Azatlyk Square in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Repu­blic of Tatar­stan, Russia) has been trans­formed into a dynamic and vibrant multi-use public space.

The original square was desi­gned around a formal central axis that was intended to connect the muni­ci­pa­lity buil­ding to the unbuilt Lenin museum. By losing its star­ring role as a social connector, the public space became a relic of the Soviet past, unde­r­used, kept alive by a few main­ten­ance inter­ven­tions and discon­nected from city life.

High­lighted by a dense row of planted trees, the main axis of Azatlyk Square has been relo­cated towards the edge of the plot to directly connect the nearby neigh­bour­hoods with the new Prome­nade and its pavi­lions that include diverse play­grounds, a café, a food stall and a spiral viewing plat­form.

In dialogue with the Prome­nade, each square is ener­gized by an anchor programme: the amphi­theatre doubles as a cafè; the spiral viewing plat­form, which is painted in the emble­matic orange Kamaz color, adds a vertical dimen­sion; and the circular pool trans­forms into an ice-skating rink in winter.

The main supporting struc­ture for the spiral viewing plat­form is made with the same tech­no­logy that is utilized in the produc­tion of gas pipes. The benches were shaped by a local concrete factory and the lamps were fabri­cated using stan­dard steel profiles.

By main­tai­ning most of the pre-exis­ting gree­nery and adding new trees, the archi­tects intend to preserve the exis­ting ecosystem and pecu­liar land­scape. All these aspects helped the natural inte­gra­tion and the visual impact of the enormous trans­for­ma­tion in the city centre, making the project more sustainable, resi­lient, and finan­ci­ally viable.