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​The Eastern Frontier

“The Eastern Arc” is one of the main land resources of Kazan’s development, concentrated in the hands of a single owner. The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a concept for the integrated development of this territory based on an analytical transport model that will create a comfortable living environment, new centers of attraction, and new workplaces as well.

09 March 2023
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In 2020, the Genplan Institute of Moscow came up with a master plan for developing the city of Kazan up until 2040. The republic’s capital opted for the path of polycentric development: along with the consolidation of a compact city, there is also the task of developing its peripheral areas, where there is still a lot of vacant land, not burdened by any restrictions. Until recently, this process went on, if not spontaneously, then quite freely for sure: for example, on the western outskirts of the city, on the side of the suburban town of Zelenodolsk, dense residential complexes, from 17 to 25 floors high, are shooting up into the sky, often with transport infrastructure lagging behind, and with a minimal social load in the form of standard schools and kindergartens. The housing complexes “Salavat Kupere”, “Zalesny City”, and others, are “blood brothers” of similar complexes of Saint Petersburg, seeing that the current population of Kazan is 1.3 million people.

On the east side, there are also undeveloped hectares of former agricultural land, the so-called “eastern arc”. It became part of the city after the approval of the 2007 master plan, after which Kazan in this part acquired the structure of a “puff pie”: dense historical buildings gradually merge with Soviet city blocks, which are then replaced by a belt of modern quarters, followed by a “lush” layer of townhouses and, finally, there is the “eastern arc”, which is destined to become the “crust” of the latest architecture.

The location plan
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


Today, the “arc” consists predominantly of undeveloped expanses of land with ravines, forests, brooks, and odd industrial facilities. The master plan does not stipulate any specific parameters or volumes of construction for this territory. At the same time, the 10,000 hectares of the “eastern arc” ended up staying in the hands of a single owner, the ASG Invest Group. This creates a chance of avoiding the fate of the western part of the city and creating instead a living environment worthy of Tatarstan’s capital, which in recent years does not cease to surprise us with breathtaking architectural projects and events.

The potential of the “Eastern Arc”
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


The Genplan Institute of Moscow was not the first to work with the “eastern arc”. However, its resources and expertise allowed the architects to make the most of their predecessors’ ideas and form an integrated proposal based on the principles of modern urbanism and substantiated by analytical calculations.

Maxim Vikulin, the head of architectural and planning office

The concept of integrated development of the “Eastern Arc” is one of the largest regional projects of the Institute in terms of both the scale of the territory and the detail of design solutions. This project is part of a continuous cycle of systematic and consistent work of the Institute with Kazan since 2014 – from the preparation of the master plan and developing land use and development rules to the development of documentation on the planning of the territory. This practice of complex interaction with the territory “from general to specific” allows the Institute to increase its competence in the region and act as one of the key urban planning experts evaluating and determining the directions of spatial development of the city.


The territory of the existing development in accordance with the general plan
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


Prerequisites for the development of the territory of the “Eastern Arc”
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


One of the key factors that determine the development of the future residential area is the transport infrastructure. The basis of its framework is formed by the already existing and freshly built city highways. One of the main ones is the Mamadyshsky Highway that connects this territory with the city and Highway M7. Due to the fact that today this highway is on constant overload, the Genplan Institute of Moscow proposes to modernize the junctions and tributaries, as well as to organize additional public transportation stops. Another one is the Voznesensky Highway (now in construction), which will give a lot of momentum to the development of the eastern part of the city. The third key solution is the new chord highway that will traverse the arc from north to south and ensure the connection between the forming residential areas and public centers.

The construction stages are strictly coordinated with the development of the transportation network: the Institute tested each stage with simulation software. The accessibility of the future residential area will also be ensured by a metro and a tram line, also included in the master plan.

Planned development of the road network
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


The design territory is divided into nine sites of different sizes, for which the Institute developed overall concepts, and will later develop territory planning projects. Each of the future “micro-districts” is self-contained because it is filled with infrastructure, shopping malls and business centers, sports and cultural facilities, parks and boulevards, as well as engineering and transport infrastructure projects. Each district will receive a business core, as well as recreation zones. The density of construction will be slightly lower than in Kazan’s “mid-belt”, which was formed in the Soviet time, or comparable to it on some nod territories, and will be about one and a half times lower than in the post-Soviet areas.

