Evgeny Mordovin: "Maximum space development, a well—thought-out ecosystem is what developers are striving for now"

The unique development project "Yekaterinburg City" is waiting for new changes. Evgeny Mordovin, General Director of UMMC-Builder, tells us what the public wants from the city center, what architectural solutions and principles will be implemented in the center of Yekaterinburg.

— In early October, Yekaterinburg will host the VIII International Construction Forum 100+ TechnoBuild, which project will you go to it with?

— For the last 15 years, we have been implementing a global project for the construction of Yekaterinburg City. At the 100+ construction forum, we plan to present a modified project in accordance with the expectations of the public.

— What will Yekaterinburg City look like with the new amendments?

— As before, we plan to create the Yekaterinburg City space as a continuous pedestrian and walking area. We will make changes to the height of the objects. This will preserve the airiness of the space, avoid pressure on people from the building. There will be more green spaces, and there will be an equipped playground for celebrations and concerts.

Theaters, entertainment centers, creative workshops, galleries and cinemas will be located in the very center of the Yekaterinburg City site. In one location, we will gather a variety of premium brands: from global luxury to local projects that are gaining popularity. Clothes, cosmetics, cars, gadgets, appliances, souvenirs and much more. The total area of entertainment venues will be about 84.5 thousand square meters, including 5 theaters, 300 restaurants, cafes and gastrocorners, 369 shops and a children's entertainment center. To create a unique image of the center of Yekaterinburg, we will implement unique architectural solutions.

The underground part in Yekaterinburg City will also remain at the mercy of transport and service services. For this purpose, our company will build an underground level with high ceilings of 5 meters, as well as a single underground parking for 3,000 cars. Underground parking is certainly already a must–have, but we set ourselves a big task - to create a harmonious pedestrian environment, a communication hub that will unite all the buildings of Yekaterinburg City underground. And then we will get a big and green city center. 

— What principles will be at the heart of your new project?

— We want to create a new urban center with harmonious architecture and a functional composition of public spaces, low-rise and high-rise buildings; a single location for meetings, development, entertainment, work and life of citizens. In particular, we plan to create entire complexes aimed at the development and education of the city's residents. Thus, the gymnasium branch will be surrounded by architectural landmarks: several cultural heritage sites will be reconstructed and adapted for use as additional gymnasium facilities (creative workshops or extended day classes), which will allow the youngest residents of Yekaterinburg City to "instill" a love of beauty from childhood.

Educational and development centers of various directions will be located in the stylobate parts of residential skyscrapers (the proposed height of the stylobate parts is 25 m): art and music schools, foreign language centers, ballet and dance studios, creative workshops. We are also planning to create a family fitness club with a workout area on the roof, a gymnastics center and an artificial surf wave. The total area of development sites will be approximately 10.3 thousand square meters.

In general, we have formed a number of main tasks: the creation of 12 public facilities, including skyscrapers. The formation of full-fledged pedestrian streets with a total length of 3.2 thousand meters and public spaces with an area of 9 thousand square meters. As a separate point, we highlight the reconstruction of 5 cultural heritage sites.

— Is this the final version of the Yekaterinburg City project?

— We have not yet approved the final Yekaterinburg City project. It is important for us to understand what Yekaterinburg residents expect from us, what people want to see in this territory. To do this, we plan to contact representatives of the Yekaterinburg public. We have already held a meeting with architects, government officials, businesses, the real estate community, and community leaders. We have already made adjustments to the Yekaterinburg City project: we have provided additional measures for drainage and drainage of the site, performed insolation calculations, changed the architecture of the gastromall building, and we are planning a meeting with representatives of youth and students in September, because they will be the main users of urban spaces in 10 years. Anyone can leave their opinion about Yekaterinburg City at the UMMC-Builder stand as part of the 100+ Technobuild construction forum.

— How do you assess the construction potential of Yekaterinburg?

— Yekaterinburg is a wonderful city with its own history and distinctive architecture. In recent years, there has been a severe shortage of free space in the capital of the Urals, which forces developers to take care of the territory of the central districts. For several years now, a project has been underway within the Ural capital to move industrial sites outside the city, and there are fewer and fewer such facilities. The developer is forced to expand his horizons, showing interest in the outskirts. Maximizing the development of space, a comfortable and thoughtful ecosystem is what developers are striving for now.  

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In 2017, the company combined the construction of development projects under the UMMC-Builder brand. At the moment, three residential complexes are under construction in Yekaterinburg: "Makarovsky" – the project was recognized as the best in Russia by the ERZ portal in January 2021. The Izumrudny Bor residential district is located in the north of Yekaterinburg (one of the top 20 residential complexes in the region) and the Nagorny residential district, which is also one of the top 5 residential complexes in the region according to the portal. UMMC-Builder has entered the top three best developers in the country with the highest consumer qualities of facilities, according to the rating of the federal portal ERZ.RF.