The works are completed
The project that the residents of Karabash and the project team worked on together for many months has been successfully completed. Today it takes only about fifteen minutes to walk from the center of Karabash to Lake Serebry. Parents with children, elderly residents, and school students now come here to walk, observe birds, and spend time in nature.
About the Project
Karabash has already won the All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment with the Veterans’ Alley project in 2019. For the development of the new project, the residents of Karabash chose the shoreline of Lake Serebry.
Lake Serebry and its shoreline are a protected natural monument and part of the Mountain Ural Biosphere Reserve. For the citizens of Karabash, it is one of the most beloved places for spending time outdoors and enjoying nature.
The lake received its name from the silvery color of its water, which is caused by micaceous schist deposits on the lakebed. The lake is 1.92 km long and 1.02 km wide. It's maximum depth reaches 8.2 meters, while the average depth is about 3.5 meters.
The coastal landscape is dominated by birch forests with occasional aspen and linden trees. The north western shore is marshy and covered with thickets of black alder and willow. The lake is home to pike, perch, ruffe, chebak, bream, roach and other fish species.
The lake received its name from the silvery color of its water, which is caused by micaceous schist deposits on the lakebed. The lake is 1.92 km long and 1.02 km wide. It's maximum depth reaches 8.2 meters, while the average depth is about 3.5 meters.
The coastal landscape is dominated by birch forests with occasional aspen and linden trees. The north western shore is marshy and covered with thickets of black alder and willow. The lake is home to pike, perch, ruffe, chebak, bream, roach and other fish species.
At the start of the project, the team needed to understand the ecological value of the lake and the surrounding landscape. It was important to determine which activities would be appropriate here and which might disturb the fragile natural environment.
Ecologists, geographers, architects, sociologists and local residents formed a single working team. Their goal was to develop a solution that would reveal the beauty of the lake while preserving its ecological balance and creating a comfortable space for recreation for residents and visitors of Karabash.
The project was developed by the Administration of the Karabash Urban District together with specialists in territorial development: Project Group 8 (Kazan) and the PARK Architectural Bureau (Moscow). The project was sponsored by the Uralgrit Group of Companies, represented by Managing Director Nadezhda Vyaznikova, which actively supports social, cultural and environmental initiatives. The project was also implemented with the support of Karabashmed JSC.
Ecologists, geographers, architects, sociologists and local residents formed a single working team. Their goal was to develop a solution that would reveal the beauty of the lake while preserving its ecological balance and creating a comfortable space for recreation for residents and visitors of Karabash.
The project was developed by the Administration of the Karabash Urban District together with specialists in territorial development: Project Group 8 (Kazan) and the PARK Architectural Bureau (Moscow). The project was sponsored by the Uralgrit Group of Companies, represented by Managing Director Nadezhda Vyaznikova, which actively supports social, cultural and environmental initiatives. The project was also implemented with the support of Karabashmed JSC.
"If the project is implemented, the city will gain a special place of attraction. I am confident that it will become not only a recreational area but also a modern public environment that improves the quality of life for residents and contributes to the positive development of the city as a whole.”
Nadezhda Vyaznikova
Managing Director of Uralgrit Group of Companies
Shoreline Development Project
Participation events
April 28 — Presentation of the Final Concept at the Med Shopping Center. Architects presented the completed concept and discussed the project with residents
For several months, the project team worked together on an application for the All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment.
On April 28, the final project was presented at the Copper Shopping Mall (TRC “Med”), where the architects presented the final concept so that residents could evaluate the project and share their opinions.
On April 28, the final project was presented at the Copper Shopping Mall (TRC “Med”), where the architects presented the final concept so that residents could evaluate the project and share their opinions.
March 29 — Meetings with regional environmental and forestry authorities to evaluate architectural solutions and ensure compliance with environmental regulations
Lake Serebry and its shoreline are a protected natural monument and a true gem of Karabash. This status imposes several restrictions on the types of architectural solutions that can be applied.
To avoid controversial issues during further implementation and to obtain expert evaluations of the proposed solutions, a series of meetings was held in Chelyabinsk with relevant Ministries and agencies.
To avoid controversial issues during further implementation and to obtain expert evaluations of the proposed solutions, a series of meetings was held in Chelyabinsk with relevant Ministries and agencies.
March 15 — Presentation of the preliminary concept. More than 80 residents participated and shared suggestions including drinking fountains, observation decks, safety patrols, and vandal resistant infrastructure
More than 80 people participated in the meeting and shared their ideas and suggestions:
add drinking fountains or other sources of water
viewing platforms and photo spots are a good idea — there could be more of them
organize patrols to maintain order in the area
make infrastructure as vandal-resistant as possible
Thank you to everyone!
add drinking fountains or other sources of water
viewing platforms and photo spots are a good idea — there could be more of them
organize patrols to maintain order in the area
make infrastructure as vandal-resistant as possible
Thank you to everyone!
February 19 — The first citywide design workshop where architects and residents jointly defined the principles for developing the territory
The first citywide workshop where architects met with the residents of Karabash to jointly define the principles for working with the territory and to form the initial design brief for the architectural concept.
The development of the Serebry shoreline differs from designing a city park or street, because the natural environment is a crucial part of the territory. Therefore, the main task for architects and residents was to think about how people and nature could coexist harmoniously in one place.
The development of the Serebry shoreline differs from designing a city park or street, because the natural environment is a crucial part of the territory. Therefore, the main task for architects and residents was to think about how people and nature could coexist harmoniously in one place.
Александр Васильевич Лагунов
заслуженный эколог Российской Федерации, кандидат биологических наук, Председатель общественного экологического Совета Миасского городского округа, член Координационного Совета при Губернаторе Челябинской области по вопросам экологии.
Владимир Владиславович Дерягин
Кандидат географических наук, доцент кафедры географии и методики обучения географии естественно-технологического факультета Южно-Уральского государственного гуманитарно-педагогического университета (бывший ЧГПУ), учитель географии и биологии средней школы № 1 г. Карабаша (с 1986 по 1995 г.).
Член Учёного Совета Челябинского отделения РГО. Автор более 100 научных и 30 научно-методических публикаций. Организатор около 100 студенческих экспедиций по изучению Челябинской области.
Член Учёного Совета Челябинского отделения РГО. Автор более 100 научных и 30 научно-методических публикаций. Организатор около 100 студенческих экспедиций по изучению Челябинской области.
Shoreline Panorama Initiative
The main value of Lake Serebry lies in its rich natural environment. Nature is fragile and strongly influenced by human activity, something the residents of Karabash understand particularly well. To explore how people and wildlife share the landscape, school students and teachers created a felt panorama of the lake’s shoreline. The panorama traveled between schools and educational institutions, where participants placed figures of people, animals and birds, creating different scenarios of how the territory might function. This educational initiative helped residents better understand the biodiversity of the lake and the potential impact of human activity on the ecosystem.
Inspired by the panorama project, local resident Maria Kazantseva wrote a collection of stories titled “The Tales of Lake Serebry”.
Students from a creative studio led by teacher Pavel Talankin later adapted one of the stories into an animated film.
The theater group “Maska” also contributed to the project.
Students from a creative studio led by teacher Pavel Talankin later adapted one of the stories into an animated film.
The theater group “Maska” also contributed to the project.
Throughout the project, updates and news were published on the project website and in the official VKontakte community.