Project
Vittorio Grassi Architects
Client
Olonkholand Foundation
Period
2014 Design Competition Shortlist
2014 Design Competition Second Phase
2015 Preliminary Design
Result
1st prize
Gross Floor Area
183,600 sqm
Site Area
500,000 sqm
Engineering
Yakutagropromproekt OAO
Local Support
Mosdevelopment LLC
In 2005, UNESCO declared the Olonkho epic—the heroic saga of Yakutia—a World Heritage masterpiece, recognizing its universal cultural value. In 2014, in Yakutsk, Eastern Siberia, the Ministry of Culture launched an international competition for the development of one of the most significant international masterplans, aimed at creating a cultural center and a public park dedicated to this national hero, as well as a system of mixed-use activities distributed across a strategic site in the heart of the city. The project stems from the experience of a team of architects who are winners of international competitions, with integrated expertise in urban design and territorial planning.
The main concept of the winning project consists of positioning the Olonkho International Center in the northern part of the site, facing Lake Saisar, between Oyunskogo Street and the Tyoploe Canal. The OIC represents the iconic building of the masterplan and is conceived as an example of institutional architecture dedicated to culture, with a maximum height of 60 meters, balanced by the presence of the new linear park along the canal embankment.
The lake embankments constitute a key element of the complex and become an integral part of the project, providing visitors with direct and natural access to the waterfront from the park side. The route toward the water is conceived as both a functional and cultural experience: a focal point and a fundamental node along the tourist itinerary that connects the Olonkho International Center to the broader urban system.
The park takes on the role of a connective fabric among all the new functions and buildings, becoming an open-air narrative space where the symbolic continuation of the Olonkho story unfolds through signs, elements, and references to Yakut tradition. The intervention thus expresses a dialogue between architecture, art, and heritage, integrating landscape, culture, and public space.
All other functions are located along Avtodorozhnaya Street, where consolidated urban infrastructure is already present, following a new setback road designed as a taut arc. This choice strengthens the coherence of territorial planning and ensures a balanced integration between the new architecture and the existing city, confirming the project as one of the most representative contemporary examples of international masterplans developed through competition processes.