The stages of development
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


The territories will mutually supplement each other, creating a polycentric system: one district may have a large sports facility in it, and another may have a cultural one. Since this part of the city arouses investment interest in logistics projects and production facilities, there are also plans for building a few industrial parks. In addition, on the other side of Highway M7, which serves as the border of the “arc” and the city, there is a brick plant and other production facilities and logistics centers already in operation. Thus, housing will be accompanied by jobs, which will reduce labor migration to the city center and the load on the roads.

Vitaly Lutz, the head of perspective project depeartment

One of the key ideas of our concept is the creation of a “necklace” of mini-cities that have not only functional saturation and specialization, but also spatial and environmental fullness. Each such mini-city has its own “main” place and a sufficient variety of public spaces: squares, boulevards, shopping streets, and so on. This approach is close to the one we tried to implement in the settlement of Voronovskoye.


The concept of the “Eastern Arc”
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


Yet another thing that makes the Eastern Arc different is a large share of greenery. The existing forests and individual parts of valuable natural terrain will be preserved and turned into parks. This is how the new areas will be different from the rest of Kazan that you cannot really call a green city. The eastern arc has all the prerequisites for creating a single green framework with diverse recreation zones and eco paths. There are challenges as well – for example, the yet-to-be-built “South Park” area (yes, so-called), there is a large landfill of solid household waste. In the future, however, this problem seems to be solved, since the city and the republic understand the need to transfer this facility and recultivate the existing landfill and are gradually working out various options for appropriate solutions to normalize the environmental situation in the eastern sector of the city as one of the key ones for long-term development. Considering the fact that last year Tatarstan was pronounced to be the most ecological region of Russia in accordance with the “sustainable development” index, you can believe in the positive outcome.

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    The “Samosyrovo” area, visualization
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    The “Samosyrovo” area, visualization
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Architectural and planning organization of the “Samosyrovo” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of a natural and recreational complex. The “Samosyrovo” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of social infrastructure. The “Samosyrovo” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of transport infrastructure. The “Samosyrovo” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


Thanks to its all-rounded analytics and integrated approach, the Eastern Arc was recognized to be the best town-planning concept at the forum Kazanysh-2022. It is expected that the implementation of the project will start in 2023, and will take about 30-40 years. First of all, they will develop territories adjacent to the Mamadysh and Voznesensky Highways – “Quiet Haven” and “Samosyrovo”. Developing the land of the Eastern Arc will allow the city to put into operation from 150,000 to 300,000 square meters of housing annually.

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    The “Quiet Haven” area, visualization
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    The “Quiet Harbor” area, visualization
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Architectural and planning organization of the “Quiet Haven” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of a natural and recreational complex. The “Quiet Haven” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of social infrastructure. The “Quiet Haven” area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest
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    Proposals for the development of transport infrastructure. The “Quiet Harbor”area
    Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, ASG Invest


