Everything is at hand. Mixed-use from New York to Kyiv

/ Architecture /

"The city is so close that you can't see it. There is no distance here. Everything is above your head: dental offices, kindergartens, dance studios. Even roads and sidewalks for pedestrians stood on a palisade of stilts," wrote the English writer David Mitchell in his novel "Dream No. 9". We were talking about Tokyo, but these words, in principle, well describe the vertical scheme of urban development. Against the backdrop of inevitable urbanization, it is precisely the growth of cities upwards, not in width, that corresponds to the principles of sustainable development. Compact development models help to accommodate the growing population and at the same time not occupy the suburbs. Urban compaction (or densification) is most easily realized through vertical mixed-use projects.

The mixed-use category implies mixed use, that is, the object has two or more functions — residential, office, commercial, entertainment, etc.

Compared to monofunctional projects of a similar area, mixed-use objects use land and resources more efficiently. In addition, they create a favorable environment for people, facilitating walking (everything necessary is close by), and therefore saving time and money (transport costs are eliminated).

The idea of ​​developing urban structures with mixed use is not new. It is believed that it dates back to the Greek agora and medieval market places. At that time, the inhabitants of cities moved mainly on foot, which means that it was necessary to "live, work and play" in the same place.

Image: Hayes Davidson, Westbank, BIG

The concept of mixed use has experienced a kind of renaissance since the middle of the XNUMXth century, when the American theorist of urban planning and one of the founders of new urbanism, Jane Jacobs, under the pretext of creating more livable urban spaces, called for the development of areas with a dense concentration of population, as well as areas that combine various functions. Although Jane Jacobs and her followers had in mind the horizontal mixed-use model (many functions within one district), now the vertical type (many functions in one building) has become more popular and widespread. This is due to the scarcity and high cost of land in cities.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA decided to investigate vertical mixed-use projects in different parts of the world that are in progress.

 

Hangzhou Prism

Location: Hangzhou, China

Project: OMA

Customer: Zhejiang Xinhu Haichuang Group

Area: 50 thousand sq. m

Functions: hotel, apartments, shops

Completion of construction: 2020

Image by Bloomimages, Courtesy of OMA

The Prism multifunctional complex in Hangzhou should become the heart of the business district, where China's largest technology companies, including Alibaba Group Holding and NetEase, are located. This mixed-use project will combine a hotel, apartments, retail premises, as well as a large public space under the roof - with green spaces, fountains and play areas.

The architects of the Dutch bureau OMA formed an original asymmetric shape of the building, cut two facades diagonally, and then created many terraces on these cuts. Each terrace offers a picturesque view of the surrounding urban landscape. A residential tower with an area of ​​35 square meters will be located next to the building. sq. m, the glass facade of which will reflect the angular silhouette of Prism.

Image by Bloomimages, Courtesy of OMA

According to the plan, the building should resemble a high mountain peak, aspiring to the heavens, and thus refer to the ancient Chinese proverb that "heaven is above, and Hangzhou is below."

 

Radio Tower & Hotel

Project: MVRDV

Client: Youngwoo & Associates

Location: New York, USA

Area: 21,8 thousand sq. m

Functions: hotel, offices, shops, bar-restaurant, event halls

Completion of construction: 2021

Image: Antonio Luca Coco, Kirill Emelianov, Courtesy of MVRDV

Radio Tower & Hotel is MVRDV's first major project in the USA. The complex combines a hotel, shops, offices, halls for weddings and parties, a cafe-bar and a green public space in the inner courtyard. All of this is packed into bright blocks that should reflect the lively character of the Washington Heights area.

In order to combine such a large number of functions, but at the same time not disrupt the integrity of the surrounding building with a typical high-rise, the architects found a unique solution. They took a typical small block, which can be found in Washington Heights, disassembled it into its component parts, and then put them into an asymmetrical stack of "boxes". Moreover, the "boxes" are designed so that they look like separate buildings: each has its own color and a special pattern of windows.

Image: Antonio Luca Coco, Kirill Emelianov, Courtesy of MVRDV

King Toronto

Location: Toronto, Canada

Project: BIG

Customer: Westbank

Area: 57 thousand sq. m

Functions: apartments, offices, shops

Completion of construction: 2023

Image: Hayes Davidson, Westbank, BIG

Presenting his King Toronto project for the Canadian capital, architect Bjarke Ingels called it Habitat 2.0, referring to Moshe Safda's iconic residential complex with a similar shape. At the heart of this multifunctional BIG project are also cubes placed one on top of the other, seemingly in a chaotic order. However, in fact, they form an undulating surface with "peaks" and "valleys". The height of the building varies from 6 to 16 floors. Commercial and office premises will be located on the lower levels, while residential areas will occupy the upper ones.

