Culture Square | M4 Design Bureau

Kultury Square is a public space based on the multi—layered identity of the city of Kurchatov, the leader of the nuclear energy industry not only in Russia, but throughout the world. It is a city born of atomic science, built in the spirit of Soviet modernism.

The landscaping project of the square is a delicate work with layers. It is based on the existing strict planning grid, emphasized by the modernist environment. On top of the preserved systems — buildings, established zoning, existing landscaping — a new one is layered, similar to a lined notebook or a fragment of a microcircuit. Elements of landscaping fit into its cells, whose shape and content refer to the heart of the city — a complex and precise nuclear reactor system. The metal rods of the reactor are reflected in the use of an unusual color for modern public space — the color of anodized aluminum, a noble shade of steel and metal. The rods themselves and their arrangement have found a direct reading in the coverage of the area, where the image of a controlled, living structure appears due to the embedding of light elements. Accent colors and materials are next, reflecting the desire for innovation and the desire to always be one step ahead. A fountain is a separate story. The fog above it exactly repeats the unusual natural phenomenon over the cooling pond, where fogs are so often born because of the warm water. And the fountain itself and its coating tell the story of the appearance of the city through the prism of water.