This year, the developers of the Skolkovo innovation city finally came to a decision on a town planning concept and masterplan for the future Innovation Center. The city itself is not yet there – it still has to be designed and built. In an interview with BFM.ru, Skolkovo Executive Eirector in Territory Development Viktor Maslakov discussed what this city of innovators will look like and what amenities it will have for permanent residents and guests.
– Are there any projects in the world that are equivalent to this?
– Silicon Valley in the United States. It wasn’t built to a government plan of any sort, but large defence contracts helped the project grow at an early stage. In both cases, the size of the area isn’t comparable to Skolkovo, which will only cover four square kilometres of land.
The other kind of equivalent could be a number of projects carried out, for example, in China. The Chinese government establishes technology parks on specially allocated land sites (similar to Skolkovo in size) that they “cut” into parcels and offer to a variety of international companies for constructing their own buildings. However, the corporations in these industrial parks operate in isolation, without any concern for what their neighbours are doing.
Skolkovo is based on a different concept. In our case, we are not talking about spending decades gradually filling the innovation centre. We are planning to quickly (by 2015) create a specific environment, practically by hand, where small and large businesses can comfortably coexist. They will not be secluded, each operating behind its own fence, but instead they will communicate with each other. Nobody has ever done a project like this before either in Russia or abroad.
– Do you think Skolkovo can really be a full-fledged city? Won’t it become some sprawling cottage community?
– According to old standards, any settlement with a population of more than 20,000 people was called a city. From this point of view, Skolkovo is on the very borderline. We expect that the city’s permanent population will total 21,000 people, including 9,500 employees of resident companies, with the remainder being their family members. In addition, more than 20,000 people will come to work at the Innovation Center every day. So, a total of some 30,000 people will work in Skolkovo. It will be a true city and not a “cottage community”, because the number of people working in it will be more or less comparable to the number of residents.
– All construction is expected to be complete in four years or so. Don’t you think this pace could compromise the quality of construction, including residential buildings?
– In my opinion, housing quality isn’t determined by the quality of its building materials, but by the level of comfort that it offers, both as separate units and as a component of a larger environment. You can build a great house but not provide any kindergartens or schools for its occupants, and have the nearest drug store or hospital be a couple miles away. I think comfort is defined by the services you have available.
With regard to the actual quality of construction of the residential buildings, we have a reasonable minimum standard. The city will have different categories of housing intended for people with different incomes. And, relatively speaking, even the “worst” housing will still meet the minimum requirements for modern households, and the level of comfort will vary depending on what a person can afford.
– Will there be any luxury housing in Skolkovo?
– No, there will be no luxury housing. CEOs will not live in the innovation city. Among executive personnel, Skolkovo residents will most likely include middle managers. That’s why the highest category of housing available in the city will be business class housing. There will also be more affordable accommodations, let’s say economy class housing.
Anyway, that’s a rather conditional classification. Categorisation is useful for the real estate market. But in our case, all housing will be owned by the Skolkovo Foundation and will not be for sale – this is regulated by law. So, in the context of Skolkovo, I would rather say “comfortable housing”.
– What will the housing for innovation developers look like?
– First and foremost, we plan to build small but comfortable cottage houses of about 150 square metres on plots of land of 300-400 square metres. We are also looking at building townhouses with smaller plots (100 square metres). Finally, there will be low-rise, 3-4 story apartment buildings.
– As you mentioned, all housing will be available for rent only. What will the rental rates depend on?
– Rental rates will cover maintenance and operating costs, such as cleaning entrances, servicing elevators and so on. Utility bills will be paid separately, just like in any other town.
– Will the lease period be limited or not?
– You can live in Skolkovo for as long as you work in the city. It all depends on the duration of a given project. A certain project may last for six months to three or even ten years. Maybe some companies will launch startups one after another for 30 years. In that case, their employees will live in the innovation city until completion.
– How will the construction of the innovation city impact life in the old village of Skolkovo?
– There are several villages around the Innovation Center, including Skolkovo, Nemchinovka, Novoïvanovskoye, Marfino and some others. None of them will be part of the Center, so the neighbourhood will have absolutely no impact on them. And we are not building a fence around the Innovation Center, so people from these villages will be able to visit.
– Can you tell us about how traffic will be set up in the city?
– The city will mostly be for pedestrians. In general, traffic priorities are as follows: pedestrians, then cyclists, then public transport. Personal transport comes last. Of course, you can drive your car to the city, but it won’t be allowed inside – you will have to leave it in a parking lot.
However, we expect to have electric cars available in Skolkovo for public use. For example, if you need to drive to Moscow to pick up some furniture or something heavy, you can rent an electric car for several hours.
There will also be ways to commute from Moscow. We already have the Aeroexpress train travelling from Kievsky Railway Station to Vnukovo Airport. All that is left is to have it stop near Skolkovo. In the long term, we are planning to extend the Sheremetyevo Airport Aeroexpress line to Odintsovo with a stop at the Innovation Center.
– Will any innovative technologies be used in building and developing the Innovation Center?
– Of course. As an example, electricity and heat for the Center will be produced by burning waste wood. The Moscow region has enough scrap material to supply this kind of power plant. We are also planning to employ the concept of a “smart and connected” city, which means that the Innovation Center will have high-speed Internet with speeds up to one gigabit per second (which Moscow doesn’t have yet). We will also have a special system for “smart” management of networks (such as the electric power network) and a video surveillance system. We are building a model of a new modern city and we want to show how it can possibly be organised.
– Is it true that Skolkovo will have its own police force and revenue service?
– That’s right, the creation of these separate departments is prescribed by law. The city will have its own tax service, Department of Internal Affairs and other departments and services, such as a Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance Service, Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology, and so on.
– What kind of recreational areas are you planning for Skolkovo?
– First of all, we are building a large central guest zone at the main entrance to the innovation city from the Minsk Highway. It will not only be for people who live and work in Skolkovo, but also for visitors.
This zone will have all infrastructure facilities necessary, including leisure centres. But I would like to note that we want to focus on entertainment that helps you learn new things and allows you to mature. Our entertainment centres will be for sports, outdoor activities and creativity.
In addition, Skolkovo will open a branch of the Polytechnic Museum, and we expect the majority of its visitors to be from outside the city.
Each residential district will have its own leisure centre with a nursery school, kindergarten and elementary school (a junior high and high school will be built in the central zone), as well as a family centre, sports centres, swimming pools (for children and adults), promenades and playgrounds. However, these facilities will only be for residents of the innovation city.
– So, you already have a detailed city development plan.
– We finalised the masterplan for the Innovation Center in July. Now the layout design phase begins. Architectural design will be done by members of the Skolkovo Town Planning Council, which includes world-renowned architects and Pritzker Prize winners. They will prepare the general planning concept and design some of the buildings. The bulk of the city’s facilities will be designed by the architects who win our competitions. I should note that we expect active involvement primarily from Russian architects, including young specialists, such as alumni and maybe even students of architecture schools. This is certainly an advantage, because young people have a unique way of thinking: they can be very good at things that require more imagination than experience, such as landscaping and land improvements.
– What is the total funding for the project? The media has reported different amounts, ranging from 120 to 200 billion roubles.
– We are talking about two different figures. The first will only cover construction of the city. The second amount includes funds to support startups and purchase research equipment. You see, Skolkovo isn’t just another city. If we want innovators to come and work there successfully, we need to provide them with financial support, at least in the early stages.