The concept of the embankment in Makhachkala was developed by a consortium of four design organizations, under the leadership of our company. In addition to Magly Proekt, it included: Habidatum Lab, ARCHICOMM and Shapkin Studio. The concept took part in the "All-Russian competition for the development of concepts for the architectural appearance of public spaces and educational institutions in the Republic of Dagestan" and took 2nd place in it.
Working on the concept, we decided that first of all we need to solve the problem of the accessibility of the embankment. The fact is that at present it is actually cut off from the central part of the city by a railway line. To improve the situation with low accessibility of the territory, we proposed the following measures:
• Reconstruction of the existing underground pedestrian crossing at the end of the street. Levanevsky with its expansion, the organization of the sidewalk and the bike path.
• Reconstruction and expansion of the existing underground passage on Rodopsky Boulevard near the building of the Avarsky Theatre.
• Creation of a new underground passage to continue the alley behind the building of the Avarsky Theatre, overlooking the projected summer stage and amphitheater.
• Establishment of an elevated crossing over the railway tracks with access to the city near 25 Pushkin Street on one side and to the pedestrian overpass on the other.
To connect the territory with the city beach, we provided for the narrowing of the roadway and the construction of a sidewalk for the transit flow of pedestrians, as well as the construction of a pedestrian bridge across the water area, bypassing existing buildings.
We divided the central part of the embankment into 3 levels:
• bottom for contact with water,
• medium to accommodate the main functional areas and facilities,
• the top is a pedestrian skyway.
The latter plays an important role in the life of the embankment: it is used for walking, viewing platforms and places of rest. Under the overpass, local recreation areas in the shade are created, swings and playground equipment are placed. It is also convenient to place multimedia tools on it: screens and architectural lighting.
The main event content of the embankment is carried out at the sites located in the central part of the territory. For the organization of cultural and festive events, the central platform at the lower level, the helipad of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the summer stage and the area near the small amphitheater can be used. Pedestrian flyover extensions create comfortable balconies for seating spectators and space for special effects equipment.
In contrast to the central part, in the south-east of the site, a natural embankment is proposed, where we tried to preserve the natural appearance of the coastline with picturesque rocks as much as possible.
To give the embankment a recognizable image and maintain a connection with the socio-cultural environment, it is proposed to use ornamental patterns containing references to the folk traditions of Dagestan, the use of local materials in decoration, and in the dynamics of lines and forms, we tried to convey the contrasting nature of Dagestan.
In addition, it is proposed to build on the embankment:
• Pier, which will be a continuation of the town-planning axis along the street. Levanevsky, ending with an observation deck 100 meters from the coast;
• Art object - the symbol of Makhachkala is located on a wide platform-deck
• An amphitheater with a stage and a screen for watching movies, connected by an underground passage to the Avar Theatre;
• Skateboard. It is located at the southeastern entrance to the territory, from the side of the cannery, which, after modernization, will become a new art cluster in the city of Makhachkala.
The proposed design solution will also solve the problem of fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea. The project has 3 main levels of the embankment. When the lower terrace is flooded, the embankment will retain its main functionality and walking routes along the coast at the middle level of the embankment and the pedestrian overpass. And when the coastline recedes, the embankment will maintain contact with water thanks to footpaths on bridges that go deep into the waters of the Caspian Sea.