A New Real Estate Format for the Arctic. Young Architects Propose Their Vision for Housing, Public Spaces and Tourist Infrastructure in Chukotka

Students from one of Russia’s leading architectural universities are taking part in the “Arctic. Reboot” competition, aimed at creating a new quality of living environment in Anadyr. A dedicated track has been organized for students of the Moscow Architectural Institute, allowing them to personally present their projects to experts and receive professional feedback. In this way, educational goals are combined with the search for fresh ideas for the development of Chukotka.

The official partner of the track “Conceptual Design Proposals for Mid-Rise Development, the Formation of an Ethno-Complex, and Urban Environment Development” is the International Urban Planning Laboratory “CENTER Lab,” which actively supports educational initiatives. The company’s experts evaluated the final proposals and participated in the project reviews. In addition, the Laboratory’s study “Public Spaces of Northern Cities” has been included on the competition website as an analytical resource. Co-founder and CEO of “CENTER Lab” Ketevan Khelaia believes that both the competition and its student track can drive meaningful positive change.

“The competition has the potential to reshape the framework of thinking. Participants can propose bold architectural solutions aimed at the future development of the Arctic and the Far East. This will allow cities in challenging climatic conditions to adopt new approaches and create environments worthy of the people who live, work and contribute to strengthening Russia’s cultural identity,” she noted.

The open competition for the development of an architectural concept for the territory of the Anadyr urban district of the Chukotka Autonomous Area (“Arctic. Reboot”), focused on new formats of modern housing, public spaces, and tourist attractions, was launched in February with the support of the regional government and city administration.

“Chukotka is a strategic outpost of Russia, and for us it is crucial to attract talented professionals and create conditions that encourage them to stay. Living and working in such harsh conditions requires the highest level of comfort. Using Anadyr as an example, we aim to show how expert experience, the energy of young professionals, and the creative potential of the professional community can be brought together. The result should be the emergence of a modern, technologically advanced Arctic city,” said Andrey Skrylev, CEO of the competition’s organizing company “North — Regional Development.”

As noted by the initiator of the student track, PhD in Architecture and head of the “Arctida” studio at the Department of Urban Planning at MARCHI, Elena Chaika,
“The organizers enthusiastically supported student participation. For them, it is an opportunity to step into the real world of professional architecture and receive much-needed feedback. Educating the next generation of professionals is one of our shared goals. The Arctic is a territory of the future, so it is essential that the authors of forward-looking projects clearly understand these territories and how to work with them.”

In total, 12 projects were submitted by 16 MARCHI students (some formed teams). These include architectural concepts for public spaces, residential complexes, tourist facilities, and even entire districts adapted to Arctic conditions and reflecting the culture of the Indigenous peoples of Chukotka.

The competition results will be announced on April 1. Updates can be followed on the official website: arctic-arch.ru/

Photo: LLC “CENTER LAB”