BITACORA OF A TRIP TO THE FUTURE OF ITMO HIGHPARK AND THE CITY OF YUZHNY

Creating a Place that becomes the MAGICAL SPACE OF THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY was the first association in my mind when reading about the desire to turn ITMO Highpark into a new “Mecca of the Architecture”. I believe Architecture is the Creation of Spaces for Life and if that is ITMO Highpark’s goal then we believe we are the right architects to support you throughout this process. Changing paradigms is not an easy subject. It requires a collective effort that allows the dreams and illusions of many generations to be translated into stone. The focus of refoundation should not be elitist and should instead follow a Convergent and Inclusive Philosophy.

Inventing ITMO Highpark and its own built environment based on little amount of data forced us to work as Architects like SCOUTS OF REALITY. With this I mean, to go out and look for clues or hints in those many non-urbanized hectares. It was not an easy task but we decided that the FOUNDATIONAL STONES (Foundations) of the Vision we want to develop had to come from THIS specific place and not from the Virtual or Global World.
Thus, the first TRACE aims to celebrate the CONNECTIVITY role that the railway plays in ITMO Highpark. Therefore, we decided to elevate the train so that it is not a barrier between the future campus and the City of Yuzhny anymore, but that it becomes part of its identity. This is the origin of the ARCHES that enable the access to all sectors of the new urbanization in Yuzhny and to its centrality at the ITMO Highpark.

The second TRACE is intended to celebrate the WATER that, for this new city, should be discovered as a symbol of respect for the land that protects it. The few visible water mirrors led us to discover its current towards the Katherinenpark in the Puschkin Palace. This sap of life, not artificially treated but ecologically preserved, forms the riverside banks for the regeneration spaces of ITMO Highpark. This reinterpreted natural environment will not only increase the surplus value of the land but will also allow us to understand what an ECOLOGICAL URBAN PLANNING means.

We understood its vocation and how to CREATE THE LANDSCAPE based on these two landmarks. In other words, we understood that it does not matter how long it takes for the NEW HABITANTS to settle down in this CITY OF THE FUTURE, because the Natural and Urban Landscape preceded them. Why is this topic so important? There is nothing more adverse than new built environments that produce detachment, cocooning and vandalism. This is typical of unconsolidated urbanizations without identity. We refer to the essential and fragile notion of BELONGING TO A PLACE.

What does URBANITY mean in the City of Yuzhny? What does it mean to create CENTRALITY in the ITMO Highpark? For us, the streets in the city are fundamental. We appeal to have incentives and invites for people to assemble along the public spaces of the city and SPEND TIME IN SOCIETY. Hence, we understand that a CONTINUOUS SUBURBAN configuration, would be the inadequate answer, because it would not offer inhabitants the necessary INVITATIONS to awake their CURIOSITY.

Who were the architects, TROUBADOURS OF A BETTER WORLD that achieved planting these seeds to create this MAGICAL PLACE? I do not know if it matters, as I really feel that it has been a collective effort of thousands of people that allowed us to believe in a BETTER WORLD.
And what happens when we want to go to the CENTER? We can go walking through the BOULEVARDS. We can go with the SHUTTLE BUS through the Avenue of the Novelty, or by skating or biking along the Boulevard of the Youth Olympics that show us the best LOCAL, REGIONAL and WORLDWIDE INVENTIONS to live in HARMONY WITH THE COSMOS.
Whichever path we decide to take in the everyday life, we will arrive at the ARCHADES OF YUZHNY with all its bars and meeting places before going through the new EXHIBITIONS of the DIPLOMAS and DOCTORANTS of the ITMO University. Did you know that each PLAZA has a SPATIAL INSTALLATION TRIBUTE to the NOBEL PRIZE Laureates that have studied or taught at ITMO? I do not know if that exists in the most prestigious universities in the world but I am proud to know that my children can be part of this URBAN MIRACLE!
In light of the Center being a living Organism, it surprises me every time I visit it, either because a new building was inaugurated or because some of the Squares finally implemented the Light and Sound shows with the Ecological Artificial Rain that they had promised since we moved in. There is no doubt my family and I do not know which will be our first stop to visit next time. I think we will start during the warm hours of the noon, sit down and have lunch, enjoying these events at the Science Center, since today there will be a show of Mimes of Instability accompanied by the new Robots of the ITMO.
Maybe we should go through the Aula of the “Waterfall of Wisdom” at the main Building before walking to the Innovation Park. I have been told that it is very attractive from the Transversal pedestrian street to see the Scientists and scholars discussing about the Future of Science on those Capsules that are suspended from Heaven. It’s very nice that ITMO has decided to build buildings that share the development of knowledge with people like us. I really feel part of a community in which I can participate by leaving messages about my free associations in the mailboxes of the Plaza based on what I do. Maybe this will help my children to feel proud on how we have contributed to the development with a little grain of sand.
Every time we enter the Main Building, I feel the greatness and meaning of the “Cascade of Wisdom” and it elevates me to other levels of consciousness. Will the same happen to everyone who studies and works here? I believe it will, mainly because during the day and throughout the four seasons, being in a building that is so open to the cosmos, makes you feel alive as an integral part of the PLANETARY ECOSYSTEM. That is good. I do not know how we will manage not to stay at the “Concert of the Forgotten Inventions of the World” that the New ITMO Graduates are announcing on the access screens. The Auditorium is so wonderful that one really manages to forget everything by immersing in those scientific and cultural views.
But we should leave it for another day. If we want to meet with some friends at the Tea House located opposite of the Center of Multifaceted Physical Activities before walking through the “Park of Wonders” along the Strip of Innovations… we must hurry up!
And finally, we arrived. We cannot believe it. The new Start Ups are coming from all over the World. And I am discovering that the idea of driving them to hang their name along the Boulevard, in their original language, and to present themselves each month with their new products, attracts young people from the surrounding cities to permanently discover what’s going on in the World. I think it is essential to continue with these networks because the global success of our “Olympics of Science” was undoubtedly built from the new interconnections created by young people. I really hope that the professional practices leading them to know about us and inspiring them to initiate their Start Ups in this Center of the Wisdom of the Planet will be an example for other cities of the World.
I am delighted to be able to develop myself within this creative environment that undoubtedly has helped me every day by inspiring me to be part of this unique phenomenon of the Grand Holistic Village of ITMO in Yuzhny!
As Architects, ARGONAUTS OF THE WORLD OF FANTASIES, we are very happy to have been able to share with you this ambitious dream that we produce for your Earth and that could only materialize if we all unite and push together in the same direction. Thank you!