

The «Mahaon» residential district is positioned as a new technological residential environment project based on principles of safety, environmental friendliness, and advanced wellness infrastructure. Key groups of prospective users for the new district were selected based on the location of the area and the proposed development concept:



Tired of megacities and wasting time on the unnecessary
— Moved out of the city because they no longer want to spend time commuting and are oriented toward remote work;
— Focused on self-education and learning new things;
— Interested in innovative solutions and technology-driven living;
— Have had enough of weekend nightlife and social noise;
— Have high expectations for the aesthetic quality of spaces and developed infrastructure.
Tags: sustainability, innovation, technology.
Family-Oriented Career Builders
— Regularly travel to the city for work and often go on business trips involving air travel;
— Have high expectations for the quality of their children’s education, the proximity of schools and kindergartens to home, and the variety of extracurricular clubs and activities available for children;
— Expect a high standard of infrastructure;
— Place strong importance on the safety and security of the area.
Tags: high-quality education for children, proximity to transport hubs.
Aesthetes in Search of Better Living
— Are ready to move out of the city if the environment meets their expectations for aesthetics, sustainability, and quality infrastructure;
— Have high expectations for the quality of their children’s education;
— Value sustainability, wellbeing, and a conscious lifestyle;
— Support local producers and locally made goods;
— Are interested in innovative solutions and technology-driven living.
Tags: aesthetics, sustainability, conscious living.


Functionally, the area is primarily represented by multisection residential buildings with varying heights from 4 to 9 stories, decreasing towards the private residential development in the adjacent Malye Kabany settlement. The district’s development concept is based on the following principles:



Preservation of Pedestrian Interconnections
Large blocks, formed by the street and road network, were divided into smaller blocks and supplemented with a developed network of pedestrian connections. The maximum length of the blocks was reduced to 200 meters, making the environment more permeable, accessible, and safe for pedestrians. It is possible to reach the school and kindergarten within 15 minutes, crossing vehicle intersections as few times as possible.
Ensuring Visual Diversity
The variability of the building pattern, ensured by the combination of standard sections, and adherence to a general design code, allows for the creation of a diverse yet visually cohesive environment. The free placement of buildings within the block helped avoid dense building fronts and the classic «rectangular» courtyard, offering an alternative system of public and private intimate spaces.
Establishing Key Points of the Block
Fixing the intersections of pedestrian paths with corner sections of buildings visually anchors the corner points of the blocks, supporting the street front and separating private and public spaces.
Larger blocks, formed by the designated street and road network, were divided into smaller «pedestrian» blocks, scaled to human size and enhancing individual mobility. Bicycle-pedestrian alleys connect the main administrative, social, and infrastructure facilities of the district, allowing for minimal use of cars. Permanent parking spaces are distributed in open-type parking lots and parking pockets, evenly spread across the district within walking distance.



From the perspective of social and commercial infrastructure, the «Mahaon» residential district, being relatively distant from Kazan, should be developed as a self-sufficient area. It was also important to ensure a flow of temporary users from the city and potential job opportunities, so part of the district was allocated for large service and leisure facilities.



The system of private and public spaces is designed to avoid crossing flows within the free development structure, maintaining the principles of intimacy and safety for private spaces. For public zones, the principles of variability in usage are observed: active recreation areas (sport & play hubs) and green recreational zones alternate within a single block, creating a nearly continuous pedestrian network throughout the district.


A unified facade design code was developed based on the most iconic elements of Kazan’s architectural identity, as «Mahaon» is one of the first districts on the approach from Gabdulla Tukay International Airport. It was crucial to preserve and reflect the most characteristic features of local identity. The main colour scheme is supported not only in the facade finishes, but also in the materials for coverings and elements of small architectural forms and landscaping objects.
