Budcud's winning design for the Voronezh City Reservoir Open Ideas Competition in Russia

Polish practice Budcud shared their winning proposal in an ideas competition to revive the iconic Voronezh Reservoir in Voronezh City, Russia. Built at the center of the city in 1972, the reservoir -- locally known as "The Voronezh Sea" -- was a recreational spot until increasing amounts of pollution spoiled the fun for everyone in 1992.

The Department of Natural Resources and Ecology then set up the competition to gather ideas that'll lead to feasible clean-up solutions for the 30 km reservoir, as well as show its potential for future urban and nature development.

Ideas were anonymously submitted, and the following were chosen as winners:

• 1st prize (200,000 roubles): BudCud - Krakow, Poland
• 2nd prize (150,000 roubles): Novy Sad Landscape Company - Moscow, Russia
• 3rd Prize (100,000 roubles): Interra - Kazan, Russia

Honorable mentions (50,000 roubles each):

• Gosplan - Genova, Italy
• Ludovico Centis and Adam Feldman (collaborator) - Latisana, Italy
• Studio No.4 of the Architects' Union, Leonid Yanovskiy and Vasily Poplavskiy - Voronezh, Russia

A concurrent Closed International Competition will implement a restorative strategy for the entire reservoir based on the design team's vision and results of the Open Ideas Competition.

Have a look at Budcud's winning idea below.

Project description:

"Voronezh Reservoir strategy takes multi-threaded measures to revive the reservoir and  integrate it with the city, that is now divided by the polluted water. The strategy rallies spatial democracy on the shore and allows the citizens to fully profit and enjoy a natural phenomena in the city – it has a potential to become a new 'city center' (like Central Park), meant as multifunctional public space, that is attractive for citizens, accessible for all and sustainably using existing resources to improve ecological values of Voronezh Reservoir.

Waterfront and reservoir are heavily contaminated – ecologically and spatially. The quality of water is really bad, lack of inner current and thick layer of mud prevent valuable flora and fauna from creating an actual micro-cosmos. Heavy water contamination is caused by urban contaminants run down from the city and pesticides and other toxic substance washed from nearby agriculture areas."

"Due to lack of eye-catching and picturesque panoramas or any pro-public urban furniture and equipped public spaces, citizens don't want to spend their leisure time on the shore. Furthermore, lack of necessary infrastructure restrains people from using the reservoir area as area of communication between two separate parts of the city. That implies the   waterfront being obsolete and empty. The process of puryfing the reservoir and adjusting it to public usage is divided into three parts."

"The 1st phase (2015 - 2017) of the strategy ('test phase') focuses on bringing the site to a state where the process of recuperating the needed qualities starts working. Nine test sites located along the shore, in format of differentiated quays, provide needed public spaces, such as a sunbathing platform, bania complex, a market, multifunctional performance platform or kayak and motorboat harbour. Depending on the reactions and activity of new public piers, their functions could be changed or supplemented with more appropriate ones. All the test proposals are feasible both financially and technically, and their test status and reasonable, moderated and gradual implementation gives room for improvement.

The 2nd phase (2017-2022) of Voronezh Reservoir Strategy contains, among others, deepening of the reservoir trough (for stimulating the current) and using excavated soil to remodel and thicken the waterfront, providing new sites for city development."

"During the 3rd phase (2022-2025) the new eco-waterfront, densified with public spaces of different forms, becomes the new public center of Voronezh city. An iconic area, called 'the sea of thousands piers' renovates the city structure and its ecological footprint. Voronezh gains attractive and justified space, that heals the separate parts of the city, providing them with an attractive and sustainable connector. If implemented successfully and thoroughly, the strategy for revitalizing Voronezh Reservoir could make Voronezh an exemplary and sustainable city, where natural resources are used as complementary city tissue, an eco-raffinery and crucial ingredient of city's programmatic hedonism."

Project details:

Development of a Strategy for the Voronezh Sea. Open International Ideas competition.

YEAR: 2014
CLIENT: PROJECT RUSSIA
LOCATION: VORONEZH, RU
PROGRAM: PUBLIC SPACE, LANDSCAPE
AREA: 60 KM2
STATUS: COMPETITION, 1ST PRIZE
TEAM: BUDCUD: MATEUSZ ADAMCZYK, AGATA WOŹNICZKA, JUSTYNA MYDLAK, MAŁGORZATA RĄCZKA, WOJCIECH SZYDŁOWSKI

All images courtesy of Budcud.