Tourism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon, Russian Design Contest News, Architects
Tourism Cluster in Oymyakon Competition, Russia
Russian Architects Contest: Sakha Republic Architecture Prize – design by Asadov Architectural Bureau
Location: Oymyakon (Russian: Оймяко́н) Sakha Republic, Russia
The Northern Pole Of Cold Tourism Concept Will Be Developed By A Consortium Led By Asadov Architectural Bureau
3 Sep 2019
Tourism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon
Yakutsk, on August 30, the Republican Information and Publishing Holding Sakhamedia in Yakutsk hosted the final meeting of the judging panel, chaired by Aysen Nikolaev, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The experts selected and announced the winner of the Competition for Developing the Concept of the Tourist Cluster in Oymyakon, the world-renowned pole of cold.
The honor went to a Consortium led by ASADOV Architectural Bureau. Other Consortium members included Russia Dis-covery, KNIGHT FRANK, and the LSTK-Project company from Yakutia.
The competitions were initiated by the LETO Competence Center for the Urban Environment of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Non-Profit Trust Fund for Future Generations of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), with the Agency for Strategic Development CENTER serving as strategic partner and operator. Aysen Nikolaev, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), who had been personally curating the event, acted as Chairman of the judging panel.
Out of the 22 applications submitted, three Consortiums were declared finalists: one of them was led by ASADOV Bureau (Moscow), the other was led by the MLA+ Bureau (St. Petersburg), and the third was led by the BAZA14 Team (Yakutia).
Aysen Nikolaev, Chairman, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
“I would like to thank all the participants of the Open Nationwide Competition with International Participation for the Concept of a Tour-ism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). We had 22 participants: 12 individual entries and 10 consortia that brought together a total of 36 companies. I think that partnerships like these are very important.
By working together, foreign organiza-tions and highly qualified big-name Russian companies can pool their competencies together with enterprises that work right here in Yakutia and are aware and respectful of our region’s unique features, including the cultural background. Naturally, to design a project for an extremely cold environment you need special knowledge, which makes it all the more important when local bureaus, which have experience in handling permafrost, collaborate with architects from other regions, who offer a novel approach.
The goal of this competition was to create a plan for the village of Oymyakon. It is a very well-known brand with tremendous potential. Even today, Oymyakon is already in high demand as an extreme tourism hub. But, because of an underdeveloped infrastructure, be it transport, hospitality, or service, we cannot quite meet tourists’ needs. That’s why around 70–80% of applications get rejected. We need a project that will fix this.
This plan will have been partially executed by 2022, when our Republic will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. Today, we will be an-nouncing the winner we will be collaborating with from this point onward. As a result, we will turn Oymyakon into a tourism magnet; into a place where people will be dreaming of going, and maybe even staying for good. It’s what Oymyakon deserves!”
It was no accident that a competition was the chosen format for developing Oymyakon and transforming it into a global hub for extreme tourism and ice adventures. It allowed not only uniting the competences of Yakutsk companies with the experience of world-famous Rus-sian teams, but also discovering the concepts that best incorporate the features of the territory and the cultural context of the region.
Tourism Cluster in Oymyakon, Sakha Republic Film on YouTube
Irina Alekseeva, panel member, Director of the Architecture and Urban Planning Office under the auspices of the Head of the Repub-lic of Sakha (Yakutia), Chief Architect of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
“Architectural competitions are a chance to rally together the best of the best not only from around the republic of Sakha, but also from around all of Russia, in addition to some foreign guest architects. We share experiences and discover new skills together. The Agency for Strategic Development CENTER is our partner in this endeavor.
Thus, we get an excellent opportunity to involve highly qualified experts. Today’s competition is the second event of this scale. And we are already seeing fascinating results! Nurturing tourism is one of the repub-lic’s key development directions. As guests come here to Yakutia, they should be able to enjoy not just new emotions, but also – and above all – high-quality service.
