consolidated by a dynamic central boulevard with developing small businesses.

Sven Osmers. Three clusters (economics, ecology, and emotions) made up three functional and territorial cores of the presented concept, which were earmarked to become points of growth for the target territory.

You listed three clusters and three project pillars, one of which is ecology. Also, the concept is called SAMARA Green City, which highlights your objective of preserving the environment. How do you plan to restore and strengthen the natural connections we lost during the fragmentation of the city’s ecological network?

Andrey Asadov. The heart – or rather green lungs – of the project is a large park adjacent to the stadium, which is to be transformed into a modern public space for recreation and healthy lifestyles. We also made sure that green lines of park spaces penetrate the entire territory, and that they can be used to traverse different parts of the territory.

Let’s talk about “emotions”. Which recreation opportunities on the territory will become available for local residents and tourists, and what infrastructure will be created to achieve this goal?

Andrey Asadov. Our project comprises many recreational and entertainment scenarios, from the scientific and educational scenario in the technical cluster and the cultural scenario in the expo zone to the health-enhancing scenario in the sports zone, and are in both outdoor and indoor formats. Such diversity makes the territory a year-round centre for the whole family, in which each visitor can find something to their liking: from physical exercises and business and cultural events to relaxing walks in the park.

The description of your concept references an ambitious plan to make the area adjacent to the stadium the centre of the Volga Region. Why, in your opinion, will people from all around the region flock here?

Andrey Asadov. The variety of functions and life scenarios offered by the entire territory makes it very attractive to the public. The compact and modern exhibition centre, with a conference area and hotels located close to the airport, will serve as a convenient venue for business events, while the technical cluster will gather together innovative companies from the whole region and become an incubator for new scientific start-ups; also, the diverse sports infrastructure, along with the existing stadium, will allow various sports events to be hosted, both federal and international.

The 2018 World Cup was without question a huge event for Russia. Is there anything special about being part of its legacy?

Andrey Asadov. The top priority was that all the large-scale infrastructure that remained after the World Cup could be given a second life, become popular with the residents of surrounding areas, and be organically integrated into the fabric of the new city. We carefully considered these criteria in our project.

Describe the target area in three words.

Sven Osmers. Potential — the project has excellent implementation opportunities, as well as the potential to create an urban space of a new level and format. Challenge — the implementation of such a concept is undoubtedly very ambitious, and requires the mobilisation of a consistent and professional management team with experience in executing similar large-scale complex projects. Change — the successful implementation of the presented concept can make the project a new urban space development standard not only for Samara, but, potentially, the entire country.

Andrey Asadov. The following three words are the slogan of our project: ecology, economics, and emotions!

Have you ever been to Samara before? What impression does the city make on you?

Andrey Asadov. In my childhood I visited this area, the Studeniy ravine, and will always remember the mountain-high sandy shores from which one could roll down head-over-heels, straight into the Volga. And the city itself is very distinctive and laid-back, and has a wonderful sandy beach along the main embankment, fast river boats, and green islands wait for you just around the corner.

During the final of the competition you personally presented the project to Samara Region Governor Dmitry Azarov and all the judges. What were you feeling when you spoke to the governor and answered his questions? And could you describe your emotions when your consortium was named the winner?

Andrey Asadov. Our presentation was a bit different, however, like all the other presentations it was performed partially offline and partially online. Fortunately, the equipment worked well and there were no hiccups, so we were able to fully convey our comprehensive vision for developing the territory. And victorious emotions always feel wonderful and are very important, since they provide a great pay-off after great efforts have been invested. I wish everyone could regularly experience such emotions!

Sven Osmers. At that moment we focused on the presentation and tried to convey our proposal as accurately as possible in a limited period of time. The questions from the governor were practical and meaningful, which was testament to his desire to realise the project as soon as possible. Our team invested tremendous efforts into creating a balanced and sophisticated concept, and so we were truly delighted that the results of our work were highly esteemed by the judges.

