A world first: Sespel engineers design a unique viewing platform for Victory Park

A striking viewing platform is coming to Victory Park in Cheboksary. The structure is being assembled at Sespel's plant in the Morgaushi district. Its specialists say that nothing like it has been built anywhere in the world. Unconventional solutions are also being used in the redevelopment of the memorial complex.

Enjoy views of the Volga while seeming to float above the ground. A striking viewing platform is coming to Victory Park in Cheboksary. The structure is being assembled at Sespel's plant in the Morgaushi district. Its specialists say that nothing like it has been built anywhere in the world. Unconventional solutions are also being used in the redevelopment of the memorial complex.

The plant's engineers faced a demanding task: calculating loads, durability and ground anchorage, and, above all, selecting the right alloy. According to the specialists, the aluminium viewing platform is as strong as a steel structure while weighing several times less.

“Most importantly, aluminium is corrosion-resistant and durable. The aluminium in this structure weighs around 78 tonnes, and the cantilever projects approximately 20 metres. An aluminium bridge can go without maintenance for 50 years,” said Evgeny Petrov, Head of Sespel's Design Bureau.

Eastern Europe's first aluminium bridge was also manufactured in the Morgaushi district and installed in Bor, in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The new viewing platform is designed to create a floating effect. Its metal frame is being assembled in the factory workshops.

“The future viewing platform is being put together like a construction kit, and this is one of its parts. There will be around twenty aluminium panels in total. They will be joined into a single structure at Victory Park,” said reporter Dmitry Kovalyov.

The frame components are joined using friction stir welding, a technology patented by the company. This high-productivity assembly process minimises metal distortion compared with arc welding.

“It introduces less heat, which helps preserve the geometry. The product keeps its shape, and the welding labour requirements are very favourable. Conventional arc welding causes significant distortion and can alter the geometry. The parts are joined on specially developed tooling and friction stir welded, with two passes along the joint,” explained Evgeny Petrov, Head of Sespel's Design Bureau.

The architects redeveloping Victory Park are working closely with the structure manufacturers. The viewing platform is a key element of the spatial composition: a twenty-metre cantilever shaped like a pointed ray of a star, a symbol of valour.

“Through discussions with the manufacturers, we selected unique technologies. Together, they make the landscape and redevelopment distinctive, engaging and something everyone who uses the space can be proud of. When choosing the site, we understood its importance and the landscape we were working with, so we deliberately set out to find unique solutions,” said Pavel Kornilov, Deputy Minister of Construction, Architecture, Housing and Utilities of the Chuvash Republic.

A key stage in the park's redevelopment is pouring the viewing platform foundation, requiring more than 300 cubic metres of concrete. Long piles will support the platform. Because of the steep terrain and changes in elevation, workers are installing retaining walls at several levels to hold the soil in place.

“This is the supporting structure for the paths below, preventing them from slipping downhill. We are laying the base for the paving here. Sand and crushed stone are also being placed under our supervision in preparation for the concrete pour,” said Rustem Gilmanov, a representative of the design organisation.

Victory Park is intended to become a comfortable place for walks and remembrance of the heroes who fought for liberation.

Dmitry Kovalyov, Pavel Iritkov and Sergey Yemelyanov, Chuvashia National Television.