Skolkovo Innovation Center will be a place where Eastern and Western architectural cultures intersect. The innovation city’s “guest zone” is designed by the Japan office of SANAA and the Dutch firm OMA. The two companies presented their design concepts today in Moscow (AUDIO).
Skolkovo is designed as a free access zone. Restrictions will only apply to fuel-powered motor vehicles: visitors can exchange them at special parking lots for electric cars to drive in the city. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to move freely around the city. The guest zone, located between a technopark and Skolkovo University, will be the main attraction for them. The guest zone will resemble a traditional shopping and entertainment centre in some of its functions, but its layout and even its exterior design will be very different. According to the architects’ plan, anybody visiting Skolkovo should immediately realise that they are in a completely new type of city, which has every amenity, where innovative technologies are developed and where efforts are focused on environmental issues.
A special dome designed by SANAA (Japan) will cover part of Skolkovo’s territory. Made of glass and steel strands, the dome will help create a special microclimate inside. In fact, the environment under the dome will practically be isolated, as SANAA architecture firm representative Yoshitaka Tanase explained:
“When we designed this dome, we sought to create a feeling of weightlessness inside it. This has never been done before in architecture. We wanted the material for the dome to attract as little attention as possible, so that people know there is a dome above them, but it won’t seem to have an outer shell. The ground will absorb heat in the summer and release it in the winter, creating a microclimate under the dome. In order to protect people from the sun during the summer, we want to simulate clouds to protect all surfaces beneath the dome. Additionally, the dome will have solar panels built into it.”
Dutch architecture firm OMA is designing the architectural complex for Skolkovo’s guest zone. Work began in June and the design is almost complete. According to the architects’ plans, the centre of the guest zone will be a uniquely designed building with a variety of functions. This building is dubbed “The Rock” and it will look exactly like a stone, Reinier de Graaf, an architect from OMA said:
“The Rock will have a shopping centre, hotel, movie theatre, cafes and restaurants, an expo centre and several promenade halls. It will be a building where each resident or guest of the Innovation Center will have a chance to use different services or just relax and have fun. The building will be 100 meters tall. We have experimented with a lot of materials, looking for the right way to embody the building’s special nature. We finally decided it should look like a rock, or even solidified lava. So, for example, the surface will have lots of tiny windows. They will be real windows to let light inside the building. That’s their practical function. But from a design standpoint, these random little windows will create a special sense of texture.”
The architectural solutions that were proposed and accepted may seem quite risky, but Skolkovo leaders believe that the risk is justified. Both concepts will help emphasise the unique nature of the Innovation Center. In addition, they fully meet the project’s requirements for innovation and sustainability.