Green space and a zone for growing vegetables: the French architect presented the project of a square in Mykolaiv

French architect Martin Duplantier together with a team of architects presented the concept of reconstruction of «Yekaterynynskyy Square» in the center of Mykolaiv. Specialists plan to arrange a space for family recreation — playgrounds, a skate park, an amphitheater, a dry fountain and places for growing vegetables, fruits or greens.

Details of the project were discussed during a zoom discussion with representatives of Mykolaiv City Council, «NikVesti» writes.

French architect Martin Duplantier learned about Mykolaiv last year. He was impressed by the favorable geographical position of the city.

— This project is an attempt for us to interact more with Mykolaiv, with its historical heritage and to help such reactionary spaces that were built in the 60s and 70s of the last century to change, to acquire a certain quality that a modern city requires, — he said architect.

Yekaterynynskyy Square is located along Heroes of Ukraine Avenue in the central part of the city and is near residential buildings No.17,19. Talking about the concept of the reconstruction of the square, one of the team members of the French specialist, working architect Andriy Shtendera expressed his opinion about the need to change the name of the square, although he assures that the issue needs to be discussed with the people of Mykolaiv.

— I want to say a few words about the name of the square «Yekaterynynskyy». In the conditions of Russia's war with Ukraine, the question of national and local identity occupies an active place in the formation of citizens' consciousness, therefore the name of the square «Yekaterynynskyy» is a descendant of the colonial past, which does not correspond to the current state of affairs. It seems to us that it is necessary to change the name of this square and involve the community so that it can choose what this square can be called, — commented Andrii Shtendera.

According to specialists, a safe and functional space for family recreation can be arranged on a fairly large and spacious area. The plans include the construction of bike paths, various playgrounds for different age groups, as well as a skate park for children of primary and secondary school age. At the same time, organize noise insulation for the comfort of residents of neighboring buildings.

— Yekaterininsky Square is located near Peremohy Park in a fairly active area where there are supermarkets, schools nearby, as well as the opportunity to get direct access to the park. Near the square there is a large zone of noise pollution in the form of a large road, but the square partially performs the function of noise absorption. Our attention was also drawn to the fact that a large part of the square, except for the transit zone, practically does not fulfill its functions. We want to create a safer space for family recreation, these should be playgrounds for different age groups. We also plan to build a dry fountain, a skate park and an amphitheater. This square still has to fulfill the function of protecting the privacy of the residents of the building bordering this square, namely maintaining protection against noise, providing a transparent environment and ensuring normal lighting. It is also possible to install a police call button on the territory of the square, — Andrii Shtendera reported.

As for the greening of the square, it is planned to plant new trees and plants that are attractive to the south of Ukraine to increase the green area of the square. A system of ravines will also be created, which will be planted with wildflowers, which will help collect water for watering trees and caring for plants. Another zone can be the arrangement of so-called farms for growing fruits and vegetables.

— We want to equip this park with plants that are native to the south of Ukraine and the Mykolaiv region. It was also important for us during the design to preserve the existing trees. We also envisioned a system of ravines that will be planted with wildflowers. These ravines are necessary to collect water from the bike path and at the same time use it for watering trees. It would also be great to provide space here in the form of vertical farms so that the residents of this neighborhood could grow their own fruits and vegetables, — said Andrii Shtendera.

The chief architect of Mykolaiv Yevhen Polyakov said that despite the fact that the square is a local area in our city, people will need the transformation of such areas.

— Such works should not be carried out at the expense of the city budget. Now we are cooperating with the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, we will cooperate on issues of transformation of other public spaces, — he said.

Fedir Panchenko, a representative of the residents of the territory of the «Pivnichnyy» microdistrict, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council, emphasized that the renewal of the square was a long-standing goal of local residents, and now the task is to make it as modern and functional as possible.

— Back in 2020, the residents of the «Pivnichnyy» microdistrict wanted to update the «Yekaterynynskyy» square, so we applied for the «Public Budget» competition and then won the first funding for the update of this square. We planned to start renovation work in 2021, but all the designer could offer was to replace the asphalt with tiles, level the curbs, and that was probably all. Understanding that such reconstruction is done once every several decades, we could not use such a chance to improve the square a little cosmetically. Therefore, on behalf of the residents, we said that we are not satisfied with this design, we submitted a number of proposals, but it was too complex a project for the designer. In 2023, the mayor of Mykolaiv and the French architect Martin Duplantier signed a memorandum and he agreed to design this square for us. What I saw only at the beginning of his work, their design approach is a completely different level. No money was spent on this project from the city budget. Now our task is to make a complete vision and design of what the square will look like, so that when the funding for this project is due, we have everything ready and we don't waste time on preparation, but start working immediately, — said the deputy.

It should be noted that the intermediate stage of the specialists' work has been presented so far. In addition, project work on the development of the concept of space is carried out without the involvement of budget funds.

It was previously reported that about 45 million hryvnias are needed to complete repair work on «Mykolaivskyy Square» and the children's sports and playground on the territory of the park on Khersonske Shosse Street.

It was also reported that a resident of Mykolaiv complained about the neglected state of the alley along Lyagina Street, which is located near the «Kazka» children's town in the Central district of the city.