Stepanov Park

Stepanov Park is one of the most important spaces for social gathering in Ivanovo, Russia and certainly its most active park. Once a buzzing, vibrant stage for recreation in green, the park no longer fulfil the needs of the contemporary city. Wilderness has overgrown spaces for activity and the large distances between active zones make it difficult to understand where the park stops and nature begins. The identity of the park has been diluted and partly destroyed.  Karres en Brands was asked to make a masterplan to bring new life into the park and at the same time respect the, sometimes spontaneous emerged, new nature.  

Our proposal is based on the idea of concentrating the public program in the park in order to maximize the potential of a cultural hub for the city as well as protect the new natural ecosystem of the park. We make a clear distinction between an active park, including connecting corridors and the ecological forest. A park in a forest!

The active corridor is dimensioned in such a way to ensure that it is perfectly tailored to host the sport activities so much needed. Through its length, it connects the main entrance of the park to the waterfront. The corridor cuts through the site and exposes its dramatic topography. It becomes a unique feature of the park, incorporating sports fields, tribunes, viewing platforms and provides access to the water. The entrance area is a flexible open square. It will serve as a place for a viewing platform which will be kick-started by the FIFA 2018. Sports fields, promenade, small park squares or larger amphitheaters are all concentrated along the active corridor, culminating in the swimming facility on the waterfront.

A forest corridor is a connection between the western entrance of the park and the waterfront. Along its paths is space for more calm and passive recreation, respecting the qualities of the forest. The old asylum is transformed into a small performance stage with a watchtower. Located at the highest point of the park it provides beautiful views across the river.

By concentrating the program in these two corridors we keep the forest almost untouched and the impact on the natural system as small as possible. Here the nature is licensed to take over. To stimulate ecology and a dynamic experience, the dense forest will be cleared up in some places into open meadows. The visitor can experience them through a system of small natural trails. They intertwine the park and link with both corridors. These nature trails will be a unique natural experience at the heart of Ivanovo.