Oktyabrskaya Kaliningrad, Russia

Oktyabrskaya is a major urban development adjacent to Central Park in Kaliningrad, Russia . The project is part of the legacy to develop the area after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. ABA have contributed public realm and typology proposals to create a new city block overlooking the park, teeming with life and activity.

The development site is a high-density urban quarter consisting of residential courtyard blocks with 5 to 9 floors and commercial double and single height ground floors. Their frontages onto the central park are conceived as ‘palazzos’ with more or less symmetrical massing which define a strong edge to the park. Strategically located towers with up to 20 floors provide spatial accents at the main square and at the transport hub at the entrance to the site.

Residential blocks include retail facilities and business infrastructure, located within walking distance for the district residents, and priority is given to pedestrians. The buildings’ ground floors have active street frontages with façade zones that can be used for café terraces and wide sidewalks designed for intensive foot traffic. Most cars will be parked in the single storey podiums of the courtyard blocks. On street parking is located along the side streets, primary streets and in the shared space along the central park.