09 March 2023

Headlines now
Penthouses and Kokoshniks
A new residential complex designed by ASADOV Architects for the Krasnaya Roza business district responds to its proximity to 17th-century landmarks – the chambers of the Hamovny Dvor and St. Nicholas Church – as well as to the need to preserve valuable façades of a historic rental house built in the Russian Revival style. The architects proposed a set of buildings of varying heights, whose façades reference ecclesiastical architecture. But we were also able to detect other associations.
Centipede Town
The new school campus designed by ATRIUM Architects, located on the shores of a protected lake in the Imeretian Lowland Ornithological Reserve, represents an important and ambitious undertaking for the team: this is not just a school, but a Presidential Lyceum for the comprehensive development of gifted children – 2,500 students from age 3 through high school. At the same time, it is also envisioned as a new civic hub for the entire Sirius territory. In this article, we unpack the structure and architecture of this “lyceum town”.
Warm Black and White
The second phase of “Quarter 31”, designed by KPLN and built in the Moscow suburb town of Pushkino, reveals a multifaceted character. At first glance, the complex appears to be defined by geometry and a monochrome palette. But a closer look reveals a number of “irregular” details: a gradient of glazing and flared window frames, a hierarchy of façades, volumetric brickwork, and even architectural references to natural phenomena. We explore all the rules – and exceptions – that we were able to discover here.
​Skylights and Staircase
Photos from March show the nearly completed headquarters of FSK Group on Shenogina Street. The building’s exterior is calm and minimalist; the interior is engaging and multi-layered. The conical skylights of the executive office, cast in raw concrete, and the sweeping spiral staircase leading to it, are particularly striking. In fact, there’s more than one spiral staircase here, and the first two floors effectively form a small shopping center. More below.
The Whale of Future Identity
Or is it a veil? Or a snow-covered plain? Vera Butko, Anton Nadtochy, and the architects of ATRIUM faced a complex and momentous task: to propose a design for the “Russia” National Center. It had to be contemporary, yet firmly rooted in cultural codes. Unique, and yet subtly reminiscent of many things at once. It must be said – the task found the right authors. Let’s explore in detail the image they envisioned.
Greater Altai: A Systemic Development Plan
The master plan for tourism development in Greater Altai encompasses three regions: Kuzbass, the Altai Republic, and Altai Krai. It is one of twelve projects developed as part of the large-scale state program bearing the simple name of “Tourism Development”. The project’s slogan reads: “Greater Altai – a place of strength, health, and spirit in the very heart of Siberia”. What are the proposed growth points, and how will the plan help increase the flow of both domestic and international tourists? Read on to find out.
The Colorful City
While working on a large-scale project in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district – one that has yet to be given a name – Kleinewelt Architekten proposed not only a diverse array of tower silhouettes in “Empire-style” hues and a thoughtful mix of building heights, creating a six-story “neo-urbanist” city with a block-based layout at ground level, but also rooted their design in historical and contextual reasoning. The project includes the reconstruction of several Stalin-era residential buildings that remain from the postwar town of Kuntsevo, as well as the reconstruction of a 1953 railway station that was demolished in 2017.
In Orbit of Moscow City
The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.
The Altai Ornament
The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.
Pro Forma
Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.
The Arch and the Triangle
The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.
Health Factory
While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.
The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest
The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.
Grace and Unity
Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.
Daring Brilliance
In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.
A Twist of the Core
A clever and concise sculptural solution – rotating each floor by N degrees – has created an ensemble of “dancing” towers: similar yet different, simple yet complex. The designers meticulously refined a single structural node and spent considerable effort on the column construction – after that, “everything else was easy”. The architects also rotated the core walls on each floor to maximize the efficiency of the office spaces.
The Sculpting of Spring Forest Matter
We’ve been observing this building for a couple of years now: seemingly simple, perhaps even unassuming, it fits in remarkably well with the micro-district context shaped by the Moscow MCD road junctions. This building sticks in the memory of everyone who drives along the highway, even occasionally. In our opinion, Sergey Nikeshkin, by blending popular architectural techniques and approaches of the 2010s, managed to turn a seemingly simple structure into a statement “on the theme of a house as such”. Let’s figure out how this happened.
Water and Wind Whet the Stone
The Arisha Terraces residential complex, designed by Asadov Architects, will be built in a district of Dubai dedicated to film and television production. To create shaded spaces and an intriguing silhouette, the architects opted for a funnel-shaped composition and nature-inspired forms of erosion and weathering. The roofs, podium, and underground spaces extend leisure opportunities within the boundaries of a man-made “oasis”.
