Viktor Tarasenko, PROGRESS: "Just square meters is no longer enough. The modern inhabitant wants more"

PROGRESS is known in the development community for its author's approach to the formation of large-scale park areas inside residential areas. For example, the territory of the Amundsen residential complex is equal to the area of four football fields, and the landscape of the courtyard repeats the natural one, with recreated hills and slopes as high as a three-story house. Viktor Tarasenko, President and founder of PROGRESS, shares why the company chose this particular approach to the product.

– How did the decision to build large-scale landscaping in your residential areas come about?

– I came to development from professional football, as they say, from scratch. I didn't have the stereotypes of "how it's done" and "how everyone has been doing for a long time," so I immediately looked at the product from the consumer's point of view: what is effective right now, in our time. The existing projects in our city allowed us to cover only the basic needs of the resident. But in modern realities, just square meters is no longer enough. And we decided that we could use our projects to create a different quality of life, raise the bar for people to live more comfortably. The first project with large–scale landscaping was the Atmosphere residential complex in Astrakhan, our second headliner is the Amundsen residential complex in Yekaterinburg. Later, this concept was applied to the more accessible range of our PROLIFE projects, already in an adapted version.

– Can you tell us in more detail what it means to change a person's quality of life?

– You know, earlier on vacation, I often noticed that people behave differently in certain spaces. For example, when the level of the hotel is high, the people here are super polite, there is no aggression, and everything is clean. And it seems that the people are the same, and even the building materials are the same, but for some reason everything feels different.
Space seriously affects our thinking, our behavior scenario, and the culture of our society in general. When you're walking down the street, for example, and there's no trash can for five kilometers, you'll have to throw the trash somewhere. And if you also see that everything is scattered, then it's easier to adopt a similar position. Therefore, at the stage of project formation, we put into it a certain scenario and lifestyle with which a person will live inside this project.

For example, in the lobby of the Amundsen residential complex we have a grand piano with live music, downstairs there is a game room for teenagers, and for moms there is an opportunity to send the baby to the nursery under the supervision of a babysitter. There are 17 different play and recreation areas in the courtyard, including a zip line and a winter skating rink.

Moreover, a person may not even know what he wants and how it can be realized. That's why we try to anticipate expectations. For example, Ural residents will be able to live in a residential area where there will be a series of water bodies and a man-made river. With such solutions, we create a modern lifestyle and, as a result, improve the culture of society. And the more projects we build, the more opportunities there will be for this.

– Do you think the average citizen is ready for such projects? Or is the price still the more decisive factor?

– The price certainly matters. However, human needs are growing, and I believe that several parameters affect decision-making at once. The first is the quality of the product and the location. The second is the quality of marketing, as far as you are able to promote the project. And the third thing is the price. Our position regarding prices is to keep them at the level that the economics of the project allow us to implement a cool project. Therefore, we have never lowered prices in 12 years. And our projects are chosen not for the cost, but rather for the quality of life that the client receives.  

– Do you plan to build similar projects in other cities besides Yekaterinburg and Astrakhan?

– After a big breakthrough last year and a record number of new projects for us, this year we have adopted a strategy of stabilization and systematic growth. Our company has grown significantly in terms of construction volumes, and now we are focusing on the effectiveness of existing projects and building systems for a new scale. Moreover, the cooled market now allows this to be done. And then, in the future, of course, it would be interesting for us to enter new regions, we are considering such an opportunity.

– Will the participants of the forum and the 100+ exhibition be able to get acquainted with your projects?

– Yes, this year we are acting as 100+ partners and have equipped our stand with performance elements. Each participant will be able to get to know the Progress company at the sensory level: multimedia space, contact bar, relax zone. You will be able to hear the voices of our projects and get advice from daring experts. From October 1 to October 4, we are waiting for all participants at our booth at the Yekaterinburg-Expo International Exhibition Center, Pavilion No. 1. The landmark is a soaring red duck.