Today, it is important to understand that the competition’s results will be aimed at drawing investors to the pro-ject. What’s more, the insights and proposals on developing tourism may potentially be of use not only within the Oymyakon Ulus as the coldest place in the world, but also in other regions of Yakutia that have the potential for turning tourism into one of the most important social and economic development divers.”
Oymyakon is among the communities with world’s the most extreme conditions for human life. Therefore, while developing their concepts, the competitors did their best to take into account the extreme climate of Yakutia, where temperatures can reach as low as -70°C and winter lasts for 9 months.
Irina Vysokikh, panel member, Minister for Entrepreneurship, Trade and Tourism of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
“I am confident that the project we chose today will give everyone an opportunity to visit Oymyakon. Oymyakon offers so much more than just the told. Oymyakon has hot springs, a wealth of cultural heritage, and the Pole of Cold traditional festival.
This year, we are also planning another major event: the Tamers of Cold show, which is an expedition roleplay, with tourists playing the part of explorers and taking measurements of the lowest temperature. But making all of this a reality is only possible if you have good infrastructure. We require a robust financial model that would help attract investors, as well as an investment-centric approach. We must also account for our na-tional identity and the local spirit!”
The members of the judging panel believe that the Consortium under the leadership of the ASADOV Bureau has offered a balanced and feasible concept for a tourism cluster that will cater to tourists that love both adventure and comfort. Although Oymyakon sees the largest influx of tourists during the winter, the cluster’s infrastructure is designed to be used throughout the year. Oymyakon’s new brand de-sign is steeped in images of ice, snow, the mythical bull, and the northern lights. These images are broadcast in architectural constructions, small architectural forms, elements of navigation and graphic design.
Some aspects of designing the village’s master plan are going to in-clude the creation of new public spaces and the construction of new urban facilities for locals and tourists, such as a new multifunctional hospitality complex (hotel, restaurant, museum, theme park, and an embankment with wooden walkways, heated pavilions, and observation decks). It is planned to develop the engineering infrastructure in a comprehensive manner, and to lay new routes for all engineering net-works.
The project shall be executed in 3 stages. 30% of the funding will come from the local budget, while some other prospective sources include outside investors. Involving the federal budget and the Sakha budget may also be considered. The project will potentially expand the target audience from 3,000–5,000 to 50,000-70,000 people. At the end of the third stage, the tourist flow will have grown by 10,000 people.
Sergei Georgievskii, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Competition, CEO of the Agency for Strategic Development CENTER
“This was not just a competition. It was a research project that brought together local and federal experts and allowed them to meet eve-ryone with a potential to contribute to building the future of Oymyakon, the pole of cold and one of the most inspiring places on the planet.
It is very important to note that each of the consortia that reached the final was able to find its partner in Yakutia. Aside from being a com-petition for the best solution, this process also turned into a consolidation of knowledge, a chance for everyone to learn something new, and an immense source of inspiration for those who are interested in the development of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Arctic overall, the east of Russia, and all those regions that have been forgotten and neglected for so long.
Oymyakon truly has what it takes to become an international tourist attraction. And if it is already so interesting to people around the world today, imagine what is going to happen tomorrow, should we execute even one tenth of the amazing project that the finalists have showed us.”
Olga Shirokova, member of the winning consortium and Director of the Consulting and Analytics Department at KNIGHT FRANK, says that the best-case scenario would be to find investors by 2021 and to begin construction for the first stage of the project in 2022-2023. Ac-cording to her, the overall cost of the project currently falls just below the RUB 1 billion mark, while the profit gained during all 3 stages put together will reach RUB 3 billion. 30% of the funding will come from the local budget, while some other prospective sources include out-side investors.
About the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the largest constituent entity of the Russian Federation and the largest territorial administrative unit in the world: its area is 3,083,523 km². More than 40% of the territory of the Republic lies north of the Arctic Circle. The Republic is one of the most important mineral resource and mining areas: Yakutia has the largest reserves of natural resources of any constituent entity of the Rus-sian Federation.
