ARTUR SHAKHBAZYAN master of architecture (PFUR, Moscow, Russia) master of urbanism and strategic planning (KU Leuven, Belgium) european postgraduate master of urbanism (TU Delft, the Netherlands)
SELECTION OF PROJECTS IN URBANISM AND SPATIAL PLANNING
“Urban Clipping” strategy for Day river valley, Hanoi, Vietnam (Conor O’Brien, Matteo Motti, Artur Shakhbazyan, Amber Kevelaerts, 2011)
WEAVING INBETWEENITY
Semester Fall 2010–2011, European Postgraduate Master in Urbanism, KU Leuven Project team: Artur Shakhbazyan (Russia) Valérie Raets (Belgium)
On clearings, crossings and platforms in the forest valley Green structure
Turnhout, Belgium
The forested valley of the Visbeek, west of Turnhout, is an interface between two urban areas. Our project reinforces the valley as a structuring entity, (re)organizes east-west connections and proposes new modes of living in the forest. A double north-south pathway is created along the water, playing with a sequence of clearings and water ponds, sports facilities, urban agriculture and institutional buildings. Perpendicularly, a number of new east-west connections are created along existing paths or property lines. Designed as dams, they are combined with retention systems across the river. In the same idea, the national road that cuts through the in-between forest is downgraded. Its reduced profile, combined with the design of a future tram stop area, will clearly marks the predominance of the valley on the road and mark the entrance in the city coming from the west. Three ways to inhabit the valley are proposed: • on the western side, new developments and lines of trees define an edge to the clearings. • on the eastern edge, a proposed phased reconversion of the industrial area turns the former footprint of the industrial buildings into excavated floodable gardens, giving space back to the river. The surrounding platforms are preserved and converted into peninsula’s that can support public spaces, promenades and new housing developments. • inside the forested valley, a number of new clustered and introverted ‘block’ housing typologies refer to the existing domains present in the valley, such as castles and institutional buildings.
Infrastructure
Built space
Functional platform
Section across the train stop area (1:1000)
National road crosses the river: Emphasizing the visibility and feeling of water
Cross section of national road (1:1000)
How can the features that make of Randstad one of the most competitive urban regions in Europe be mantained and enhanced?
Semester Fall 2011–2012, European Postgraduate Master in Urbanism, TU Delft
Strategy for Randstad Urban region networks studio
How the smaller cities could benefit from its interaction with the bigger cities of the region?
Project team: Carlos Rafael Salinas González (Mexico), MArch Arthur Shakhbazyan(Russia), MArch
Is the Green Heart concept updated, and if so, what is the role of green areas in the Randstad metropolitan area?
Strategical goals:
How can we take advantage of the interaction of urban and green areas in order to enhance the urban experience?
• Improve connection and integration between cities; • Increase the functionality and accessibility of green areas; • Encourage specialization of local centers; • Create a framework for urban development in Randstad; • Increase the level of spatial and functional diversity in previously monofunctional cities and areas. In 2002, Rem Koolhaas’ OMA criticized the concept of Randstad and claimed that some cities, such as Leiden or Gouda are too weak to be the part of metropolitan area. Such decisions could lead to an isolation, hence economic and social decline in secondary cities. However, instead of putting them aside we propose to unite them and make them work together with their neighbor cities. Further on, these cities have a considerable advantage of their position on the green front where urban qualities meet natural and can propose different type of environments along this front. The main concentrator of green assets in the region is the Green Heart. Its present shape doesn’t allow the optimal use of these assets. We propose to reshape the green heart and to redistribute assets along a new frontline. Here we introduce the concept of “green ribbons”, which can help to intensify the interaction between urban and green and optimize the use of green assets. In addition it provides better accessibility to the open spaces without deterioration of their quality. In addition it allows better connection between different landscapes, from beaches and dunes to polders and fields.
Increasing the interaction with natural assets of Green Heart
Improve the connections within the conurbation
Reducing the barriers/limits set by the Green Heart policies
To encourage the development of smaller cities we propose to combine them in networks and to promote their specialization. Most of the areas along the proposed green front are monofunctional residential neighborhoods. We propose to infill them with more functions such as commerce, micro-industry, cultural facilities and so on. Of course this requires the upgrade of transport connections to these areas, including public transport.
Uithoorn (aan de Amstel) Noord-Holland, the Netherlands
Existing green structure and urban pressure in Randstad
Proposal: “Green ribbons” instead of “Green blob”
The redefinition of Green Heart will lead to introduction of new development policies for the region. We propose to allow the developments along the frontline and in the areas of integration between cities, but at the same time to introduce some restrictions for development in buffer zones, therefore maintaining the area of open spaces at the same level as it is in the Green Heart.
Connect to Amsterdam
De-split
Activate border
The strategy for the Uithoorn is based on three general elements: infrastructural re-connection to Amsterdam, merging of two parts of the city and activation of the urban-green border interface along the Amstel. First step of the implementation of the strategy is creation of the tram loop, connecting Uithoorn with Amstelveen. This loop will pass the most important points such as central part of Uithoorn, stations of Amsterdam metro line, Amstelveen Hospital and areas proposed for development. It will also cross N201 and Zuidtangent BRT line creating the well accessible crossing points.
Proposed tram loop: lengh = 18,5 km time to Amsterdam metro = max 15 min.
