HI-TECH DISSOLVES IN THE SKY

Towers-twins upon Batyeva Gora prepare to receive tenants

Just in a few months ISA Prime Developments, development company, will put into operation a new architectural "badge" of Kiev - two skyscrapers of Horizon Park office center.

Генрих СИКОРСКИЙ, «ВЕДОМОСТИ» [1]

Alexander Bashenko: "Our company is only one that constructs A class offices in Kiev".

Designers see the business-center, including a helipad, upon Batyeva Gora like that.

SYNERGY OF GLASS AND METAL

From now, these buildings, where finishing construction works are conducted 24 hours per day, already became the highest in Kiev as of so-called Baltic coordinate system.

- Let me see, but where is the Baltic here? - some meticulous reader could be surprised. Because in both former USSR and CIS countries absolute elevations of earth surface points are counted off from average long-term level of the Baltic sea, and special seamark in Kronshtadt is considered as initial point.

Sergey PLIENKO, a project designer for business-center, 49 years old, told about so amusing details especially for VEDOMOSTI.

- This place of Batyeva Gora proved to be not only symbolic, but very complicated looking from all angles – Sergey Ivanovich asserts. - Only level difference here exceeds 30 meters. During almost three years we developed this project approved by the City-planning Authority of the capital.

According to an architect, his main idea includes the plan that 20-floor buildings upon the mountain should seeming as dissolving in the sky, rain or shine. That is why there were used new hi-tech algorithms of their structural morphology concerned with, first of all, use of aluminium ailerons and full facade glazing of well-chosen color.

Such synergy, in other words interaction of glass and metal, allowed giving airiness and showiness to massive skyscrapers, while saving their respectability in combination with elegance. In addition, innovative ecological and energy saving technologies are widely used in implementation of the project.

Sergey Plienko assures: uniqueness of this object lies in so comprehensive service offered here, that is, seemingly, nowhere in Ukraine. For example, three-storey underground parking, the largest in the capital, for one thousand car spaces is designed and constructed in the office complex. It's supposed to connect both buildings by a helipad in the future that will allow direct connection of the office center and Borispol airport. Amazing Kiev views visible from the windows of practically all floors have high value too. Moreover, a special panoramic elevator will be installed here.

- In contrast to some developers erecting now huge trivial sheds under the guise of office buildings - architect continued, - we, together with the customer, try to do everything to make Kiev more modern a little, in spite of trying times. Maybe, someone one day will remember us with thanks due to this.

THE MOST WANTED FORMAT

- Today our company continuously, keeping up the speed, conducts works for construction of towers-twins upon Batyeva Gora, - told Alexander BASHENKO, Chairman of Board of ISA Prime Developments CJSC, especially for VEDOMOSTI. - I am sure that growing interest of western companies to the Ukrainian real estate market will help us to overcome consequences of economic recession that is setback in production.

Now, according to him, western investors see new opportunities for them.  Because our real estate objects become cheaper, and developers painted a lot of paper projects with the purpose to sell these pictures gradually disappear from the market.

And those ones, who conceived an idea to erect office complexes with area more than one hundred thousand "squares", either will be forced to sell their sites at fire-sale prices or to give up their too ambitious plans. In fact, everybody already understands: the will be no demand even in the foreseeable future.

That is why, ISA company remains practically one company in Kiev constructing office buildings, format of which is wanted by market today, and extremely needed to end users - tenants. Format of newly made fashionable Kiev developers acting on the principle of "I want billion and somewhat quicker", gradually goes away to nonexistence.

Alexander Bashenko reminded also that yet in April of this year, when constructors completed monolith and frame of the second Horizon Park tower, the site was visited by Mr. Jorge Zukoski, President of American Chamber of Commerce.  By the way, this very influential transatlantic business structure already, for some years, leases office spaces in other business-center constructed by ISA company a long ago, at address: Shelkovichnaya Street, 42\44. And now they intend to "take quarters" also upon Batyeva Gora, where area of each floor of new building reaches 900 "squares".

- We will enter to new premises soon, - told Mr. Zukoski to the journalists.

- We are very pleased with high standards of construction work conducting, as well as with compliance of management to western norms, therefore we wait putting into commission of this object impatiently.

 SUNNY APPROACH

 VEDOMOSTI made sure that many metropolitan specialists for office real estate assert all together:  soon the Horizon Park will become the largest and comfort A class office center in independent Ukraine.

And there are strong reasons for such statements. First of all, it is located, very comfortably and compact, on 5 hectare lot in the center of Kiev, within walking distance from Respublicanskiy Stadion and Dvorets Ukraina metro stations. And not far from here there are central city highways – Krasnoarmeiskaya and Gorkogo streets, as well as straight way to Borispol air-port.

Secondly, all floors in towers-twins are free spaces, where tenants will be able to plan offices according to their own wishes. However, it is fully completed space, where will be enough to install internal partitions, and everything else is available: all engineering systems operate reliably, there is illumination suited to every fancy, water supply, ventilation, conditioning, fire alarm.

Each and all premises are provided with modern communication networks: telephone communications, lines of data and video signal transmission through local, regional and main networks.

 Six elevators made especially for business-centers in USA and France, will deliver employees to required floor without any delays. Buildings are guarded by watchful professionals. Here, according to Sergey Plienko, architect, will operate three restaurants, cafes, beauty salons, banks, copy centers, air ticket desks, insurance agencies, and even special, as in five stars hotels, rest rooms for guests and clients of companies-tenants.

- In engineering, - Sergey Ivanovich informs, - we used in full recommendations of western scientists regarding positive influence of sunlight in office premises,  not only on their microclimate, but also on increase of employee labor productivity.

Some of metropolitan architects, with whom VEDOMOSTI had a chance to talk regarding construction of the Horizon Park office complex upon Batyeva Gora, compared it with legendary Golden Gate of Yaroslav the Wise. And they presented the following arguments. It is known, they say, that more than within 200 years this building carried out defensive functions and role of main entrance to the Capital. Even hordes of Mongols and Tatars could not take the Gate by assault for a long time. And it is symbolic that at the same place where Baty-khan greedily stared at the sparkling city, now towers-twins looking like giant gate of new life are built. Therefore they can justly become a symbol of Kiev business style in the XXI century.

 EXPERT JUDGMENT

WE HAVE NEW SYMBOL OF KIEV!

Emotions of metropolitan city-planners in relation to construction of office towers-twins of the Horizon Park business-complex upon Batyeva Gora have not calmed down until now. Once again, to set the record straight VEDOMOSTI specially appealed to two masters – trendsetters of metropolitan architecture, whose opinion possesses almost presumption of truth in the last resort. And they said the following.

Valentin EZHOV, Chief Architect of Kiev in 1981-1986, People's Architect of Ukraine, Professor:

- I, as creator of the project of the first office skyscraper in our country – Trade Center in the Lvovskaya  Square, - believe that it is just great that, during current trying times, construction of so felicitous offices towers upon Batyeva Gora coming to the end. However, there is possibility to construct much more high buildings, and, generally speaking, it would be good to create interesting business center in the future, so as to dominate at this high point, surprising everybody with its beautiful silhouette.

 I think, future construction will be conducted exactly in such direction.

Victor DUBOK, Chief Architect of Kiev in 1992-1993, Chief of Altair-Alpha Architectural Workshop:

- I fairly admit: personally, I like serious architecture of these two buildings. It somehow elusively reminds Moscow high-rise buildings of great Stalin epoch. They were built upon mountains too. I am sure, towers upon Batyeva Gora, as in White-stone city, will get eternal residence permit here, although de facto they already became a new symbol of Kiev.