SKETCH PROJECT FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE JERUSALEM STAIRCASE
TYPE: improvement of urban environment
LOCATION: Russia, Irkutsk region, Irkutsk, Bortsov Revolutsii Street
AREA: 1,3 ha
CUSTOMER: Irkutsk city administration
IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 2017
STATUS: under implementation stage
CUSTOMER: Elena Grigoryeva, Polina Zaslavskaya, Olesya Semina
LOCATION: Russia, Irkutsk region, Irkutsk, Bortsov Revolutsii Street
AREA: 1,3 ha
CUSTOMER: Irkutsk city administration
IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 2017
STATUS: under implementation stage
CUSTOMER: Elena Grigoryeva, Polina Zaslavskaya, Olesya Semina
THE JERUSALEM STAIRCASE — AN ICONIC PLACE IN IRKUTSK
"…the union of wood and stone,
not subject to the flow of water and time,
— is such a semantic richness,
that can give Irkutsk a new symbol"
Mikhail Rozhansky, "Notes on the margins of the Concept".
not subject to the flow of water and time,
— is such a semantic richness,
that can give Irkutsk a new symbol"
Mikhail Rozhansky, "Notes on the margins of the Concept".
THE JERUSALEM STREET leads from the historic center of the city to the Jerusalem Memorial Park.
Podgornaya Square at the foot of the stairs symbolizes the entrance to the wooden city — left to Podgornaya Street and right to Soldier Street. The pond in the center of Podgornaya Square could also have wooden framing elements. The idea of a "wooden fountain" as a kind of Irkutsk uniqueness will be useful for the PR of the large project on Irkutsk blocks renovation as well as for the tourist advertisement of Irkutsk.
Above — the square of the Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem and the entrance to the memorial park. Here is also the Communist Square. The square has long played the role of the main viewpoint of the historic center.
The public space in front of the entrance to the park now combines the restored Church of Entrance to Jerusalem and a memorial "revolutionary" complex with a monument "Fighters of the Revolution," graves and tombstones of the civil war and the Soviet regime of the 20−30s.
The stairs are preserved in their usual dimensions, the steps are brought to the most comfortable and at the same time parade.
In order to provide a barrier-free connection between the upper and lower areas, it is proposed to use a part of the area parallel to the stairs in Bortsov Revolution Street, separating a strip of paving, color, and slightly changing the trajectory and slope if necessary to comply with the regulations. In the lower sections, it is possible to get from the ramp to the intermediate landing of the stairs. The ramp can also serve as a bicycle lane, but priority is given to groups of people with low mobility.
Podgornaya Square at the foot of the stairs symbolizes the entrance to the wooden city — left to Podgornaya Street and right to Soldier Street. The pond in the center of Podgornaya Square could also have wooden framing elements. The idea of a "wooden fountain" as a kind of Irkutsk uniqueness will be useful for the PR of the large project on Irkutsk blocks renovation as well as for the tourist advertisement of Irkutsk.
Above — the square of the Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem and the entrance to the memorial park. Here is also the Communist Square. The square has long played the role of the main viewpoint of the historic center.
The public space in front of the entrance to the park now combines the restored Church of Entrance to Jerusalem and a memorial "revolutionary" complex with a monument "Fighters of the Revolution," graves and tombstones of the civil war and the Soviet regime of the 20−30s.
The stairs are preserved in their usual dimensions, the steps are brought to the most comfortable and at the same time parade.
In order to provide a barrier-free connection between the upper and lower areas, it is proposed to use a part of the area parallel to the stairs in Bortsov Revolution Street, separating a strip of paving, color, and slightly changing the trajectory and slope if necessary to comply with the regulations. In the lower sections, it is possible to get from the ramp to the intermediate landing of the stairs. The ramp can also serve as a bicycle lane, but priority is given to groups of people with low mobility.
The roadway of the "mountainous" section of Bortsov Revolutsii Street is proposed to be paved with paving stones. If necessary, the driveway can be further widened by paving the adjacent berm (the flat area near the slope) with perforated concrete tiles. When working with vertical profiles it is desirable to avoid cutting, to operate underlayment, keeping in mind the peculiarities of the site.
A small parking lot for 5−6 cars is proposed near the square. Outdoor furniture for bicycle parking is installed nearby, as well as near the decks of summer cafes and the pond.
Squares and stairs are supplemented with several large trees, Podgornaya Square — larch to replace the lost one.
The paving of the stairs is done with natural stone, tiles of natural colors, close to the golden color of traditional for Irkutsk sandstone. When approaching the wooden square there are wooden inclusions in paving.
Paving Podgornaya Square is heterogeneous, made of 3−4 types of wood and imitation materials of different shades. The wooden sidewalk continues along Podgornaya Street to the left up to the foot of the Church of the Holy Cross. The bicycle paths continue along Podgornaya Street to the right and left.
The direction of the main axis of the stairs is traced in the paving of both squares, the upper one is the way to the entrance to the memorial park.
It is proposed to introduce a new tradition in the City Day, similar to the laying of wreaths — but this is not the laying of dead artificial flowers, but the ceremony of planting flowers at the foot of the Jerusalem Memorial Park as a sign of gratitude to many generations of Irkut residents. For this purpose, it is proposed to use the renewed flowerbeds in the center of the lower sections of the stairs. The planting of flowers should be carried out by the citizens — representatives of urban communities, confessions, etc.
A small parking lot for 5−6 cars is proposed near the square. Outdoor furniture for bicycle parking is installed nearby, as well as near the decks of summer cafes and the pond.
Squares and stairs are supplemented with several large trees, Podgornaya Square — larch to replace the lost one.
The paving of the stairs is done with natural stone, tiles of natural colors, close to the golden color of traditional for Irkutsk sandstone. When approaching the wooden square there are wooden inclusions in paving.
Paving Podgornaya Square is heterogeneous, made of 3−4 types of wood and imitation materials of different shades. The wooden sidewalk continues along Podgornaya Street to the left up to the foot of the Church of the Holy Cross. The bicycle paths continue along Podgornaya Street to the right and left.
The direction of the main axis of the stairs is traced in the paving of both squares, the upper one is the way to the entrance to the memorial park.
It is proposed to introduce a new tradition in the City Day, similar to the laying of wreaths — but this is not the laying of dead artificial flowers, but the ceremony of planting flowers at the foot of the Jerusalem Memorial Park as a sign of gratitude to many generations of Irkut residents. For this purpose, it is proposed to use the renewed flowerbeds in the center of the lower sections of the stairs. The planting of flowers should be carried out by the citizens — representatives of urban communities, confessions, etc.
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