Young Architects Visualize an ‘Awesome’ Moscow

Daria Onokhova / Moscowidea.ru

A computer rendition of a proposal to transform the citys currently grey Novy Arbat into a multi-level green zone.

Muscovites were asked toimagine what would make Moscow an"awesome" place tolive andhad their dreams visualized in84 sketches byprofessional architects as part ofthe "What Moscow Wants" exhibit, which was ondisplay atthe Moscow Urban Forum last week.

As much as getting people's voices heard, this project was about giving young professionals theopportunity toshowcase their talent ararity ina city where thearchitectural market is dominated bya few strong firms.

Moscow residents had tocomplete three simple statements: "It would be awesome if ," "this way people will be able to ," and"this way thecity can become ." All three ofthese were used toset anoptimistic tone andprevent people fromusing theplatform tocomplain about their neighbors or other mundane problems, said theproject's director Olga Polishyuk.

"This is astory about ideas. Not about problems or about complaints," she said.

More than 2,000 people left their ideas onthe website Moscowidea.ru fromJuly 10 toSept. 22, andarchitects voluntarily responded tospecific pitches with 84 sketches.

Proposals ranged fromambitious plans tobuild new bridges andtheme markets, tosimple adjustments like creating aroof shield forthe people waiting inlines outside thePushkin Museum, tothe offbeat idea ofthree-story heated homes forstray cats.

Theproject provided arare platform forthe country's young architects todisplay their work, Polishyuk said. These architects often shy away fromcompetitions either because they do not think they can win against thefew prominent firms that dominate theindustry or because they are afraid oflosing ownership oftheir ideas.

Thecity's chief architect Sergei Kuznetsov told TheMoscow Times onFriday that he has not seen the"What Moscow Wants" exhibit yet, but noted its value forthe capital.

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Young Architects Visualize an 'Awesome' Moscow