Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has won an international competition for the Admiral Serebryakov Embankment masterplan in the city of Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast. The ZHA masterplan, designed in collaboration with Russian studio Pride TPO, seeks to integrate new public space and amenities into the rich maritime history and traditions of Novorossiysk, achieved through careful consideration of building orientation, views, and landscape. Connecting Russia with the Mediterranean, Atlantic Ocean, and Suez Canal, the industrial city is home to the nation’s largest shipping port, and the third busiest in Europe by turnover. The 13.9-hectare masterplan aims to unite “recreational, cultural, corporate, and ecological functions within a coherent composition that reinstates the city’s embankment promenade as important civic space,” the company said. The scheme therefore sees nine principal buildings orientated perpendicular to the seas front to maintain existing views. In a concept of “instancing,” the nine buildings offer varying iterations of a single form, evolving in a gradient across the site, with the configuration of each building responding to a unique function and requirement, it added. Offering a total floor area of over 3 million square feet (300,000 square meters), the buildings will contain facilities for civic, cultural, and corporate events, as well as a hotel. The restoration of the city’s waterfront also includes the design of vibrant public space along Tsemes Bay for residents and visitors, and a new fishing port, marina, and piers to reactivate the city’s maritime heritage. The outdoor landscaping and public space strategies were aided by the decision to restrict vehicular access to the area, creating opportunities for outdoor leisure, sports, and recreation throughout most of the year in the city’s coastal, subtropical climate. More than 40 teams from 13 countries entered the competition.