As with Habitat 67, King Toronto's layout includes balconies and terraces for each living space — all focused on improving access to daylight. The terraces and roof of the complex will be covered with greenery.

Image: Hayes Davidson, Westbank, BIG

Image: Hayes Davidson, Westbank, BIG

In addition, the complex will be equipped with an inner courtyard, a kind of "city forest", accessible to all residents of Toronto. Pedestrian paths will cross the courtyard, connecting different parts of the complex. King Toronto also integrates three historic buildings located next to each other, preserving their authentic appearance.

 

INTERGAL CITY

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Project: OMEGA ARCHITECTURAL BUREAU

Customer: "Intergal-Bud"

Area: 190 thousand sq. m

Functions: apartments, offices, shops, restaurant, sports complex, children's center, supermarket, underground parking, surface parking

Completion of construction: 2022

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

The multifunctional residential complex INTERGAL CITY in Kyiv will be located on the Pechersk hills. The special relief dictated the corresponding plastic image to the architects: the complex will consist of five rounded towers of different heights. The white color of the facades will emphasize the bold futuristic architecture.

INTERGAL CITY will become a full-fledged mixed-use project, which will combine a residential complex, a shopping and business center, food courts, a restaurant, a fitness room, and a children's center. The lower levels will be occupied by a large parking lot with 1400 spaces.

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

Mixed-use facilities create a favorable environment for people

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

For residents and guests of the complex, several green terraces with views of the city center, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, "Motherland" and the slopes of the Dnieper will be provided. With the help of these terraces, connected to each other by "air bridges", the architects dispersed the flow of pedestrians and cars in the space.

 

Yevgeny Bokyi

INTERGAL CITY project manager

Yevgeny Bokyi

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: You note that INTERGAL CITY has no analogues in Ukraine. Tell me, what is the uniqueness of this project?

Yevgeny Boky: The uniqueness of the project lies in its location. Despite the fact that this is the center of Kyiv, you will not feel the hustle and bustle of the city when you are here. Due to the topography of this area and the neighboring ones, we have built an isolated enclave in which it is quiet and peaceful. Birds chirp here, trees grow on the slope, and I personally saw a squirrel several times. But at the same time, if you want to return to the fast rhythm and busy city life, Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard is literally 300 m from you. It turns out that in this location you combine the silence and tranquility of a country lifestyle and the possibility of quick access to the center of Kyiv (the Pecherskaya metro station is 800 m away). In addition, we are not overwhelmed by the architecture of neighboring buildings. We have a sense of space and freedom. Considering the specifics of the slope and the surrounding buildings, we are 99% sure that our complex will not be built up with multi-story buildings, we will remain open. And in this interesting area, we managed to form a multifunctional complex, which will have housing, offices, retail premises and entertainment. In addition, our residents will have their own car-free yard with an area of ​​1,1 ha with panoramic views, which is also unique for Pechersk.

PM: What is the ratio of functions: how many houses, how many offices, how many shopping areas?

E. B.: INTERGAL CITY has a total area of ​​190 thousand sq. m. Of them, 80 thousand sq. m is a parking lot with a total of 1 parking spaces, which makes it one of the largest in Ukraine. At the same time, we have 400 apartments. Offices will occupy 704 thousand sq. m. In the office center there is a full-fledged food court of 15 square meters. m. Another 800 thousand sq. m — a sports complex with a swimming pool, 4 thousand sq. m — children's center, 1,3 thousand sq. m — a supermarket. We will also have a restaurant. At the same time, the proportions are quite harmonious and the distribution of functions is uniform. Usually, in a dense development, many meters of housing are obtained, but without parking. We went the opposite way - we made 1,2 parking spaces, and we started from that, forming the rest of the spaces.

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

PM: Tell us about the concept of the office space. Will these be co-working spaces, offices for giant companies or something else?

E. B.: We currently have offers from two European companies that are interested in renting the entire office complex and its further management. If these transactions do not take place, then they intend to lease the offices in separate large blocks to large, most likely, foreign companies.

Our offices, as well as the residential part of the complex, have their own terraces. There are several levels of terraces: each resident of our complex, in fact, has access to one or another level. Thus, we divided the flows of office and residential residents. Residents go to the lower terrace, to which only they have access, and office workers - to the upper terrace, where residents cannot enter. Only as a guest of this office, I received the corresponding accreditation. From there there is a view of the "Motherland" and the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

PM: Will non-residents have access to the terraces?