The Republic’s uniqueness also includes its climatic features, which are the most extreme in the northern hemisphere. The absolute minimum temperature can reach -70°C, and the period of negative temperatures last up to 9 months of the year. The coldest inhabit-ed place in the world, Oymyakon, is located in the Republic of Sakha.
About Oymyakon
The village of Oymyakon is known as the pole of cold and is included in the list of settlements with the most extreme conditions for human life. The lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere was recorded there -71.2°C. It is believed that it is there that the keeper of the world’s cold, Chyskhaan, lives. The Yakut frosts attract tourists from all over the world, including global celebrities.
Hollywood actors Tom Hardy and Ewan MacGregor have visited Oymyakon. The Government of the Republic of Sakha intends to develop Oymyakon as one of the most significant tourist sites in Yakutia and plans to increase the number of tourists several times by 2028.
About the LETO Competence Center for Issues of the Urban Environment of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
The goal of the project is assistance to the municipalities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the realization of the regional Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment project. The Competence Center for Issues of the Urban Environment aspires to be the unifying link and guide to the best solutions for all program participants.
The Center is a place for educational events and meetings of interested citizens. It is the creation and reproduction of educational materials that will allow residents, the authorities, and business to move quickly and effectively in this program. The Center could become a center for the mobilization of resources for the creation of comfortable environment, including financial resources from various sources.
About The Special Purpose Fund of Future Generations of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic NPO
The largest non-profit Fund in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was founded on the basis of an order from the President of the Russian Federation of 12.10.1992, “On the Special Purpose Fund for the Needs of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),” and Decree of the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) No. 278, of 29.10.92, “On the Foundation of the Special Purpose Fund of Future Generations of the Re-public of Sakha (Yakutia).”
The Fund’s mission is to work in the name of the welfare of the future generations of the Republic and assist in ensuring their economic, social, and other development. As part of its mission, the work of the Fund is aimed at the achievement of socially useful goals intended to assist in the development of the social sphere in the fields of education, science and education, health, culture, social welfare, and sport and physical culture, to support the protection of the environment, the formation and development of innovative activities, the development and practical realization of measures to support children and families with children who are in difficult circumstances, and to support the development of socially-oriented non-profit organizations, spiritual development, patriots, and the growth of international cooperation.
One of the Fund’s previous projects was The Park for Future Generations, based on a winning concept selected during an open nationwide competition in 2019.
About Agency for Strategic Development CENTER
It is an analytical and consulting organization in development and urban planning, an operator of various architecture, urban planning, and design competitions, and an advocate for openness and transparency in all competitive procedures. The agency deals with the comprehen-sive development of territories and real estate objects, and also the improvement of the quality of the urban environment.
It generates new ideas for towns and regions and develops new models of land development in Russia, thus allowing each community to unleash its full potential through the development of cultural, economic, and social hubs.
Official website: www.centeragency.org
Official social media: Facebook, VK, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter.
1 July 2019
Tourism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon Competition
Location: Oymyakon (Russian: Оймяко́н) Sakha Republic, Russia
The international competition for a concept creation of a tourism cluster in the world’s coldest village, Oymyakon.
On June 24, a meeting of the jury was held. Local and federal Russian experts based on essays and portfolios of projects implemented, chose three finalists to continue the contest.
They are:
- Consortium led by ASADOV Architectural Bureau (Russia. Moscow), consortium members: KNIGHT FRANK (Russia, Moscow; UK, London), LSTK-Project (Russia, Yakutsk), RussiaDiscovery (Russia, Moscow)
- Consortium led by MLA+ (Russia, St. Petersburg; Netherlands, Rotterdam), consortium members: design unit: (Russia, St. Petersburg), TS-Center (Russia, Yakutsk), PROMKOD (Russia, Moscow)
- Consortium led by BAZA14 (Russia, Yakutsk), consortium members: Megabudka (Russia, Moscow), Shtab Urban Projects Center (Russia, Moscow), NLTR Praktika (Russia, Moscow)
These teams will create their own concepts aimed at unlocking the tourism potential of the North Pole, and Oymyakon as the world-class center of extreme and ice tourism in particular. (Ed – sincerely hope any proposals are as sustainable as possible, given the crbon created by flying to such a remote location).
