"The
general layout of the settlement had been developed before us and the
construction was already underway, so our task was to conceptualize not the
entire territory but only the small parts of it that were left premises-free -
Aleksey Ivanov reminisces - At the same time we very well realized that
conceptualizing every separate site was not enough, we had to tie them all in
somehow so as to give the settlement some sort of a character. And, because the
developer from the very start placed his stake on the environmental
friendliness, we decided that the "hook" here should lie in the
interesting walking routes and various leisure zones that will let the people
here enjoy the natural surroundings to the fullest".
Predictably, the architects laid special emphasis on designing the front gate
of the settlement - the entry area is designed as a substantially-sized
two-story volume that looks bent in half on the layout. The joint gets a wide
entrance arch, while one of the halves is crowned with a clock tower. Apart
from the administrative facilities and the traditional mini market, this place
is going to house a conference hall, a cafe, and a children's room. The ground
floor of the complex will be finished with natural stone, and the top floor
will be wood and glass (including the top of the tower). The broad awnings of
the roof are supported by elegant-looking double beams, between which the
architects lay one by one the letters that make up the settlement's name.
Besides the entrance area, the architects have singled out four other zones on
the territory of the settlement. Closest to the entrance is located the
so-called "farm" with a pond for birds, a lawn for walking the pets
and a boathouse. Southwest of the farm, there is yet another area meant for
contemplative leisure, the one that the architects themselves call "the Zen
garden". The thing is that, besides the sculptures, this area kept a few
huge boulders from the Soviet days past - around these boulders the architects
make a picturesque lawn, and build a gazebo commanding the lake view. From the
gazebo and along the southeast border of the land site runs a foot-walk that
follows the intricate curves of the shoreline. This is the future settlement's
main pedestrian boulevard, and the architects endow it with the most saturated
scenario. Along the entire length of the promenade, they place the minor forms
- arches, benches, and flower beds - each of which they turn into a memorable
orienting point.
In the spot where the land site gets maximally close to the adjacent island, it
gets a small bridge: on every shore the architects place a sculpture. The fallen
tree is used by the architects for creating a “getaway” for children – this
“birdhouse” promises to become the most popular attraction with the local kids.
This parade of landscape architecture reaches its climax in the wooden hedge
that is assembled out of the letters of the word «полуостров» (Russian for “peninsula” –
translator’s note) that are fastened to one another with slender horizontal
strips. When asked about the functional purpose of this element, Aleksey Ivanov
gave an answer as frank as possible: “This is the place where the locals and
the guests will take pictures to remember each other by!” At the same time, the
hedge also marks the conditional border between the residential area and the
beach – here the boulevard ends and the leisure area begins, with playfields
and a safe water entry.
