Preserving Nature: Results of the Competition for the Best Concept for the Development of Tourism Infrastructure in Oleny Park

Oleny Park is a large-scale ecotourism project in the Lipetsk region that preserves and restores the nature of central Russia. Competition participants presented concepts for territorial development and architectural solutions for park facilities, adhering to principles of restoring and supporting local flora and fauna species.

The competition began with an on-site orientation session on July 28-30 at Oleny Nature Park, attended by seven architectural bureaus. On the first day, participants were given a tour of the park, allowing them to immerse themselves in the unique features of the territory and opportunities for its further development. Architects learned about the site's history, landscape features, and the results of previously conducted flora and fauna studies.

In addition to the tour, master classes and workshops were organized where participants discussed current trends in architecture and landscape architecture, the role of environmental conditions in creating design solutions, and the possibilities of integrating modern technologies into the park development project.

Competition participants were tasked with developing an architectural concept for the development of the Oleny Park territory, where design solutions would be sensitively integrated into the environment to reduce negative impact on nature and create safe zones for observing wild animals. The initiator and organizer of the competition was Elena Latysheva, founder of Vavilovo LLC.

The competition moderator was Oksana Nadykto, Program Director of the Arch Moscow architectural exhibition.
The competition final took place on World Architecture Day at the Buksir contemporary art gallery in Lipetsk. After final presentations of concepts by participants, an expert jury selected 3 projects that, in their opinion, best reflected the possibilities and future of Oleny Park.

2nd place | FANTALIS Architects

"Oleny Park is a unique project for preserving and restoring the nature of central Russia. It's a story of love for nature, for the native land, and for people. In our concept, it was important for us to reflect this harmony with the environment, a careful and eco-friendly attitude towards local flora and fauna, and to create genuine conscious ecotourism. The main hotel infrastructure was developed on the territory: the main hotel building, guest houses with terraces at scenic viewpoints where guests can stay and admire nature, and a five-star wellness center with an outdoor pool. Also, activity zones where visitors can learn about local nature and its features, and spend time with loved ones," said Anna Kulikova, Partner at FANTALIS Architects. "We supplemented the project with the Museum of Nature Conservation building, which is part of the facility's educational mission to protect the park's conservation area. For harmony with the park's steppe landscape, low-rise architecture made from natural materials was chosen, which will not stand out from the surrounding context but, on the contrary, complement it."

The competition results showed a high level of interest and professionalism among participants, maximum involvement in the park's atmosphere, and readiness to implement large-scale projects for the development of the natural park's tourism infrastructure.

Material, including images, provided by Plan the Best agency.
Source: https://www.architime.ru/activity/2024/stat_park_oleni.htm