Kazan will host Kazanysh International Architecture and Construction Forum on December 5-7
The Forum is being organized in advance of the BRICS countries Summit and will be so high-level for the first time. Speakers from 20 countries which are primarily the participants and the candidates for participation in BRICS (India, China, Argentina, Egypt, UAE, KSA and others) are expected at the Forum. The main topic will be the development of cities and the search for a required balance between the active international co-operation and the preservation of the identity of each unique region.
In 2024, Russia will assume the chairmanship of the BRICS association and Kazan will host the BRICS countries Summit the next October. The motto of our chairmanship is "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security". The theme of International Architecture and Construction Forumwhich ispreceding the Summit grows directly out of this attitude: in the architectural world versatility is revealed in local identity among other things.
The choice of the site for the Forum is also fitting: the event will be held in the modernist theater named after Galiasgar Kamal which is both the personification of the culture of Tatarstan and at the same time is an example of modern creative co-operation between different countries. A new building upon the project which won a high-profile competition and was developed by an international architectural consortium of well-known bureaus is being built now next to the historical theater.
Experts with a worldwide reputation are expected at the Forum.Demas Nwoko, an architect and artist from Nigeria & the winner of the Golden Lion of Venice Architecture Biennale-2023, and Olalekan Jeyifous, an American artist of Nigerian origin, the researcher of relations between architecture, history and society & the winner of the Silver Lion, were invited to discuss the problems and issues of preserving identity. Ali Pusat, thecurator and manager ofGalataport project, will narrate about this successful case which has reshaped the embankment in Istanbul.
Architects of leading Russian bureaus including Wowhaus, AB Rozhdestvenka, ASADOV, Ostozhenka, Atrium, UNK, Meganom, DNK ag, Studio 44, Totan, T+T architects, Megabudka, WALL, Osetskaya.Salov, GORA, Nowadays, Khvoya, Archdesant are expected among the experts on the main sessions of the Forum.
"Identity is not only about the "cultural" code, but to a greater extent it’s also about character, about achieving results. This year we’re expecting a new reading of the topic and hope that the results of the Forum will form the basis of a constructive dialogue for many years to come," explained Ilsiyar Tukhvatullina, the Chief architect of Kazan.
Tatarstan is the owner of an unique cultural code and the successor of centuries-long traditions. The evidence of this can be seen in absolutely different fields: in architecture, art, literature and even in household items related to the history of the city. That is why the reception of works for participation in the eponymous exhibition starts in advance of the Forum. Everyone has the opportunity not only to share knowledge and experience, but also to multiply all this creating a basis for generations to come. This is a "cultural" reserve for the future, a story that will be inscribed on the pages of the "identity" book.
"The works of the exhibition stand in good stead for any architect and designer who is going to work in Kazan. The expert commission of architects, historians, cultural figures, local lore specialists will work with the materials received, and the selected works will be transferred for arranging of the exhibition space in Kamal Theater," said Alexey Gorbunov, Director of Kazan City Development Institute.
The topics of the forum's discussions and speeches will reflect the most pressing matters of modern architecture and urban development. For example, the organizers of the Forum has reacted to such a significant event for the country as a whole and Tatarstan in particular as the opening of the M12 federal highway which connects Moscow and Kazan. This highway will become a part of the project of the international transport corridor "EuropeWestern China" once again emphasizing the role of Kazan as the bridge between the East and the West. The new highway is already notably changing the life of the cities located next to it.We will invite the chief architects and mayors of cities to discuss in what way the road is doing it and by what means people can take advantage of new opportunities during the session "Bridge Between the East and the West. How Does Transport Infrastructure Affect the Development of Cities".
Another track of the international Forum is dedicated to social and cultural and recreational resources in a sustainable city: megacities are ever more often and more actively taking to the water – literally. These are special territories and they need a special approach. International companies and teams that have developed major investment projects for waterfronts are invited to the Forum. They will take part in the session "Waterfront: Planning Features & Economic Potential in the Formation of New Traditions". But it is necessary to create and develop water infrastructure, to develop a community of like-minded people, to integrate new opportunities into the habitual life of citizens for full synergy with the city.
Cultural and religious buildings play an important role in creating and supporting local identity. This is the very layer of architectural projects that requires the most thoughtful and precise work. Experts from different regions of Russia and countries of the world have been invited to talk about how religious and cultural objects are becoming a space of architectural experiments today and about new hybrid types of social and cultural centers in the course of the session "Architecture of Meanings and Images". Among others is "Tsimailo, Lyashenko and partners" bureau which is the author of the most discussed new project in Kazan – a mosque on the water.
The session "Urban Ecological Framework as a Basis For Sustainable Urban Development" will be another topic of the Forum. Landscape architect, urban planner Maria Boe (Singapore), Professor of Architecture and Urban Theories, member of the Board of ISOCARP Alrauf Ali (Qatar), Director of CLOU Architects (China) Lin Li and others will take part in this session.
Architects, urban planners and managers in the field of creative industries will discuss redevelopment and creative practices of changing empty urban spaces. Architectural experiments are being transferred to completely new territories, giving new life to warehouses, factories, markets, garages and thermal power plants.
The forum participants will also focus on the use of neural networks, artificial intelligence and immersive Internet technology in the work of architects. The audience will see the projects of the First Architectural Biennale in the Presence of the future metaverse.
In addition, architects will bring up the topics of a city for children and elderly people, issues of inclusion, health-saving and health-stimulating technologies in the urban environment within the framework of the Forum. They will also learn how the city develops infrastructure and projects for children. Field tours will take place as a part of the Forum: the results of workshops of the Open City Festival will be presented in Kazan.
More than 7000 participants are expected at the Forum.