Kay Elliott part of project team for $600m DancingGreen in Russia
DancingGreen drives green innovation in resort industry - Eurasia Country Format, Foster + Partners, PACE, Kay Elliott and Others to Partner for Unique Recreational Project in Russia
Eurasia Country Format, Foster + Partners and PACE announced today at the EXPOREAL 2008 exhibition in Munich (Germany) the DancingGreen project, a chain of integrated leisure resorts providing busy, metropolitan professionals with a short break vacation in a natural environment. DancingGreen is a unique recreation product offering a ‘Short-Break Vacation for the Megapolis Resident’ which is meant to become a ‘third destination’ – an escape from city apartments and offices to the countryside. The concept implies a high level of integration into nature through the resort design, recreational programming and guest experiences. Wildlife and the manmade environment join together to ensure a comfortable coexistence of the life of man and the world of nature.
The DancingGreen concept begins with pristine natural space capable of supporting tremendous recreational opportunities and is developed into 200 year-round activities for 4,000 guests. Several resort “anchors” make up the resort’s recreational infrastructure including the Nature Center, Waterpark, Sports Center, River Center, Day Spa and multiple restaurants and retail units. These anchors are supported by comfortable accommodations consisting of hotel flats and private villas.
Upon launching the project, Andrey Osipov, General Manager of Eurasia Country Format, stressed that the project showcases the rich assortment of design and technology innovations planned to allow visitors to experience true immersion into nature while, at the same time, offering a high level of comfort and a wide variety of recreational opportunities.
The first resort of this kind is now being developed in the Tula Oblast of Russia on 280 hectares of land and is designed to host a flow of 353,000 guests annually. The Resort is planned to welcome its first visitors in 2012 and has an investment budget of $600m (US). The project’s developers and investors include Eurasia Country Format and Uniparx Development companies. The Master Plan and General Architecture are being developed by Foster + Partners.
‘Foster + Partners is proud to be part of this innovative new development. DancingGreen will redefine the concept of holiday resorts and create a new, sustainable benchmark for tourism in Russia. The project offers a unique opportunity to create a masterplan and buildings where the architecture is not only inspired bynature, but also seamlessly integrated with the natural environment”, – says Josef Kaps, Partner with Foster + Partners. The DancingGreen project team is a team of like-minded people inspired by nature to create a world where visitors will discover the beauty of nature and enjoy the stunning cutting-edge opportunities of recreation. Johan Perslow, Chairman of PACE (USA), said ‘DancingGreen aligns with who we are as a company and enables us to innovate, act in partnership with nature and apply creativity every step of the way. DancingGreen is truly unique and we are proud to be a part of a project that will change the way we view the resort concept’. Namely, the list of companies involved in the DancingGreen project in Tula Region of Russia includes Bovis Lend Lease (USA), Coverpoint (Great Britain), Foster + Partners (Great Britain), Huettinger (Germany), ITEC (USA), Kay Elliott (Great Britain), Latz+Partners (Germany), Locum Consulting (Great Britain), Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative (USA), Partners in Retail (Great Britain), PACE (USA), Schletterer (Austria), SSG (Great Britain), WhiteWater (Canada). DancingGreen product is aimed at middle class which represents the most dynamically developing social group in Russia. The DancingGreen resorts will meet the needs of middle class in quality, family, nature integrated holidays which are currently covered mostly by Soviet-time facilities with low level of service and poor recreation infrastructure.
Corporate information:
Eurasia Country Format, founded in 2007, is an investment and development company specializing in developing unique, nature and life-style oriented resorts. Within the DancingGreen project, Eurasia Country Format is responsible for project development, construction, investment activities and further operation of the resorts.
Foster + Partners is one of the most innovative architectural practices in the world today. Combining creativity and attention to detail with delivery and management skills, it is based in London with project offices worldwide. The practice is more than one thousand strong, with offices in twenty-two countries and a highly talented team drawn from more than fifty nations. Over the past four decades the practice has pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture and ecology through a strikingly wide range of work, from urban masterplans, public infrastructure, airports, civic and cultural buildings, offices and workplaces to private houses and product design.
PACE is a civil engineering firm offering advanced water resource services by applying knowledge, creativity and innovative design approaches to develop aesthetic, environmentally sustainable and practical engineering solutions. PACE’s areas of specialization include stormwater management, water/wastewater, and recreational water (manmade lakes, fountains, pools, etc.).
