The third day of the International Property Market: a dialogue of ideas, cultures and architectural strategies
The third day of the International Property Market: a dialogue of ideas, cultures and architectural strategies
16 May
The final day of the International Property Market (IPM 2025) exhibition, held on 14-16 May at Kazan Expo within the framework of KazanForum, became a space for discussing the future of the urban environment. The focus was on a lecture by world expert in the field of urbanism Guillermo Penalosa on the principles of sustainable and inclusive urban planning, as well as an architectural session organised by the architectural bureau WOWHAUS under the leadership of Oleg Shapiro. Along with this, the programme of the day included key agreements in the field of development and expansion of international cooperation.
One of the central events of the day was the lecture by Guillermo Penalosa “A City for Life: How Development and The Urban Environment Shape a Sustainable Future”. World expert in the field of urbanism and president of Gil Penalosa & Associates spoke about international practices of sustainable and inclusive urban planning, recalling the importance of working with the natural context: “You shall not give the zones that are located near the water to private ownership. Public parks should be based near water. This is also in the potential of Kazan. You can become better than Moscow or St. Petersburg. It's a matter of outlook.”
Penalosa also stressed that a comfortable urban environment is not a style, but a strategy: “It is important to revise the transport strategy. A lot of skyscrapers and very small playgrounds for children. We need to pay attention to everyone so that everyone feels comfortable in an urban environment. "
One of the most anticipated tracks of the third day of IPM was the session "Adaptive Spaces in a Rapidly Changing World", organised by WOWHAUS. Oleg Shapiro, The Architect and Co-finder of the Bureau, spoke about the principles of sustainable design, the integration of art into architecture and the challenges of global urban planning, as well as the experience of designing the building of the new Kamal Theatre in Kazan, implemented in cooperation with the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The new theatre is not just a building, but a symbol of the collaboration of cultures, mentalities, and technologies. Architecture here has become a bridge from tradition to modern interpretation and from local to global.
“In essence, modern architecture is a process, not a result. We built a theatre that turned into a community centre. Anything can happen in any space. It is an open architecture — in space and in time,” said Shapiro. Nikita Vykhodtsev, the Founder of the Arkanika Architectural Workshop, shared his cases and approaches. He spoke about the transformation of the mosque named after Riza Fakhretdin in Almetyevsk. The mosque, a religious and educational centre, has become a point of attraction for the urban community.
One of the central events of the day was the lecture by Guillermo Penalosa “A City for Life: How Development and The Urban Environment Shape a Sustainable Future”. World expert in the field of urbanism and president of Gil Penalosa & Associates spoke about international practices of sustainable and inclusive urban planning, recalling the importance of working with the natural context: “You shall not give the zones that are located near the water to private ownership. Public parks should be based near water. This is also in the potential of Kazan. You can become better than Moscow or St. Petersburg. It's a matter of outlook.”
Penalosa also stressed that a comfortable urban environment is not a style, but a strategy: “It is important to revise the transport strategy. A lot of skyscrapers and very small playgrounds for children. We need to pay attention to everyone so that everyone feels comfortable in an urban environment. "
One of the most anticipated tracks of the third day of IPM was the session "Adaptive Spaces in a Rapidly Changing World", organised by WOWHAUS. Oleg Shapiro, The Architect and Co-finder of the Bureau, spoke about the principles of sustainable design, the integration of art into architecture and the challenges of global urban planning, as well as the experience of designing the building of the new Kamal Theatre in Kazan, implemented in cooperation with the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The new theatre is not just a building, but a symbol of the collaboration of cultures, mentalities, and technologies. Architecture here has become a bridge from tradition to modern interpretation and from local to global.
“In essence, modern architecture is a process, not a result. We built a theatre that turned into a community centre. Anything can happen in any space. It is an open architecture — in space and in time,” said Shapiro. Nikita Vykhodtsev, the Founder of the Arkanika Architectural Workshop, shared his cases and approaches. He spoke about the transformation of the mosque named after Riza Fakhretdin in Almetyevsk. The mosque, a religious and educational centre, has become a point of attraction for the urban community.
