Rustam Minnikhanov: ''Thanks to TAIF Group, there is a modern parking for almost a thousand cars''
TAIF has presented the city of Kazan a new multi-level underground parking
On 2 February, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov took part in the opening ceremony of the parking lot built by TAIF Group near the Kazan National Cultural Centre (Kazan NCC). The territory of the new complex will accommodate about 1,000 cars, which will allow to free the central streets of Kazan from cars and reduce the number of traffic jams. Read the details of the presentation of the largest parking in Tatarstan and the second largest in Russia in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
The parking is a gift of TAIF to Kazan by 100th anniversary of Tatar ASSR
The opening of the long-awaited parking complex, the construction of which began in 2016, together with President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov was also visited by Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Aleksey Pesoshin, Chairman of the State Council of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, Director General of TAIF PSC Albert Shigabutdinov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Ruslan Shigabutdinov, Director General of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Farid Minigulov. At the lower, fourth level of the parking lot, the guests were offered to see an exhibition of retro cars, the demonstration of charging stations for electric cars and a unique car wash.
Let us remind that the decision to build the four-level underground parking lot by TAIF on the site of paid ground parking for 228 cars was made by the Tatarstan leadership in 2014 at a meeting with participation of Rustam Minnikhanov. According to the complex scheme of traffic management developed at that time, it was found that with the existing automobilization growth rates, within 3 years the traffic congestion would be 75%.
Opening the parking, Rustam Minnikhanov thanked the management of TAIF PSC and the general contractor, Tatnefteprovodstroy OJSC, for the new parking spaces near Kazan NCC.
''In the centre of Kazan, there is the problem with parking: it is nowhere to park a car. This is a huge inconvenience to residents and tourists. Today, thanks to TAIF Group, we have a beautiful modern, convenient and in demand parking for almost a thousand cars. Albert Kashafovich has also undertaken a new project — a playground, for which there will be space. I believe that this will be one of the most beautiful places in our capital of the republic. The company has made large investments in the preparation of the republic for the 100th anniversary of Tatar ASSR. The centenary is expected in 2020, but the objects by the jubilee should be opened already now, not next year,'' Rustam Minnikhanov said.
Ruslan Shigabutdinov spoke on behalf of the customer of the facility construction. He noted that TAIF Group always fulfills its obligations.
''The order to build the parking lot, given at the investment council meeting three years ago, has materialized today. Kazan has received a serious complex that is going to solve many problems associated with traffic and to improve the environment, '' added Ruslan Shigabutdinov.
Charging stations for electric cars and a unique car wash
After the ceremony, the guests examined the technical equipment of the new parking lot. Director of the Kazan branch of Schneider Electric Anton Zhelonkin told Rustam Minnikhanov about how the complex of charging stations for electric cars works.
''Thanks to this project, we are getting closer to an ecological, technological and safe future. In the parking lot, there are eight charging stations for electric cars, the power of each is 22 kW. Two cars can recharge at the same time at one station. It is possible to connect any electric cars that are now present at the Russian market to the stations,'' Anton Zhelonkin explained.
The president enquired how long it is necessary to charge a car and learned that the time depends on a car model. It will take 3-5 hours to charge the Tesla car model, whixh was presented in the parking. Rustam Minnikhanov was also shown the work of the unique contactless car wash. In front of the guests in the glass cabin there drove a car, at which immediately there were directed waterjets under the pressure of 100 Bar. The washing time depends on the selected programme and takes from 4 to 16 minutes.
''There is no operator in the car wash, the client chooses the programme on his or her own, pays a fee and drives in the car wash. After the end of the programme, exit gates open, an exit signal appears, and the client can leave the car wash. There are no such washing complexes in Tatarstan. There is only one such car wash of this level from the company Washworld in Moscow,'' explained Stanislav Senotrusov, the technical director of Profremstroy.
Technical know-how of parking
Another technical innovation of the parking is the unique for Tatarstan general ventilation with jet fans system.
''The parking space is not cluttered with volumetric air ducts. Jet fans make it possible, if necessary, to completely remove smoke and create a safe space for people. The facility was built for residents and guests of Kazan. They can leave the car, go for a walk on the waterfront. There's plenty of space in the parking lot. The object harmoniously blended into the surrounding area, we have restored the slope, kept all the guiding lines that were there before, created an amphitheatre so that guests can enjoy our beautiful city,'' said Ilgiz Latypov, the deputy director general of TAIF PSC for construction and major repairs.
The multi-level parking has become an example of effective use of urban space. Most of the parking is located underground and hidden by the bank slope. Thus, it does not violate the panorama of the left bank of the Kazanka River with a large green slope. It should be noted that the general appearance of this territory, which has developed over many years, during the construction of the parking lot was preserved.
The conditions for a comfortable and safe environment for motorists were provided when designing the parking lot. Entrances are located both from Pushkina Street and Podluzhny Street. The entrance ramps are equipped with electric heating to prevent ice. The illumination of parking spaces in different colours allows to find in advance the availability of free spaces on the level. The car parking is equipped with four modern elevators for visitors. At the same time, two of them can be used to lift fire departments. Staircases with elevators are separated from the parking spaces by two airlock vestibules with space air overpressure. If necessary, a smokeless zone is created near the evacuation exits along the entire height of the room.
''The Italian Came system was used in the construction of the parking lot. It includes four entrance and four exit stands, nine payment terminals. It takes any kind of payment. Now TAIF is working on the creation of a website that will work in the general system of urban parking. You will be able to pay for parking in advance, receive a letter with its location and a QR-code that can be scanned at the entrance to the parking lot. The system allows the cars of regular customers, which are stored in the database, by identification numbers or cards,'' said Vitaly Ovcharov, the director of profInformZaschita.
TAIF has invested more than 157 million rubles in the improvement of the park near Kazan NCC and the slope
TAIF Group has completed the large-scale project for renovation of the left bank of the Kazanka River by commissioning the parking. Within the framework of the same project, the works were carried out to improve the area in front of Kazan NCC and the bank slope to the Fuchs garden.
In October 2018, during the presentation of the slope near Kazan NCC to Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Alexander Pilishkin, the director general of Tatnefteprovodstroy OJSC, told the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya that such objects as the improvement of the slope are usually built longer.
''We firmed the hillside in stages. It's technically impossible to spread everything at once, every 30 cm need to be firmed, augmented. We've brought 60,000 cubic metres of soil. Every truck entered through the hillside, one KAMAZ truck even upended. It was hard to reverse on the loose hillside. We brought soil first, levelled it with a bulldozer, it was levelled like an ice rank. But the guys didn't work too much, they worked for 12 hours as it should be, it's our usual day. I think a children's park with amusements is needed here, and we need to build four-five children's cafes on the façade. During the construction, people approached and asked what would be built under the square,'' said Alexander Pilishkin.
The total area of improvement was 30,800 square metres. The total cost of works on the improvement of the park near Kazan NCC and the slope was more than 157 million rubles. Officially, the area was opened to the public in October 2018.