[1] Open International Competition for the Eco-district Concept and Master Plan Development in Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan). The competition was initiated by the Republican Support Fund and supported by the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Administration of Kazan. The Agency for Strategic Development CENTER acted as the organising committee of the competition, and was the author of a study that established respective specifications for the competition participants. A consortium led by ASADOV Architectural Bureau achieved second place in the competition.

6 Oct 2020

Samara Masterplan Design Competition Winner

First prize – design by KPMG JSC:

On October, 2 the final meeting of the judges of the Open International Competition for the development of a master plan for the territory adjacent to the Samara Arena Stadium – one that may become one of the most significant locations in the city and the entire region.

The Board of experts chaired by Dmitrii Azarov, the Governor of the Samara Region, reviewed the four finalists’ concepts and chose the best project. The winner is the consortium headed by KPMG JSC.

Heritage of the FIFA World Cup 2018: the master plan for the territory adjacent to the Samara Arena Stadium will be designed by the consortium headed by KPMG JSC

Today the final meeting of the judges to the Open International Competition for the development of a master plan for the territory adjacent to the Samara Arena Stadium – one that may become one of the most significant locations in the city and the entire region. The Board of experts chaired by Dmitry Azarov, the Governor of the Samara Region, reviewed the four finalists’ concepts and chose the best project. The winner is the consortium headed by KPMG JSC.

Representatives of the finalist teams, consortia headed by Drees & Sommer Project Management and Building Technologies Ltd., IND Architects LLC, KPMG JSC, and Aurora Group LLC, gathered in Samara in order to personally introduce the outcomes of the four-months’ work and answer the judges’ questions. The experts evaluated the finalists’ work according to a number of criteria based on the key principles of development of an important urban area, namely: shaping a brand new urban environment, supporting active engagement of human resources, growth of investment potential.

Dmitry Azarov, Chairman of the Jury, Governor of the Samara Region
“The experience gained across the globe by now is very diverse and exciting. The competition proved it once again. We will be paying special attention to take all the best ideas that currently exist both in our country and globally. There isn’t a slightest doubt that our region is going to embrace some suggestions, concepts and ideas which have been thought out in depth.

We could probably use these ideas both for the land in question and across other cities in the Samara Region. I was really excited by the abundance of the ideas, land development approaches, and that creative momentum and the highest professionalism that were demonstrated by the competition participants.”

Finalists to the competition introduced diverse designs for integrated development of the territory with a total area of 397 ha, intended to reveal the potential of the FIFA World Cup 2018 heritage and the tourist potential of Samara.

First prize – KPMG JSC

Based on the finalists’ presentations, the jury chose the competition winner. The winner is the consortium headed by KPMG JSC, with the participation of LAND Srl (Milan, Italy), Asadov Architects LLC (Moscow, Russia), and the Samara Polytech University (Samara, Russia).

The major SAMARA GREEN CITY project concept was the clustered territory development along with implementation of multi-purpose complexes, and revealing the potential of the area to become a new agglomeration center of the Volga Region. The transformation strategy for the territory development is focused on three E’s: ecology, economy and emotions. Ecology and principles of environmental protections are applied to reinforce natural connections that were once lost, which eventually led to fragmentation of ecological network of the city. The notion of “Economy” is implemented in order to introduce economical aspects and create a stable economic system.

The notion of “Emotions” is focused on creating a modern public space packed with various exciting leisure and recreation opportunities for Samara’s citizens and guests. Development of the territory involves integration into the Volga landscape, the creation of a radial green space network, and a cluster-based approach to master planning. Developing the territory in harmony with nature and creating a comfortable modern urban environment were the key challenges in the course of designing a master plan. The suggested project solution both shapes the space around the Samara Arena Stadium and becomes a driving force for development of the entire region.

Maksim Soyfer, General Director, Samara Region Development Corporation
“To my mind, the final stage of the competition was quite successful. We received interesting diverse works based on original ideas that could apply both to the land adjacent to Samara Arena, and to other projects across the region. Of course, the design by the KMPG consortium stood out as the most comprehensive, as far as the majority of the judges were concerned in the course of discussions, which finally resulted in a vote supporting it I would like to emphasize that all competition participants will have to further adjust their designs to take into account feedback from the judges and the technical specification of the Development Corporation.”

