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HSE University Named Finalist of Norilsk Renovation Competition

HSE University Named Finalist of Norilsk Renovation Competition

© Viktor Pikhtar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Open International Architectural and Planning Concept Competition for the Renovation of Norilsk up to 2035 received a total of 27 submissions from 12 individual applicants and 15 consortiums from 13 countries. Eight applications made the competition shortlist, from which three finalists were selected by jury vote. One of the finalists was the consortium of HSE University, the ABTB Architectural Bureau, and the Paris-based PETITDIDIERPRIOUX Architectes firm.

Norilsk’s unique geographical location, harsh local climate, and historic buildings presented a complex challenge for the competition finalists. HSE University experts and consortium members visited the city at the end of November for an orientation seminar held by the Norilsk city government, the Norilsk Development Agency, and the Fedorovsky Polar State University. The delegation visited key renovation sites in order to assess the city’s features and requirements, as well as to develop proposals for architectural, technological and urban planning approaches. The experts also identified the city’s main problems and drivers of development.

The delegation included representatives of HSE University’s regional relations team, the Institute of Construction, Housing and Communal Services, the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy Studies, the Institute of Ecology, the Institute for Economics and Regulation of Natural Monopolies, the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development, the Faculty of Communications, Media, and Design, and others.

The competition is organized by the Norilsk city government, the Norilsk Development Agency, and the Nornickel company. The Norilsk renovation project is the largest endeavour devoted to building housing, social and utility infrastructure in the Arctic.

According to the HSE University experts, the renovation concept for the city should be based on the principles of a multidisciplinary approach, the consolidation of various architectural styles while preserving the city’s historical identity, and a focus on best world practices in the development of Arctic cities.

Natalia Ryazantseva

Natalia Ryazantseva, head of the project and Director for Regional Government Relations at HSE University, said that the future of Norilsk depends greatly on the development of a good environment for the city’s inhabitants. This is achieved not only by creating public spaces, but also through the synergy of ecological, social, economic, transport and housing programmes and the application of leading world experience in modern modular construction. The development of architectural and planning solutions for the renovation of Norilsk requires a significant input of competencies from HSE University in partnership with leading Russian and foreign architecture and urban design firms.

See also:

Renovation: What Moscow Can Learn From Paris

The HSE Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism has made a documentary on renovation in Paris. In it, government officials, architects and residents of the Paris suburbs discuss social and urban projects changing the city. The film was shown on December 21 at Shukhov Lab.