The site of the New Holland Island was originally built as a shipyard in the time of Peter the Great and is located at the west-side of the historic city centre. Distinctive water canals encircle the island on all sides and flow into a central water basin creating an inner harbour surrounded by historic buildings. The oldest and most interesting historic structures are the brick buildings created for drying timber, the central water basin itself and a remarkable circular building, which housed a former prison. These constitute the elements and buildings to be maintained and revitalised with a new, diversified program.
The proposed master plan for the New Holland site has a programmatic emphasis on culture and entertainment due to its strategic position within a cultural cluster. This cluster consists of The State Hermitage Museum, The Admirality, St. Isaacs Cathedral, north-east of the site, and the Mariinksy Theatre to the south. The island will become a new destination point for international and contemporary culture and entertainment for the city of St. Petersburg, with its capacity to present activities such as large-scale events, open-air concerts and festivities, projections, fashion events and art installations.
The diversified program creates a multilevel dialogue between new and old, and a dynamic new identity enhancing the site’s visibility with three iconic elements totalling over 200.000 m2. The atmosphere of the island’s inner harbour is preserved and the water basin maintained as the centre of the island. This inner harbour serves as the connecting element of the diversified program and the relationship between past and present. The buildings include a four-star hotel apartment complex, a five-star hotel, the so-called “Dutch Houses”, which is a multifunctional retail, housing and entertainment complex, and transformation of the circular building into a “Palace of Festivals, a flexible space for cultural events. Two floors of underground parking will service the program.
competition 2005
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