Second prize – Drees & Sommer Project Management and Building Technologies Ltd.

Following the results of the meeting, the second prize was awarded to the consortium headed by Drees & Sommer Project Management and Building Technologies Ltd. (Moscow, Russia). The consortium includes CSIGHT GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), ASTOC ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS GmbH (Cologne, Germany), Center of Competence for Major Housing Estates (Berlin, Germany). Key city-planning elements of the SMART Samara concept are two new and impressive city quarters in the are of the Samara Arena Stadium. Technopolis cluster is the scientific research, healthcare and innovations campus in the northern part of the territory that is enhanced by numerous sporting, entertainment and leisure events in the Zhiguli Garden quarter adjacent to the stadium.

Third prize – IND Architects LLC

The Jury awarded the third prize to the consortium headed by IND Architects LLC (Moscow, Russia) participated also by UNStudio (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), AB DOM LLC (Samara, Russia), Knight Frank JSC (Moscow, Russia), Spectrum Holding LLC (Moscow, Russia), and NP NIITDKh (Moscow, Russia). The master plan elaborated by the team is based on the new life style; many people living in a megapolis dream of a “20-minute city” where anyone could spend as little as only 20 minutes to get to any city service and satisfy any of their needs: work, home, sport, outdoor activities, spending time alone or together with their families.

Fourth prize – Aurora Group LLC

The fourth prize went to the consortium headed by Aurora Group LLC (Moscow, Russia) participated by Aukett Swanke Ltd. (London, Great Britain), PricewaterhouseCoopers (London, Great Britain), PHOSPHORIS SAS (Paris, France). The [SAMARA SLABODA – innovation territory] concept enables an environment to be created that offers freedom of thinking and experimentation. The concept is based on the idea of further developing the district as a heart of sporting activities in the city, and adding extra functionalities in order to ensure synergy between various functions.

Again, the Samara Region is working actively to create mechanisms that would enable leveraging of the infrastructure previously created for the World Cup. The competition initiated by the Samara Region Development Corporation and supported by the government of the Samara Region and the Samara Urban District Administration has become a part of this comprehensive work. Agency for Strategic Development CENTER was chosen as the operator of the competition.

Sergei Georgievskii, CEO, Agency for Strategic Development CENTER: “Today this competition is over, one that will surely be remembered as one of the first projects aimed at converting the sports venues that were built especially for the FIFA World Cup 2018 into hubs for comprehensive urban development. I’m sure that other regions that two years ago were proud to hold World Cup matches will be led by the example of Samara and consider integrating major sporting venues into the city fabric.”

The task for the competition finalists was based on the comprehensive analysis of the territory surrounding the Samara Arena Stadium. As part of the research, experts analyzed the role and place of the stadium within Samara’s structure, evaluated the development potential for this territory, and elicited the most significant drivers that might impact selection of strategic pathways for its development. For the purposes of an in-depth study of the territory, a marketing analysis was conducted to assess the real estate market and global experience in working with sports mega-venues after an event which enabled a number of general trends to be singled out that might be applicable to the area around the Samara Arena Stadium.

The total number of potential applicants who registered for the competition was 127, representing 28 countries. This resulted in the filing of 27 applications by participants from 15 countries including Great Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The list of participants includes 76 companies: 7 individual entries and 69 entries that were part of 20 multinational consortia.

Samara Arena Stadium Site Masterplan Winner images / information received 061020

Previously on e-architect:

23 Mar 2020

Samara Masterplan Design Competition

image courtesy of architects
Samara Arena Stadium Site Masterplan

Location: Samara, Russia

Architecture in Russia

Russian Architecture Designs – chronological list

Russian Architecture

Moscow Architecture Walking Tours

Samara Buildings Masterplan

image from BDP
Samara Center

Kurumoch International Airport Samara
Design: Nefa Architects

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Kurumoch International Airport in Samara

ZIM Area Development Samara

Russian Design Competitions

Russian Architecture Competitions

Masterplan for Derbent Urban District Competition, Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, Russia

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Masterplan for Derbent Urban District Competition