Member Article

Manchester's BDP masterplans Minsk World from former airport site

The Manchester Studio of BDP, a major international, interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists, is to transform the site of Minsk Aiport in Belarus into a new international district named Minsk World.

Minsk World could be home to 35,000 residents and 25,000 workers, containing 14,000 new homes, 305,000 m2 of office space and 150,000 m2 of retail space.

The project includes:

• Metropolitan Park – the project’s green heart and one of the key connections between the existing city and the future one.
• Central Spine – an urban waterscape that runs north to south across the centre of the site that provides a setting for major new city destinations at either end – an International Financial District (IFC) and a global retail mall to the north and a leisure park and exhibition centre to the south.
• Urban Districts – residential, mixed use and leisure districts could be developed to be integrated with the rest of the city, and help to create the ideal conditions for future redevelopments of many of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

BDP’s urban strategy aims to deliver economic growth by creating a second dynamic urban core complementing the uses and activities in the city centre and to deliver environmentally responsible development, extending the city’s system of parks and open spaces and promoting the highest standards of sustainable design.

It also delivers wider infrastructure capacity through improvements in connectivity with the city centre, international airport and surrounding districts, and could deliver growth through careful integration with adjacent districts, facilitating wider regenerations beyond is boundaries.

Francis Glare, BDP’s head of urbanism, said: “Minsk World is envisaged as an urban catalyst that will not only create a new destination in the city and a place where people will aspire to live and work, but also become a venue for Minsk’s civic, cultural and social life.

“By integrating a regular urban grid with a more organic structure, the masterplan will be flexible enough to adapt to changes in its future development whilst defining recognisable spaces in the city. The use of multiple building typologies and open spaces will create a truly contemporary piece of the city, incorporating sustainable principles and an efficient public transport network.”

BDP practice Chairman David Cash, also based at the Manchester studio, says: “BDP shares the Manchester city region’s internationalising agenda to export Manchester expertise and services. BDP’s work in abroad reinforces Manchester’s position as an international hub for design and construction sector services and grows the Manchester brand abroad.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graham Vincent .