Portfolio Architecture, Urbanism and Urban Planning

from Portfolio Architecture, Urbanism and Urban Planning | Alexandra Kashina

by Alexandra Kashina

ALEXANDRA KASHINA

Architect / Urbanist

Bauhaus University Weimar (M.Sc.)

Tongji University Shanghai (M.Eng.)

Moscow Architectural Institute (B.Arch.)

+49 (177) 6122742 a.alexandra.kashina@gmail.com

Projects:

01. MIX-USED DEVELOPMENT

SIZE: 0,8 hectares

Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy)

BA diploma | student project | individual work

PROBLEM

Moscow is several times more densely built-up city than other cities in the world. At the same time, the number of roads and their area is several times less than in other cities. Most offices and commercial areas are concentrated in the center of Moscow, while most of the residential housing areas are located on the outskirts of the city. In the central area of Moscow, the high cost per square meter of housing contributed to the design of residential buildings of the "club" type, which are closed for the life of the city - "ghosts neighborhoods" with deserted streets. Therefore, the construction of affordable housing for long-term temporary residence with the opportunity to work, rest and be close to children without spending much time reaching home is quite an urgent problem.

DESCRIPTION

The complex includes a hotel, business center, fitness center with swimming pool and building for children care. The goal was to create a dynamic and comfortable living environment, well accessible for pedestrians, adjust the object into the existing architectural environment, not "citing" it, but introducing a new, thereby enriching it. The main idea of the complex is close to the "coliving" concept, providing accessible temporary residence space for people of different ages and marital status with the opportunity to fully work and rest. At the moment dyeing and finishing establishment are placed on the given 0,8 ha sector, whose removal is planned in ArtDistrict project. Apart from the establishment, one-two-story buildings are located in the constructing area. Inefficient use of the territory has led to the fact that now the neighborhood "lives" only during working hours of located here offices, shops, etc. In the evening and at night, the place is getting empty, creating a spatial gap both in the panorama of the embankment and in the structure of ArtHouse and the city. The design project consists of 62% of the residential uses to solve this problem.

ANALYSIS OF THE TERRITORY

DESIGN

The composition of the complex made it possible to create an active life in the central square surrounded by cafes, recreation areas and a sports complex. The complex is provided with parking for 116 cars, as well as bicycle parking, bike rental, and the usable roof space.

COMPUTER PROGRAMS: Revit, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, VRay, Photoshop

02. RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

SIZE: 53,2 hectares

Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy)

student project | individual work

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES

1. to demonstrate the integrated approach of the housing problems solution in the conditions of reconstruction and development of residential areas;

2. to ensure the development and accessibility of the public centers' system and public service facilities;

3. to ensure the ecological safety of the living environment and the sustainability of the natural regions;

4. to ensure the reliability and safety of transport and engineering infrastructures;

5. to demonstrate the cultural continuity of urban planning decisions; spatial unity, aesthetic expression, harmony, and environmental diversity in the design project.

DESCRIPTION

Located in the north-west of Moscow, the site of this residential district is divided into two parts by Lihoborka river. There is vast park zone in district's territory. The decision was determined by the presence of the park zone and proximity to the river. That influenced to volumetric-spatial analysis. Building heights are reducing to the river, to make sure it is visible from other buildings. In addition to height, buildings are more slender and dispose apart. The district mainly is built with city blocks. Consumer services and cultural service institutions are located on ground floors of residential buildings. There is an office block on the district's area. The social center is located near the park zone and the main road.

COMPUTER PROGRAMS: AutoCAD, 3ds Max, VRay, Photoshop

03. HOW CAN WATER PROVISION SHAPE THE URBAN FORM?

WATER AS A DRIVING FORCE FOR DEVELOPMENT

SIZE: 11 km 2

Bauhaus University Weimar

student project | group work

DESCRIPTION

This study project is aiming to approach the complexity and the interrelations of the different components that a city contains or that should be taken into consideration for a sustainable and holistic planning proposal. The goal is not to provide a unique solution for the city of Wurer but to highlight the potentials and the limitations that experts of different fields have to face from the phase of planning and design to this of maturity and further growth.

While every proposal should take into account both the reproductive and productive activities in the framework of a city, Wurer offers a challenge, as its current situation could be described as rural. Any plan of further economic development should be based on cohesive regional planning, where the complexity of small cities of the region will offer complementary and not competitive economic activities, and further examination is required for this purpose.

In contrast, this project aims to concentrate on how the distribution of the necessary utilities - predominantly water - can shape the form of the city. The goal is to show the possibilities and the complications of such an approach, but also to highlight the importance these utilities can have for the diversity of urban qualities that define the attractiveness of the city to persons with different needs and expectations.

WATER AS A DRIVING FORCE FOR DEVELOPMENT

As water is of absolute necessity for the majority of the inhabitants of the area, its provision could use as the initial factor to attract population. The efficient and sustainable use of water could function as the driving force for the development of the population and the economy of the city and consequently of the physical form of the city.

ANALYSIS

**Top-down: Agriculture; Existing roads & electricity; Existing water system; Terrain; Topography; Satellite**

**Topographic section of the line connecting Wurer with Daresh Shet water source**

The section shows that Daresh Shet source could serve as a potable water provider to the city, as it short distance and the difference of the altitude permit a low-cost, technically possible connection.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective was to examine the possible outcomes of the city form, depending on the different distribution of water utilities, mainly the drinking water distribution points.

SCENARIOS

SCENARIO 1 | DENSE NETWORK

TAPS: Community taps function as local centers attracting density.

VARIETY: The overlapping of the serving areas brings a variety of different urban qualities, which could attract different activities and cover different needs.