To take part in the competition registered 40 applicants, from 32 countries, including Russia. 22 applications were received by the organizing committee, of which 12 were individual participants and 10 were consortia.
Among the teams applying to participate were 48 companies, 36 of which were consortia. Along with Russian companies, representatives of 7 countries will attempt to develop a concept for a tourism cluster in Oymyakon: Argentina, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Latvia, and the USA.
Companies from 13 cities took part in the competition. Moscow leads, with 22 companies taking part. Among representatives of Yakutsk are 12 companies, 4 from St. Petersburg, and 2 from Riga. The list of participants also includes representatives from Beijing, Buenos Aires, Charlottesville, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Montreal, Padua, Tokyo, and Vladikavkaz.
4 June 2019
On May 15, in Moscow, as part of the 24th International Exhibition of Architecture and Design “ARCH Moscow,” a professional competition was launched. Open International Competition for a Concept of a Tourism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon, the Northern Pole of Cold, starts with the support of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russian Federation.
Open International Competition for a Concept of a Tourism Cluster in the Village of Oymyakon
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russian Federation
Official Competition Website: https://oymyakon.world/eng
Oymyakon is known as the pole of cold and is included in the list of settlements with the most extreme conditions for human life. The lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere was recorded there -71.2°С. It is believed that it is there that the keeper of the world’s cold, Chyskhaan, lives.
The Yakut frosts attract tourists from all over the world, including global celebrities. The Government of the Republic of Sakha intends to develop Oymyakon as one of the most significant tourist sites in Yakutia and plans to increase the number of tourists several times by 2028.
Competition will bring together Russian and international experts in the fields of architecture, design and development of tourism clusters, in order to uncover the potential of Oymyakon as a world center for extreme tourism and ice experiences.
The competition is taking place with the support of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)(Russia). The initiators of the competition are the LETO Competence Center for Issues of the Urban Environment of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the non-profit Special Purpose Fund of Future Generations, with the Agency for Strategic Development CENTER serving as strategic partner and consultant.
Format: open, international, two-stage. Russian and international companies can take part in the competition.
Participants: professional organizations in the sphere of architecture, design, and elaboration of concepts for the development of public spaces and tourism clusters.
Foreign participants who have no representation on the territory of the Russian Federation can take part in the competition as part of consortia together with Russian partners. The organizer can assist in finding a Russian partner. For that, call +7 (495) 6977224, +7 (495) 6953358 or send a letter with the request to the official email address of the competition: info(at)oymyakon.world.
Finalists: according to results of the selection stage, three (3) finalists will be selected on the basis of a relevant portfolio and essays, and will be engaged in the development of proposals.
Prize fund: the total prize fund is 2,200,000 rubles.
Each finalist will be paid a reward for the concept development in totaling 400,000 rubles, including all applicable taxes and fees.
The finalist taking third place will receive 200,000 rubles, including all applicable taxes and fees.
The finalist taking second place will receive 300,000 rubles, including all applicable taxes and fees.
The winner will receive up to 500,000 rubles, including all applicable taxes and fees.
Applications will be accepted until June 14. The final meeting of the jury and the selection of the winner will take place on August 29, and the results will be presented at the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held on September 4-6, 2019. This is the largest international platform for the discussion of strategies in developing political, economic and cultural ties between Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Tourism Cluster in Oymyakon Competition images / information received 020719
Location: Oymyakon (Russian: Оймяко́н) Sakha Republic, Russia
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