New urban ideas: varied, porous and open-coded.

International competition about architecture and urbanism.

Moscow, 2018.

The competition invited architects to submit their proposals for new urban developments of either high, medium or low density. Our proposal faces the challenge of devising a complex low density urban fabric, a model that has traditionally been associated with urban sprawl, mono-functionality and predominance of cars in the urban design.

Our proposal takes into account this particular context and aims to revert it, introducing a new urban structure that consists of four bands, all of which are four hectares big. Each band represents a complete and heterogeneous fragment of city, showcasing the diversity of building typologies, mix of uses and the eminently pedestrian oriented character of the public space.

Due to its conception as a process rather than a fixed pre-designed scheme, the proposal can generate many different urban scenarios. It also allows a controlled growth of the city, understanding each one of the potential phases as final states, fully functional both internally and externally. 

The urban model is generated by the interaction between three different layers, which act as structural elements:

– A matrix of walls, understood as the underlying pattern that shapes the urban landscape.

– A catalogue of elements, various volumes to be built on the wall grid, in correspondence to specific typologies: single-family detached houses (size XS), semi-detached houses (size S), town houses (size M).

– A series of urban landmarks, the ‘urban villas’ (size L). These blocks act as elements of reference within the urban fabric and catalysts of each band, providing alternative uses, as well as parking and community spaces.