Amstel River Front project should become the connecting link of the strategy and main approach to activate the urban-green border. It starts with redevelopment of the part of Uithoorn along the river: city center, old train station area and industrial quarter. Main historical buildings and areas are also situated on the river, therefore, they could be connected in a soft manner of a city riverfront boulevard, which could become the backbone for the further redevelopment of the central part. Along its way it will incorporate main urban functions. Further on, Amstel River Front would extend to the north and to the south, providing the urban system with the focus on historical importance of Amstel, diversity of functions, high level of accessibility by both public and private transport and high level of interaction with the natural assets of Green Heart. On a bigger scale Uithoorn will become the important place of connection between bigger and smaller cities and the access point to Green Heart for the whole Amsterdam agglomeration.
Kolindsund Ribbon: Constructing New Urban Natures in Denmark Thesis Studio, KU Leuven, 2012
Kolindsund Ribbon: Constructing New Urban Natures in Denmark was inspired by the infamous precedent of The Emerald Necklace in Boston by Frederick Law Olmsted. Kolindsund Ribbon updates Olmsted's basic notion of affecting pressing issues through a sequential design intervention. The project addresses both local and global contemporary challenges of twenty-first century, such as: ecological compensation, climate change, sustainable storm water management, and development of local economies. Preceeded by a careful reading of the landscape through peripheral ribbon has been discovered. The descriptive mapping led to the development of the Kolindsund Ribbon as a maintained landscape, highly designed and accessible, while the inner landscape was deemed less accessible and unmaintained, a place where the project merely initiated natural processes.
Maintained landscape Designed Human access Park
Unaintained landscape Initiate natural processes Limited human access Nature
In terms of answering the contemporary challenges, four strategic projects are embedded within the Kolindsund Ribbon, from west to east.
Platforms, stepstones & re-wilding
Ecology & economy dependencies Stormwater wetland park in Kolind
Grenaa Lakefronts
Studio team: Azadeh Badiee, Yantri Dewi, Nathalie HockĂŠ, Arthur Shakhbazyan, Dien Chien Trinh, Daniel Veestraeten, Irina Volzhanova, Zhongkai Zhou Promoters: prof. Kelly Shannon (University of Leuven) prof. Thomas Juel Clemmensen & prof. Stefan Darlan Boris (Arkitektskolen Aarhus)
Grenü Lakefronts creates multiple waterfronts (lake, river and sea) for the most western city on the Kolindsund Lake city and simultaneously mitigates the predicted effects of climate change. The main idea is to create a sequence of lakes, which could accommodate floodwater in series, from smaller to larger, thus protecting the relatively clean water of the Kolindsund Lake from polluted watershed water during minor and moderate inland floods. The project begins from the premise to recreate the ancient Kragsø Lake and to work with the existing subtle differences in topography, particularly when the pumps will be turned off. The smallest lake of the chain is proposed in underused area to the south-west of the historical center of Grenaa. Initial investigation of the area included topographical analysis and simulation of the conditions when the water levels are restored to it's natural values of 0,35 to 0,7 meters and 1,4 meters in the case of flood events. Further on the main features of the site were determined. They were ditches, dykes, trees and built-up areas.
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Re-configuring dykes By combining these features with the topographical analysis the spatial structure with 4 basins, shaped by tree lines, dykes and ditches was identified. Two of them, with lower ground levels are more likely to become a permanent waterbody, while other two are potential wetland areas. In this case wetlands can store excessive and flood water in wet seasons and provide it back in dry periods to ensure the permanence of the lake. In order to support this water exchange the wetlands remain connected to the lake with existing ditches.
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PILS: Post industrial legacy sites. Short term plan for Fusina, Veneto region, Italy // EMU workshop, July 2012, Venice The Fusina site represents a post industrial landscape whose decline was marked by industry pressures born from the 1970’s fuel crisis, consequent aluminum price declines and the final straw, high indebtedness which saw to closure and partial dismantling in 1993. Most visibly, spectacularly large and smaller industrial infrastructures still occupy the site, however a legacy of these operations still remain: the presence of an array of high concentrations of pollutants that render reuse a challenging task. These below surface contaminants represent a hidden and cost prohibitive hurdle to reactivating the site and as such, it has sat dormant for over twenty years. PILS, our strategic design concept of cost effective, engaging, and resourceful utilization of the currently use-less site, was conceived and designed for short term interventions with an eye to the possibilities for long term solutions. PILS is a physical interface and digital platform which encourages and facilitates researchers, educators, artists, and visitors to interact on and with the site by gathering, interpreting, and sharing information about this area, its history and its future. The goal of PILS is to re-imagine, to make visible, and to motivate change for the future potentials of abandoned brownfields and through their legacy that we have inherited, to build stronger connections to both the communities they affect locally and to similar sites around the world.
Team members: Zuzana Krmelova (FA CTU Prague) Joon Kim (KU Leuven) Arthur Shakhbazyan (KU Leuven) Christopher Colja (KU Leuven) Fernanda Alcocer (Parsons) Bridget Sheerin (Parsons) Janet Lobberecht (Parsons) Andres Gonzalez Bode (Parsons)
Embedding inclusive functions into the site is a key strategy in kick-starting new life cycle potentials. Starting with easy-toimplement interventions we propose to reuse the remains of existing structures to accommodate simple public functions, such as open-air cafes and exhibition spaces, which expands and enriches the current limited touristic and social amenities available. This will re-attract declining numbers of youth visitors and start the process of community forming. Since the metal structures are in quite poor condition we propose to use only first levels of buildings made of concrete. By connecting them with an elevated walk we let the people enter and appropriate the site using its least polluted spaces. At the same time it gives the opportunity to observe the process of remediation of the site and therefore these walkways add an interactive dimension to the experience. Left: Swimming pool can be an example of a reuse for industrial tanks. Isolated pools can be filled with purified water from the nearby greenhouse