I. Metshin announced the winner of the international competition of projects of embankments of Kaban

(Kazan City KZN.RU, October 1, Zilya Gayfi). Results of the international competition to develop the concept of the waterfront of Kaban Lake were announced today at Kazan City Hall. The winner was announced by the chairman of the jury, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin. Project of the Russian-Chinese team was recognized the best, it involves the preservation of the natural landscape of the territory and the creation of a new zone for the rest of the residents.

Ilsur Metshin welcomed the finalists and stressed the importance of their work. "We are honored to accept such a massive competition among architectural firms from around the world. I thank the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov for the support of the open architectural competition. For us it is important to think about the long term development of the city. Works of the finalists will start the transformation and development of public spaces in Kazan. Besides, we are actively working on the drafting of a new general plan for the city. Some of the ideas voiced during the competition may be used in this work. I closely followed the competition; the architects proposed creative solutions for the city. Thanks to participants for having gone beyond the task "- said the Mayor of Kazan.

System of Kaban Lake is located on an area of ​​186 hectares, serves as the ecological frame of the city and a "green corridor" that any large city needs to "breathe". "Kaban Lake is 70 thousand years old, the water system of this size and age is a unique phenomenon. Such lakes are very few in the centers of cities in Russia and the world in general. If we talk about the importance of the lake to Kazan, it is impossible not to mention the numerous legends which reflect the stories of a lost treasure, the winged Zilant and traditional fist fights. Kaban Lake and its coastal area is an important space for Kazan in terms of attracting tourists and reproduction of tradition"- the head of the expert council of the competition, the Assistant of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Natalia Fishman said.

The project of the Russian-Chinese team of architects called "The Elastic Band. Immortal Heritage of Kazan" assumes implementation of the concept of landscape construction, providing both open and closed spaces. Priority in the project was given to dealing with water, which will fill the ecosystem with life, bring activity to the urban environment, according to the authors. "The first step of the project will be the restoration of ecological infrastructure – cleaning of the water in lakes, planting of greenery. It is planned to create a system of slow traffic all along the quays, which then must spread to the whole city. Kaban Lake will be the first location in the city, which will allow joining all the open spaces of the city to the "green corridor", - one of the authors of the project, the representative of the Russian-Chinese consortium «Turenscape + MAP architects» Stanley Lang says.

Minimum intervention in order to preserve the natural landscape is planned at the Superior Kaban Lake. There a quiet, walking area, where residents and visitors can go boating and fishing, to walk along the lake, will be created. On the Middle Kaban Lake, on the contrary, "work with the environment" will be carried out, the aim of which would be the transformation of the industrial zone to the needs of the residents. It is planned to create a platform for a variety of activities, extreme sports, as well as making a new city beach. At the Low Kaban Lake, according to the project, shopping arcade will be placed on an ongoing basis, walking area will be saved and an amphitheater will be built.

The authors of the project hope that the improvement of the coastal territory of Kaban Lake will significantly revitalize the center of the city. Implementation of the project at the expense of private investors is scheduled to beginning of the next spring.

Recall, 169 applications from 18 countries were submitted to participate in the international architectural competition for the development of the concept of the lakeside of Kazan. 10 teams from France, Britain, Italy, China, Netherlands, and Spain competed in the final for the award of 1 million rubles and a contract to develop a design project for a future waterfront, the prerequisite to participate was a partner in Russia.

Almost two months the architects were working on the new image of one of the main public spaces of Kazan. The teams from the finals will get a chance to work on other urban projects in Tatarstan, including those in the framework of the Year of the water protection zones - in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk.