Beautiful
If the business cluster in UNIT.City is called the "brain" of the innovation park, then UNIT.Home should become its "heart". The residential part will consist of seven blocks and two detached houses and will occupy 11,7 hectares of the same territory of the former motorcycle factory between the Kyiv metro stations "Lukyanovskaya" and "Dorogozhichy". The first two houses with a total of 580 apartments will be ready to receive tenants already in the second quarter of 2022. The design of the residential quarter was carried out by the archimatika company, and the co-investors and co-developers are UDP and KAN.
Dmitry Vasiliev, co-founder and chief architect of the archimatika company
If we take the general plan for the construction of the technopark (its concept was developed by the Polish bureau APA), then its main feature is a large number of squares. "Probably, this is the first project in Ukraine, which does not consist of streets, as it is customary everywhere, but of squares," said Igor Nikonov, the founder of the KAN development company, during the presentation of the UNIT.Home project. "The squares are the center where all the infrastructure that a person needs for a comfortable life is concentrated."
In the sleeping part, they decided to keep the mostly low-rise buildings - from 6 to 8 floors, while leaving a few accents - sections of 20-22 floors. The lower levels will be set aside for commercial use, and the upper levels will be occupied directly by residential areas. Each quarter will have a landscaped courtyard on the roof of the stylobate part (parking will be hidden under it).
Units are not lined up in a boring box, but form a plastic composition
The archimatika company admits that they have been looking for a visual solution for a long time that would correspond to the spirit of the place and attract the most progressive class of Ukrainian society — startups, IT specialists and creatives. After all, UNIT.City is focused on them.
"A lot of work was done to find the image of the building. Where is this combination of comfort and innovation? These are basically opposite concepts. Comfort implies something traditional, soft, familiar, calm. And innovations are always something new, unusual, extraordinary. It was very difficult to combine these two points," Dmitry Vasiliev, co-founder and chief architect of the archimatika company, notes in a comment to PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.
The architects went through about one and a half dozen options for the external appearance of the building. The result was a clear, but at the same time diverse structure of geometrically regular cells - units. At the same time, the units are not lined up in a boring box, but form a plastic composition. Their configuration and location are not subject to any strict order, at first glance the grid of the facade looks chaotic.
The residential part of UNIT.Home will consist of seven blocks and two detached houses
"Why did you stop at this image? Vasiliev continues. — Because it simultaneously symbolizes both order and freedom — a certain structure of thinking and a certain unpredictability. It seems to us that IT specialists themselves possess such qualities — firstly, structural thinking, secondly, freedom, because they do not depend on jobs or on any already existing worked-up clichés, and thirdly, dynamism ".
These three main qualities — openness, structure and diversity — were presented by the authors of the project in the visual solution. In order not to smear, but on the contrary, to emphasize the complex architectonics, white color was chosen for the facade. The light range and maximum glazing give the building a feeling of openness and lightness, and the green plantings on the numerous terraces add brightness.
The visual solution displayed three main qualities — openness, structure and diversity
With the help of terraces, balconies and huge panoramic windows, the architects tried to connect the exterior space with the interior. The authors of the project assure that future tenants cannot be deterred by such transparency. "The investor wants to see a young, stylish and technically advanced young man in UNIT.Home. According to our research, this young man has nothing to hide. On the contrary, he can partly brag about his apartments, - says PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA co-author of the project, creative director and junior partner of archimatika Rustam Horpeniuk. — In any case, the window can be curtained or covered in some way. Everyone will have the opportunity to choose — either cover up or open up."
In UNIT.Home there will not be a single repeating house - each building has its own unique relief - and not a single typical apartment.
"All apartments are completely different. In fact, these are mini-mansions that are placed one on top of the other. And each family has its own mansion. There are unglazed balconies, glazed loggias, huge terraces. The geometry and proportions of the rooms are different: somewhere the bedroom is much larger than the kitchen and the living room, and somewhere, on the contrary, the emphasis is on the day zone, not the night zone, - says Roman Lysenko, the chief architect of the project, in an interview with the publication. — On the upper floors, there is a local increase in height: if the height of the main rooms is 3 m, then the kitchen-living room is 4,5-5 m. First of all, this was necessary due to the tectonics of the facade, and secondly, in order to make a valuable space for the guest room. .
Convenient
The main meaning of the innovation park is not in office spaces or residential buildings, but in the environment. The new CEO of UNIT.City Dominique Piote emphasizes that it is the holistic ecosystem that creates opportunities for the birth of "unicorns". That's what he calls successful startups that will grow into new Facebooks or Apples.
Of course, UNIT.Home is an indispensable part of this environment. However, a roof over your head alone is not enough for a full-fledged life. Therefore, everything necessary for a comfortable existence has been provided in the innovative town. Future residents won't even have to leave the territory of UNIT.City to see a doctor, get a new trendy haircut, get culturally enriched or have fun, have a delicious lunch, and then burn off the calories consumed by playing sports. This is not to mention that they can literally "go to work in slippers", as noted by the main investor of the project Vasyl Khmelnytskyi.
Layout of a two-bedroom apartment
In order to cover all the primary needs of future residents, the complex will be equipped with a medical center and clinic, shops and cafes, banks and a hotel, laundries and a spa salon, a fitness center and a swimming pool, a skate park and a stadium, a cinema and a club, an art gallery and a digital library, an amphitheater for various events and a barbecue area, as well as a university, a school and kindergartens. Those involved in UNIT.Home joke that thanks to such a developed infrastructure, they help people buy time — and even inexpensively.
The territory of UNIT.City will be freed from road traffic as much as possible - business campuses and residential complexes are provided with underground and covered surface parking lots. "Initially, the idea was to make the area completely pedestrian and to remove all cars from the surface of the earth. We considered the possibility that all vehicles, including taxis and delivery, would go to the underground level when entering the district, - says Dmitry Vasiliev. "But, unfortunately, it is difficult to implement this in such a large area, so we agreed to compromise - to leave the minimum amount of traffic on the surface, but hide all the parking spaces underground."
The territory of UNIT.City will be freed from road traffic as much as possible
In addition, the innovative park supports the use of environmentally friendly transport — every tenth parking space will be provided with a charging station for electric cars, and points for bicycles will be provided.
We note that the project was implemented in compliance with all the requirements for inclusiveness prescribed in the State Building Regulations of Ukraine. Barrier-free entrances, extended staircases and corridors, ramps and elevators provide free access for people with reduced mobility.
Layout of a one-bedroom apartment
Layout of a three-bedroom apartment
"Entrances to all buildings are made without steps, completely level with the ground, height differences are planned due to ramps. All doors are automatic, with a special button so that they are convenient for people in wheelchairs to use. Elevators lead to any floor, starting from the underground parking lot. There are separate places for people with disabilities in the parking lot. By the way, we are very careful to ensure that guests or residents do not accidentally park there," UDP General Director Vitaliy Melnyk said in a comment to PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.
"Clever"
Since UNIT.City is essentially a center of innovation, it is logical that the filling of the residential part was not without technological "chips". Thus, the UNIT.Home complex is planned to be equipped with modern management and control systems, which will not only remove household problems from the agenda, but also help save on utility bills.
For example, the "smart" monitoring system SMART Home will allow monitoring the consumption of heat, water and electricity in real time. All this data will be available through the application on any mobile device.
Vasyl Khmelnytskyi, founder of UFuture
"Imagine the situation: I took a shower in the morning, checked - yes, 10 hryvnias. Then the mother-in-law took a shower - UAH 45. It is already possible to twist the light so that it comes out faster, - he jokingly explains the principle of operation of the SEO Unit system. Holdings Konstantin Yevtushenko. — The idea is that you can see all your expenses online. From the point of view of the user, it is super convenient. And we, as managers, can monitor the typical and atypical behavior of each house. If we see that some house consumes more electricity or heat than usual, we can immediately find the reason and react."
The energy-efficient SMART Lightening system will adapt the lighting on the territory of the town to the time of day, weather conditions and road conditions.
"You drive up to the entrance to UNIT.City. The barrier automatically identifies your car by license plates. The system understands that you are a resident of such-and-such a house and lets you inside, says Yevtushenko. — Next, the system uses light signals to show where there may be danger to ensure maximum comfort for you as a driver and maximum safety for pedestrians or cyclists who are on or near the roadway. Moreover, the system understands that you are the owner of such and such a parking space and illuminates the way to it within the parking lot."
The use of "smart" technologies, as well as compliance with the principles of energy efficiency in construction, will be reflected in utility bills and help cut costs by a quarter
Another "smart" technology that will be available to UNIT.Home residents is an automated control system for engineering equipment built by BMS.
"This system allows you to control any breakdowns of engineering equipment in the house, for example, leaking pipes. Since this happens automatically, you can be sure that you will not flood your neighbors, and they will not flood you," Vitaly Melnyk explains.
UNIT.Home also worried about the greenery on the terraces. This concern has been completely lifted from the tenants' shoulders: the irrigation and drainage system will be integrated into the building's infrastructure.
UNIT.City is confident that the use of "smart" technologies, as well as the observance of energy efficiency principles during construction (all houses were designed in accordance with BREEAM requirements) will be reflected in utility bills and help cut costs by a quarter.
Alexander Popov, CEO, architect, co-founder of the archimatika company
Alexander Popov (CEO, architect, co-founder of the archimatika company):
Unit.City is the first truly multifunctional complex in Ukraine, in which housing is not exclusively a sleeping function, but is a part of the environment filled with various activities. This space unites people not according to class or any other artificial filter - common interests, common values and hobbies play a role here.
Safe
UNIT.City also took a non-standard approach to the issue of security. It was decided not to surround the territory of the innovation park with a two-meter fence, blocking access to outsiders, but to make it completely open for pedestrians, bicycles and small electric vehicles.
"Protection and security is achieved not with the help of a fence and dogs, but with the help of innovative technologies. Instead of surrounding it all with a fence made of profiled sheet and putting Uncle Vasya alone, the developer orders a special dispatching and security system," explains architect Roman Lysenko.
Maintaining public order on the territory of the innovative town is not limited to round-the-clock protection of the perimeter. Of course, technical means will also be involved in the issue of security.
Igor Nikonov, founder of KAN
Igor Nikonov (founder of KAN):
If a person buys an apartment in UNIT.Home, then he is not buying square meters, but an environment. He buys an elevator that will push him up at high speed. I believe that there is no alternative to this project today.
An intelligent video surveillance system based on modern face recognition algorithms and atypical behavior will be able to detect threats and prevent violations.
"We know all our residents and tenants and see their usual behavior. If this behavior is atypical, then we begin to react. For example, if a person is lying down, and there are five people next to him, then, probably, something is wrong here, - notes Konstantin Yevtushenko. — Our face recognition system can be integrated with other systems, including the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We definitely understand that some people who entered the territory and are recognized as criminals are a danger. And we can track them. Of course, the same can be done with cars."
In UNIT.Home there will not be a single repeating house or a typical apartment
Unlike pedestrians, cars will not easily enter the territory of UNIT.City. Entrance to the site will be carried out through the barrier by license plates. If a UNIT.Home resident is waiting for a guest by car, he needs to enter his number into the database: the automated system will count the data and let the vehicle inside. Thus, it will not be possible to enter the territory without an invitation.
In those places of UNIT.City that are not covered by video cameras, patrol drones will come to the rescue. Drone Patrol drones will fly over the territory in order to record the state of the infrastructure and possible problems with it.
The UNIT.Home residential complex has aroused genuine interest among potential clients
The residents of the innovation park will also have access to some systems. "If you wish, you can get access to the cameras of common areas to, for example, monitor your car that is parked in the parking lot," Vitaly Melnyk explains.
In addition, guests and residents will be able to quickly report incidents or disturbances with the help of alarm buttons.
Of course, UNIT.City did not forget about cyber security. Residents of the park are promised super-fast Internet, protected from hackers and natural disasters.
Note that the total area of the building is not so large — about 175 square meters. m. A total of 000 apartments designed for approximately 2 thousand people will be available in UNIT.Home. residents
Apartments in the innovative UNIT.Home residential complex have attracted considerable interest. The presentation of the project, which took place on September 23 in the large UNIT.Verse conference hall, was sold out. Already the next day, all available apartments were booked. Note that the total area of the building is not so large — about 175 square meters. m. A total of 000 apartments designed for approximately 2 thousand people will be available in UNIT.Home. residents