SCENARIO 2 | SPREAD NETWORK

WALKABILITY: The water walkability distance is considered to maximum 400 meters.

CENTERS: More than one center even though one of them is the most prominent.

LAND USE: Facilities and land uses around the city were set according to multiple segments in the benchmarking model.

COMPUTER PROGRAMS: Rhino + Grasshopper, AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop, Google Earth, PowerPoint

03. SYMBOLIC CITY

HOW SUBCULTURE CAN BE RESILIENT ENOUGH TO EMBRACE OR COUNTER GENTRIFICATION?

SIZE: 1,2 km2

TONGJI University

student project | group work

DESCRIPTION

The fast-paced mass scale planning and its topdown implementation is a pertinent question when it comes to the resilience of the cities. The acute urban growth situation in the developing cities of China faces the problem of a refusal of cultural diversity, postulates the cultural dispossession of minority communities. Next, to the challenges of integration, inequality, and discrimination, the new diversity can be a significant resource for the cities - economics, quality of life, creativity.

The mass-scale «redrawing» of the city changes not only an urban shell, with revisions in the environment and habitual lifestyle, but it can also lead to the blurring of existing communities, which embody centuries-old traditions. The local lifestyle, the convenient shop around the corner, the guy who brings your newspaper, all that are the heritage of a locality are under threat. The acknowledgment of these local quirks and practices by bringing them forward by affirmations made in planning can help them from disappearing. Here the locality is taken as a unit where its stakeholders: the planners, the neighborhood association and the local governance partakes in a conversation to protect and facilitate the identified milieu that is in danger of dying out.

VIDEO:

Part I | Social Mapping: https://youtu.be/vpnO4lLCE0U

Part II | Subculture Resilience | Grasshopper monitoring system: https://youtu.be/t4GExu5QkCk

PARTICIPATION: Budapest, Hungary 2018 Conference: 9th Urban Space and Social Life Development and Heritage: Present, Past, and Future

GOALS

ECONOMIC: Prosperity; More creative industry for tax revenue; Job creation; Creative attract wealthier clientele; Economic diversity, multiple job sectors, resiliency; Service value added

LOCAL: Association to decide pop up shops and make overall decisions; Conflict resolution; Diversity in consumers; Community identity

SOCIAL: Tolerance and comfort; Wash areas increase social cohesion; Diversity; Exposure to new lifestyles

CULTURAL: Induce creative economy; Highlight and retain existing values and interconnect, integrate, resiliency; Tolerance and comfort

ANALYSIS

HOT - SPOTS

Movement Heat Maps

**Weekday movement: 07:00 | 12:00 | 19:00**

**Weekend movement: 07:00 | 12:00 | 19:00**

**migrant workers | value consumers | materialistic mainstream | hedomaterialists | ambitious achievers | affluent elite**

GRASSHOPPER MODEL

The prototype of the Monitoring & Decision-Support System allows to evaluate and guide the neighborhood associations for future decisions as well as find a balance between target parameters and goal dimensions.

An “inspector” can be placed at various points on the 3D map to test the defined and adjusted proposals.

Currently, the model evaluates three target goals: Preservation | Diversity | Attraction

Potential: Social distance | Tolerance | Values between groups

RENDERS

The pictures below show one of variation of pop-up shop/ constructions for temporary renting out which could have different types of use depending on the community needs.

For example:

APPLICATION | NIUQIAO ROAD

OBJECTIVES

1. to integrate chinese culture and modern subculture

2. to implement amenities based on chinese daily life and needs

3. to reinvigorate this street and highlight the chinese culture

PROPOSAL

1. Pedestrianization of the road

2. Transformability

a plaza that can be changed regarding different needs and uses a place to rest - convene - entertain - meet

3. Amenities and pop-up shops

adding amenities and pop-up shops with the Chinese spirit but upgrading it to integrate and open it for other contemporary forms of modern subcultures

4. Integration

the street has amenities arranged based on the ascension of cultural consumption and introduction of subcultures for different interest groups

**Niuqiao road | Transformability - stage, place for rest, tribune and other functions**

COMPUTER PROGRAMS: Rhino + Grasshopper, AutoCAD, PowerPoint, Illustrator, Photoshop, Google Earth, Sony Vegas

05. CONCERT HALL

SIZE: 6.500 m2

student project | individual work

DESCRIPTION

The concert hall is located on the west of Moscow center, near Smolenskaya metro station. The program for concert hall includes an auditorium for 1700 person, lecture room, event space, cafe, artists and practical rooms. Expanded into a 110-meter long building is divided into three different parts to create human-scale proportions. Each of the three buildings’ parts is developed uniquely. The small lecture building which leaning on sturdy steel construction faces the carriageway. The main center part includes a grand auditorium which could hold 1700 people. The multi-facetted transparent facade is developed according to the idea of a «theatre is not a mirror, but a big magnifying glass.» Passers-by could observe visitors in waiting for performance, capturing their eye by reflecting city and sunlight with each panel. Thus, the function of the theatre embodies in the crystalline facade.

COMPUTER PROGRAMS: Revit, 3ds Max, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Photoshop.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

SIZE: 2.500 m2

Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy)

student project | individual work

DESCRIPTION

The museum is located on Plushiha Street not so far from Moscow center. The building silhouette is determined by the oblong triangular site. There are temporary and permanent exhibitions holding a place in the museum building.

The idea of the building

The body of the building consists of several cubes, which are strung abreast. Composed as museum galleries which arches over a public square. The material of the glazed exhibition part is U-glass that provides scattering lighting and soft shades.