Ukrainian project a LILA 2022 winner — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

A Ukrainian project, Kotsiuba’s UNIT.City near the centre of Kyiv, won the Landezine International Landscape Award (LILA) 2022 award in Campuses and Corporate.

Created for the UDP Development Company, the 1.3 hectare site aims to attract and develop the IT community. It is located in a former industrial zone on the territory of the old Kyiv Motorcycle Factory, which operated from 1945 until the 2000s, but left an abandoned area that negatively impacted the district when it closed.

The challenge for Kotsiuba was to create, “a central plaza — the heart of 'UNIT.City'. It should become a cozy place for everyday use, which will have many use case scenarios over the year.

To create an infrastructure for daily work and rest. To display the industrial past of the territory and combine its character with modern technologies.”

They have responded by turning the space into a lawn, auditorium, and densely planted forest near a plaza. It creates a natural ecosystem and uses modern landscaping to demonstrate the historically industrial character of its location, and can be transformed for use in different scenarios.

Kotsiuba describe it as a, “holistic system that combines several different-scaled territories.”

There is a contrast between the densely planted forest and open empty space. Sheathed sheets of stainless steel forming a support wall near the green zone will visually extend the depth of the forest.

Sustainable plants that require minimal care have been selected to create a natural ecosystem, and four large wooden benches feature in the central part of the forest.

Orange clinker bricks and Corten steel inserts for pavement have been used as symbols of the industrial past of the site, and a steam pipe that used to serve the needs of the factory has been turned into an art object.

Lighting is projected in the form of motorcycle wheels from a ‘Dnipro’ which was manufactured in the former motorcycle factory.

Green construction standards were taken into consideration in order to obtain a LEED certification.

The LILA jury says the project, “offers a rich experience for the IT community on the campus. It responds to the blend of the post-industrial and corporate character of the site by the subtle play of pavement and establishing garden-like ambiences. There are two main open areas for events that reflect the urban scale of the project. A thick woodland band that includes playgrounds and sports areas buffers the campus space from a busy road. The uncluttered detailing provides an open and flowing space and contrasts with the articulated and diverse facades of the buildings.”