E. B.: Guests of the complex - yes.

PM: Will a man from the street be able to get into the complex? You have a large public space.

E. B.: Our complex will also have a shopping center with an area of ​​5 square meters. sq. m. Since its area is small by modern standards, it is rather a "shopping center at home". On the second floor of this center with direct access to the terrace, a public space will be organized with food courts and an entertainment area. This is a synergy: on the one hand, the commercial and office complex adds the necessary functionality to the residence, and the tenants, in turn, are recognized as consumers of these functions.

PM: But not only tenants. I understand that the residents of nearby houses too?

E. B.: Of course, they will also be able to get there. We have absolutely open access.

PM: What is the concept of the residential part of the complex?

E. B.: We position INTERGAL CITY as a premium class complex with all its advantages. In addition, we have a bold architecture of the terrace, business space. At the same time, everyone can choose a suitable housing option - from a small apartment to multi-level apartments.

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

PM: Are one-room studio apartments provided?

E. B.: Yes, given the demand for them, 80% of one-room apartments are located up to the 10th floor. As a rule, such apartments are rented and the lower floors are chosen. I would like to note that even the lower floors of our complex are special, because we are located on a hill.

PM: How will interconnections be ensured within the complex itself?

E. B.: Office premises will have two terraces at their disposal. Our tenants will also have the opportunity to go to two terraces. On the lowest floor there is a children's playground, a walking area for adults, and a restaurant. Residents can also go to the upper terrace, use aerial bridges to get to the roof of three-level apartments and walk on the roofs. Thus, all the towers are connected to a single walking area.

PM: Where did such an architectural image come from?

E. B.: There is a high-tech style in architecture, which is characterized by straight lines, sharp angles, strict forms that cannot be found in nature. In contrast to this style, another one was formed - bio-tech, which borrows natural forms: a drop of water, a seagull's wing, a leaf on a tree. Our complex is located on three terraces with a height difference of 20 m. So that the buildings did not look monumental and heavy, the architects inscribed them into the slope thanks to such a peculiar oval shape. The towers taper towards the top, repeating the topography of the area. According to many experts, a person in such a smooth shape feels more comfortable than in a square one with sharp corners, because it is more natural. This natural unevenness of the facade is also felt inside the apartments.

INTERGAL CITY is located in a secluded place not far from the center of Kyiv

PM: Is white color, bio-tech, a reference to Santiago Calatrava?

E. B.: I would say that this is also a reference to Zaha Hadid. If you look at her works, two thirds will be similar to our project. This is a certain trend in modern architecture, although similar examples have not yet reached Kyiv. Our company believes that it is necessary to allow the city to have such an architecture. We hope that INTERGAL CITY will become an attraction that can attract tourists.

PM: How does the project fit into the urban fabric? What is its added value for the entire district, city?

E. B.: In Kyiv, developers are developing the territory around themselves due to the density of the building - as a rule, it is only a few tens of meters. The beam between Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard and Staronavodnitskaya Street was formed according to exactly the same principle. No one thought about how to untie the traffic flows inside the beam. If you talk to the residents of the neighboring houses, they will tell you that there are certain difficulties with it. With our complex, we envisage the formation of a thoroughfare and, in fact, the construction of a full-fledged district road.

PM: Will such a circuit road help relieve traffic in this area of ​​the city?

E. B.: Yes. Now, if you head to the center and get stuck in a traffic jam on Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard, you will be stuck there for a long time. Our project envisages the expansion of the two-lane road that goes to our complex from Lesa Ukrainka, as well as the expansion of the exit to Staronavodnitskaya. Thus, a full-fledged detour is formed, and we will be able to unload the city. It is also useful for us, as it will provide certain traffic to our office complex, which needs a guest flow for full functioning. This road development project has already been approved, it was approved even before us. We will simply implement it together with the laying of external networks. It makes no sense to install roads now, because the networks that we will connect will spoil this work.

Image: "Intergal-Bud"

PM: The benefit of mixed-use projects is that they should promote pedestrianization. In your opinion, INTERGAL CITY will solve this problem?

E. B.: Our complex is within walking distance of Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard and Pecherskaya metro station. When we implement the road development project, we will connect the entire district with a pedestrian link from Staronavodnytskaya Street to Lesa Ukrainka Boulevard. In addition, I would like to note that INTERGAL CITY implements the concept of dispersing the flow of cars and pedestrians in space. There are two ways to separate pedestrian and traffic flows: either in time, by installing traffic lights, or in space. We raised the flow of people to the upper level. Cars do not enter our terraces, they remain a comfort zone for people. We lowered the zone of conditional discomfort down: cars drive under the terrace, drop off passengers there and park.