Proposed Tourist Hub by Progress, Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, and Cushman & Wakefield Utilizes the Forces of Nature to Promote a "Natural City"

Written by Collin Abdallah

A consortium comprising Progress, Miralles Tagliabue EMBT and Cushman & Wakefield recently reached the final stage of a design competition to create a tourist center in Russia in part of the embankment named after Admiral Serebryakov in the city of Novorossiysk. The proposal provides the required hospitality spaces but also features unique facilities, such as a wine museum, a fish market and an "artificial island", all serving as new centers of attraction for residents and visitors of the city. The foundation of the design concept is based on three components: "the idea of a natural city, the unification of the three forces of nature and the characteristic appearance of Novorossiysk as a port city."

According to EMBT and Progress, a natural city is "formed by itself as a complex but cozy system of streets and squares in a plan that does not obey the regular system." The curvilinear form of the master plan reflects a wind rose analysis of the Novorossiysk Bay area. Wind, sun and water are the three forces of nature that directly affect the existing site, so the design has various axes that respond to the existing conditions by forming barriers where they are needed.

A botanical garden is assigned to the existing embankment, serving as the new linear center for the proposal as well as a break for the wind coming from the sea. The second axis is a promenade running parallel to the embankment, sheltered from the wind behind the first line of buildings where curved volumes reveal more views to the bay. The unique style associated with the port city is also emulated in the design through a human scale and use of modern, local materials.

The proposal was awarded 2nd Prize, surrendering the top place to Zaha Hadid Architects.

Architects

Progress
Principal Architect and Founder: Petr Anurin
Chief Project Architect: Ivan Sakara
Team: Rudolf Kizelbash, Egor Kyrchanov, Evelina Bukhartseva, Nikita Shilov, Viktoriya Matryuk, Margarita Asanina, Lana Kozlovskaya, Alexandra Barmushkina, Liudmila Minina

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT
Principal Architect: Benedetta Tagliabue
Project director: Stefan Geenen
Team: Alessandro Giustozzi, Francesco Baldo, Cristina Matè , Francesco Ricciardi. Lorenzo Casagni, Tomas Uriarte, Giacomo Martinis, Gabriele Rotelli

Cushman & Wakefield, Commercial Real Estate Partner