Kiev
Philip Kassanis as associate director at Mountford Pigott
2004-5
The commission was a “Best Use Study” for 25Ha the client had bought from the city authorities. It required 3 options based on market research and development appraisals.
I led the process of showing how the site could be developed by producing masterplans. All options were mixed use around a mall including offices, retail, leisure, hotel, and exhibition/ conference. Work was just about to start on the report based around the favoured option when it came to light that IKEA were in the advanced stages of preparing to develop land nearby. It was agreed that the proposal could not compete with this and I prepared a completely different solution, which was predominantly office with a hotel and DIY retail.
I shaped, structured and executed the document which presented the analysis, conclusions, recommendations and rationale, drawing in the work of the rest of the team.
The masterplan challenges were the low lying land beside a substantial lake which is dominated by a waste transfer station; poor quality air resulting from a distant sewage treatment works; difficult access from a major highway; narrow site; and a new Metro station.
