40 Forests + 4 Parks = 1 Sokolniki

Sokolniki Park Regeneration Strategy

Location: Moscow, Russia
Client: City of Moscow – Department of Culture and
Mosgorpark, Moscow

Program: Regeneration, preservation and programming strategy for 500 ha park

Sokolniki Park is not one park, it is four parks in one. Over the course of decades it has developed its unique and truly Moscow character that combines vast wilderness with a landscape park, a city garden and a commercialized theme park. With the park having to become economically self-sustainable, more commercially driven activities ought to take place there. To avoid these activities to compromise the natural side of the park, the strategy proposed creates clearly defined zones of different activities – all embedded in the forest that Sokolniki park is. The strategy uses the existing radial and circular structure and adds two major entrances themed as health and nature plaza.

The currently quite uniform forest transforms into 40 different forests by modifying the underwood. From untouched nature to flower fields to beehives many different identities can emerge.

The proposed programming for the park and a new management structure aim at optimizing the operational efficiency and seek to attract more and more targeted audiences for events and activities throughout the year.

Stages:
2014 Concept

Team:
MLA+: Markus Appenzeller, Yana Golubeva, Martin Probst
Openfabric, Opas