Akademia City, the largest development project in Russia and Europe, proves the efficiency of integrated urban development in Russia.

Moscow. July 14. INTERFAX-REAL ESTATE – A residential district in Yekaterinburg, the third Russian metropolis after Moscow and St. Petersburg, is being developed at the very heart of the Ural Region. Gigantic development is being continued without interruptions or delays despite the crisis. A unique concept, strict supervision and record-breaking investments have brought RENOVA StroyGroup and local residents 136 sq.m. of housing, with another 125 sq.m. under way.

The largest construction project in Russia and Europe is developed 20 minutes away from Yekaterinburg downtown. On the way from the Koltsovo airport, a Muscovite being in Yekaterinburg for the first time may think he is not in the land of minerals and precious stones, but on the Kashirskoye highway in Moscow vicinity. The road quality is equal to that of the Third Ring Road. The only confusing thing is road signs indicating Perm and Chelyabinsk instead of Kaluga and Tula.

The first residential blocks look well-furnished. Only the first floors of stylobates are empty, intended for hairdressing salons, stores and banks. With daily inspections and visits of foreign delegations for “exchange of experience” and government officials, new residents have developed an immunity to publicity. Children almost professionally pose for cameras. Adults do not pay any attention to regular guests from Moscow. A businesslike father is discussing with workers the interior finish of his apartment (additional work is usually done upon residents’ request, with all apartments being fitted out). New mothers are taking walks around a new children’s playground with tower cranes in the background.

“People are happy to have moved in here. Most of them had to live in less than comfortable conditions”, says a PR manager of Akademia City. Most people buying apartments in this district have previously sold their old apartments in Yekaterinburg. Usually prior to purchasing an apartment in Akademia City people sell their often rundown housing, and due to the same price per square meter in old districts of the former Sverdlovsk and in Akademia City, they can afford new apartments of the same size. It is easy to imagine the feelings of service men and their families who have been moving all around the country and now have apartments in this community. Most apartments in the new district were purchased by the state for military servicemen and their families.

Mr. Anatoly Gredin, Chairman of the Sverdlovsk Region Government, says that last fall Renova StroyGroup-Akademicheskoye sold to the Ministry of Defense 716 apartments (50 thousand sq.m.) for 1.5 billion rubles.

Mr. Gredin proudly tells that 40 billion rubles have been invested in this mega-project by Renova StroyGroup with loans from Sberbank and its own funds. The region has made its contribution as well.
Mr. Yevgeny Kharlamov, the Sverdlovsk Region Government Spokesman, says that housing is developed on 1.3 thousand hectares purchased by the investor. The community will have 325 thousand residents. The construction is scheduled to be completed by 2025 with total investments of $17 billion.

Over 13 million sq.m. of real estate is expected to be developed (9 mln. sq.m. of residential real estate and 4.2 mln. sq.m. of social and commercial real estate) including a retail and entertainment center, a business center, a congress hall, medical facilities, a logistic center, roads and a high speed tram line.

Normal life close to a construction site first seems impossible. Thousands of workers may in steal from new residents. However even the possibility of crime in the community is quite remote. Security is protected by a special video surveillance center with hundreds of surveillance cameras and security personnel. To illustrate the efficiency of Akademia City security system, one example will suffice. At the residents’ request (usually women) surveillance cameras high above the ground can monitor people for several kilometers outside of the community. The security personnel promptly react in case of any danger.
They already helped to return a purse stolen by a taxi driver and prevented a theft of a painting from a hall. Surveillance cameras are installed everywhere but only with the residents’ consent.

“With many mothers and children here, such security measures are a necessity”, says a security guard of Akademia City video surveillance center. According to him, there will be four video surveillance centers. The technology is developed in Russia and surpasses its western equivalents in price and quality.

The security system is not the only technological innovation in Akademia City. It can also boast of a utility system with significant electricity and water savings (up to 32% from the average in Yekaterinburg). Residents can independently control heating in their apartments in the cold season.

Energy efficiency and ecological friendliness are essential aspects of the development.

The concept developed by Valode & Pistre architects provides for significant landscaping. The development is located between two forests around the central park with the Patrushikha River and a dense network of channels and green areas. The engineering system for the project was developed by ARUP.

The housing density within 15 years of construction will reduce from the central park with 25-storey hi-rises to detached homes in the south of the site. It makes the project unique and varied regarding architectural forms.

Driving around Yekaterinburg, one cannot help admiring its eclectic style. Sometimes it may seem that you see the Neva embankment. Next moment you are in a southern street in the Crimea, and in another instant you are admiring a northern Russian village with seemingly archangelic architecture. In many parts of the city modern glass hi-rises are springing up. Among this variety Akademia City offers a quiet place for peaceful life.