In Krasnaja Poljana, a holiday destination in southern Russia, a resort was to be planned that would offer a variety of functions. The stone volumes recall freestanding dolmens, many of which are to be found in the western Caucasus.

Krasnaja Poljana, Russland, Fischer Architekten AG Zürich

Krasnaja Poljana is a village in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, located in the Caucasus mountains around 40 kilometres from the centre of the Black Sea city of Sochi. In the context of the preparations for the Winter Olympics in 2014, this popular destination for mountain walkers was developed into an exclusive centre for winter sports. It was against this background that the “New Dolmens Resort” was planned: a complex with hotel and apartment buildings, business centre and shopping area.

The structures of the place are shaped above all by individual developments scattered across the valley floor. In the layout that resembles more the village type there is a lack of classic urban references. The free positioning of the new volumes in relation to each other was consciously selected as the design principle as a way of forming squares and paths, open spaces, and narrow lanes. The intention is that residents should experience the resort as a sequence of squares and routes through a park-like landscape.

The stony volumes recall megalithic dolmens, ancient stone tombs erected thousands of years ago in the Caucasus. The facades of these “new dolmens” are shaped by two materials: the walls consist of layers of undressed stone, while the windows, loggias, balconies and bay windows are of wood.