Rosyth: TYPHOON CLASS SUBMARINE

Throughout the entire period of its existence, humankind was developing numerous methods of elimination of
each other. And with invention of the nuclear weapons this desire has endangered the being itself. matterbetter
researches how the design community in contemporary world can contribute to making this world a little safer
and more friendly.

matterbetter invites architects and designers to participate in open-ideas competition that aims to explore the
architectural potential and transform the biggest nuclear submarine ever built into a peaceful architectural
object.

Background:
The Cold War is over and the world has to become a more friendly space. And we believe it’s a right time to get
rid of nuclear weapons of mass destruction aiming to turn the Earth into ashes in several seconds. One of the
symbols of these frightening times was a Russian Typhoon Class submarine - the largest nuclear submarine
ever built.

This weapon of mass destruction was designed by Rubin Design Bureau in 1975 and became a part of the
Soviet fleet in 1980. It has incredible dimensions – 175m long and 23 meters wide. By placing it vertically the
Typhoon class submarine could be compared with Mies van der Rohe Seagram building or Swiss Re high-rise
by Norman Foster.

In 2010 the decision has been made that the remaining 3 submarines will serve until 2019. In 2013 Russian
authorities announced that two of remaining submarines are going to be utilized in a close future due to
outdating of the electronical systems on board and high maintenance costs. The remaining submarine will still
serve as a training facility until 2017. After this period the same fate awaits them as their predecessors.

The dismantling costs are about 10 mln. USD according to the Russian mass media. For this reason Rubin
Design Bureau is looking for alternatives for a reuse of the submarines. There were alternative plans to redesign
the submarine into a submarine cargo vessel with 15 000 tons capacity. This project has not been realised due
to the lack of finance and practical reasons - not all ports can accommodate the submarine. As a result three out
of the six built submarines were already dismantled and the other three are still waiting for any decision.

Wettbewerbsart
Offener Wettbewerb

Teilnehmer
architects, students, engineers, and designers

Termine
Ende der Bewerbungsfrist 24. 08. 2014
Abgabe 30. 08. 2014

Preise
Gesamtpreissumme netto € 6.000,–

Gebühren
€ 80,00,–

Unterlagen
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