When will the "Crystal Island" appear in Moscow?

"Crystal Island" is a cultural and business center that was to be built in the capital. His project was designed by British architect Norman Foster. It was supposed that he would appear in the Nagatinskaya floodplain. The center was supposed to open its doors in 2014.

What was the "Crystal Island" supposed to be?

"Crystal Island" was supposed to be a huge skyscraper not less than 450 meters high. The total area of the internal premises under the project is about two and a half million square meters. Thus, this building was to become the most capacious in the world.

It was one of the most ambitious projects of business centers not only in Russia, but also on the whole planet. The cost of construction was about four billion dollars. The main investor who was going to build the "Crystal Island" was Shalva Chigirinsky. He is the head of Russian Land.

Who is Shalva Chigirinsky?

Shalva Chigirinsky is a well-known domestic businessman of Georgian origin. He was born in Kutaisi in 1949. He graduated from the Moscow State Medical Institute named after Sechenov. He planned to become a doctor.

His life changed dramatically after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He went into business. In 1989 he founded his first company, which was engaged in realtor activity. He worked in Spain and Germany. Realized projects for the construction and reconstruction of real estate throughout Europe with their subsequent resale. In particular, he was engaged in the restoration of architectural monuments in Moscow.

In 1997, Shalva Chigirinsky headed the board of directors of the company "ST Group". Since then, he has led major projects for the construction of business real estate mainly in Moscow. In the early 2000s he received a share in the Russian oil business.

In 2004, his new firm, ST Development, entered the market. It was she who won the contest for the reconstruction of the hotel "Russia" in Moscow. The cost of its project amounted to almost one billion dollars. Later, the results of the competition were declared invalid.

The state of Chigirinsky, according to experts, is estimated at two and a half billion dollars. The key projects he directed were the construction of the business district "Moscow City", the skyscraper "Crystal" in Khanty-Mansiysk. Among the projects was the "Crystal Island" in Moscow.

In 2009, Chigirinsky had serious problems. The London court arrested his property on the suit of the Russian bank VTB. At the time of the trial, the court limited his expenses to 25 thousand pounds sterling a week, not counting the services of lawyers.

It did not manage to finance the project "Crystal Island".

Technical characteristics of the business center

The estimated height of the skyscraper was 450 meters. In this case, all the so-called useful areas of the building were to be located below 150 meters. At an altitude of 300 meters, an observation deck was planned.

"Crystal Island" in southern Moscow was supposed to represent a cone with a concave lateral surface. At the base the diameter of the building is about 700 meters.

The grid, located diagonally, with cells in the form of rhombuses on the facade of the building, as well as the shape of the structure in the form of hyperboloid, brought together a skyscraper with the Shukhov television tower, built in 1929.

Town in the city

"Crystal Island" in the Nagatinskaya flood plain was planned as a city in the city. The skyscraper was supposed to contain rooms of all kinds of destinations.

Only about 800 thousand square meters was intended for the organization of cultural events. Another 300 thousand square meters - under the numbers of hotels and hotels of different star level. In total there were to appear about three thousand numbers.

On 250 thousand square meters it was planned to open shopping and entertainment centers and complexes. Another 250 thousand square meters - only for sports complexes (gyms and fitness centers).

Huge underground parking for more than 400 thousand square meters. The building was to accommodate and living quarters. Almost a thousand apartments of elite class, as well as an elite school with a slant in foreign languages for half a thousand students.

Infrastructure

This skyscraper required a separate impressive infrastructure. The designers planned that "Crystal Island", a photo of which at one time adorned all architectural magazines, will be basically supplied with resources due to modern technologies.

So, part of the electricity was expected to be received from solar panels located on the roof of the building and wind generators. Care for the environment was also an important part of this project. Also for the skyscraper was developed a system of natural ventilation.

On the outskirts of Moscow, next to the business center "Crystal Island", there was to be a subway station. A new stop could have appeared on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line, between the stations of Avtozavodskaya and Kolomenskaya.

History of the project

"Crystal Island" in Moscow will be built by 2014 - such terms were planned after the project was approved by members of the Public Council under the mayor of the capital Yuri Luzhkov.

The decision was made almost unanimously. The only opponent of the construction of a modern business center was Alexei Klimenko. At that time he served as vice-president of the Academy of Art Criticism. Klimenko compared the architectural design with the Buddhist stupa, noting that this style contradicts the appearance of the European city in the capital. And the nearby former royal residence Kolomenskoye, in his opinion, could significantly suffer from the "Crystal Island".

In addition, Nagatinskaya floodplain, where a skyscraper was to appear, was already considered a dangerous area of the capital from the point of view of ecology.

The project invested money exactly until 2010, before the resignation of the capital's mayor Yuri Luzhkov. After he left office, the project was frozen. In addition, serious financial and legal problems have arisen and the main investor of the "Crystal Island" Shalva Chigirinsky.

Project Architect

The answer to the question of when the Crystal Island will be built in Moscow was best known to the chief architect of the project, Briton Norman Foster. A native of Manchester, a native of the working family, he graduated from the architectural school of Yale University in the United States. Together with Richard Rogers is considered one of the founders of the high-tech style. This style was largely based on the buildings created by the Soviet architect Vladimir Shukhov (including the famous television tower in Moscow).

Shukhov for Foster was an idol. In most of his buildings, he used mesh shells so beloved by Shukhov. They also planned to use when building the "Crystal Island".

Among the most famous works of Foster - the Mary-Ex skyscraper in London, the Faculty of Law of Cambridge University, the Bilbao metro in Spain, the Commerzbank Tower in Germany, the international airport in Hong Kong, the exhibition hall in Singapore.

Actively he worked in the territory of the former USSR. In Kazakhstan, he erected the Baiterek monument, the Palace of Peace and Harmony and the shopping and entertainment center Khan-Shatyr. In Russia he worked on the project of the tower "Russia", in St. Petersburg he developed the shopping complex "Apraksin Dvor".

Nagatinskaya floodplain

Shopping center "Crystal Island" was to appear in the Nagatinskaya floodplain. This is a recreational area in the south of the capital. It also has another name - "Park named after the 60th anniversary of October".

Currently the park is in neglected condition. There are no attractions, no other entertainment for the city. The only thing that attracts Nagatinskaya floodplain is an opportunity to take walks in the fresh air. The entrance to the park is free.

Residents of nearby microdistricts are against attempts to build a park, which are regularly undertaken by the Moscow mayor's office. It was planned to arrange the racing track "Formula 1", as well as leisure and entertainment center with a yacht club, hotels and golf courses.

Recently Nagatinskaya floodplain is a part of the Moscow park of culture and recreation "Kuzminki".

What will appear on the site of the "Crystal Island"?

After the project of the business center "Crystal Island" was frozen, it was not known for several years if anything appeared in its place. Clarity came in 2014. The new mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, officially announced the construction of a Russian amusement park in the Nagatinskaya floodplain, an analog of Disneyland.

In 2015, the draft plan was approved. It includes zones of attractions, cinemas, theme cafes, children's fairy-tale town, a concert hall, landscaped gardens, a pedestrian embankment, several skating rinks and a yacht school.