Elevation 5642
The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a comprehensive development project for three ski resorts in the Caucasus, which have been designated as special economic zones of the tourism and recreation type. The first of these zones is Elbrus. The project includes the construction of new ski runs, cable cars, and hotels, as well as the modernization of stations and improvements to the Azau tourist meadow. To expand the audience and enhance year-round appeal, a network of eco-trails is also being developed. In this article, we provide a detailed breakdown of each stage.
The IT Town
Taking the example of the first completed phase of the “U” district, we examine how the new neighborhood in Innopolis will be organized. T+T Architects and HADAA formed a well-balanced and ingenious master plan with different types of housing, a green artery, a system of squares, and a park in the town’s central part.
The Heart Lies Within
The second-phase building of the Evgeny Primakov School already won multiple awards while still in the design stage. Now that it’s completed, some unfinished nuances remain – most notably, the exposed ceiling structures, which ideally should have been concealed. However, given the priority placed on the building’s volumetric composition, this does not seem critical. What matters more is the “Wow!” effect created by the space itself.
Magnetic Forces
“Krylatskaya 33” is the first large-scale residential complex to appear amidst the 1980s “micro-districts” that harmoniously coexist with the forests, the river, the slopes, and the sports infrastructure. Despite its imposing scale, the architects of Ostozhenka managed to turn the complex into something that can be best described as a “graceful dominant”. First, they designed the complex with consideration for the style and height of the surrounding micro-districts. Second, by introducing a pause in its tallest section, they created compositional tension – right along the urban planning axis of the area.
Orion’s Belt
The Stone Khodynka 2 office complex, designed by Kleinewelt Architekten for the company Stone, is built with an ergonomic layout following “healthy building” principles: natural light, ventilation, and all the necessary features for an efficient office environment. On the outside, it resembles – like many contemporary buildings – an iPhone: sleek, glowing, glass-and-metal, edges elegantly rounded. Yet, it responds sensitively to the Khodynka context, where the main theme is the contrast between vertical and horizontal lines. The key intrigue lies in the design of the “stylobate” as a suspended passage, leaving the space beneath it open for free pedestrian movement.
Grigory Revzin: “It Was a Bold Statement Made on the Sly. Something Won”
In this article, we discuss the debates surrounding the circus competition and the demolition of the CMEA building with the most renowned architectural critic of our time. A paradox emerges in the process: while nostalgia for the Brezhnev era seems to be in vogue in Russia, a landmark building – the “axis” of the Warsaw Pact – has been sentenced to demolition. Isn’t that strange? We also find out that wow-architecture has made a comeback as a post-COVID trend. However, to make a truly powerful statement, professionals still remain indispensable.
Exposed Concrete
One of the stages of improving a small square in the town of Lermontov was the construction of a skatepark. Entrusting this part of the project to the XSA team, the city gained a 250-meter trick track whose features resemble those of land art objects – unparalleled in Russia in both scale and design. Here’s a look at how the experimental snake run in the foothills of the Caucasus was built.
One Step Closer To the Dream
The challenges of getting all the mandatory approvals, an insufficient budget, and construction site difficulties did not prevent ASADOV Bureau from achieving its main goal in the realization of the school project in the town of Troitsk – taking another step away from outdated notions of educational spaces toward creating a fundamentally new academic environment.
Chalet on the Rock
An Accor hotel in Arkhyz, designed by A.Len, will be situated at the gateway to the resort’s main tourist hubs. The architects reinterpreted the widely popular chalet style while adding an unexpected twist – an unfinished structure preserved on the site. The design team transformed this remnant into an exciting space featuring an open-air pool and a restaurant with panoramic views of the region’s highest mountain ridges.
Sergey Skuratov: “By and large, the project has been realized in line with the original ideas”
In this issue, we talk to the chief architect of Garden Quarters, looking back at the history and key moments of a project that took 18 years to develop and has now finally been completed. What interests us most are the transformations that the project underwent during construction, and the way the “necessary void” of public space was formed, which turned this remarkable complex into a fragment of a whole new type of urban fabric – not just at the horizontal “street” level but in its vertical structure as well.
A Unique Representative
The recently concluded year 2024 can be considered the year of completion for the “Garden Quarters” residential complex in Moscow’s Khamovniki. This project is well-known and, in many ways, iconic. Rarely does one manage to preserve such a number of original ideas, achieving in the end a kind of urban planning Gesamtkunstwerk. Here is a subjective view from an architecture journalist, with an interview with Sergey Skuratov soon to follow.