Multifunctional complex in St. Petersburg

Saint-Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Saint-Petersburg

Project idea

The idea for the building came as a response to the urban situation. If you stand on the Barochny bridge, the visual axis along the street ends with the vertical dominant of the Leningrad Palace of Youth (LDM), and also in the foreground will be a massive, tall Oriental residential complex. Its corner facade is as if it wanted to remind of the Leningrad Palace of Youth.
With such an abundance of verticality came a horizontal solution. Hence the idea to put the volume of the Youth Palace horizontally, leaving it on its feet, as if floating above the ground in the spirit of constructivism. Also from the opposite corner of the site, visually completing the pedestrian boulevard, a vertical volume is formed. These two volumes are connected by a third. The last one faces the river with the opposite bank.
Since the approaches to the complex were made from the four pedestrian paths on the corners of the site, it was decided to lay internal streets through the complex. They are formed by the stylobate, which in turn supports the general facade line along the embankment. At the intersection of the streets is a multifunctional square and the main entrances to the building.

Project description

The project site is located in the Petrogradsky district of St. Petersburg and is bounded by Professor Popova Street, Barochnaya Street, the Karpovka River embankment and Ioannovsky Lane.
The concept of the quarter is called the 'lighthouse-tower factory', which consists of two factors. The first one is the factor of architectural identity. If you pay attention, in Petrogradsky district and along the banks of the Karpovka river you can see a lot of buildings with tower accents which complete the composition and visual axes. The same technique is used in the street grid of my neighborhood. The towers are like beacons that guide people and connect the public spaces.
The second factor is a natural one. There used to be factories here, but now it's an abandoned area with abundant wildlife. Therefore, it was decided to preserve the vegetation and introduce new landscaping.

The filling of the complex is due to two reasons. First of all based on the analysis of the missing functions in the proximity there is a small modern market with different kitchens and different services and leisure facilities. They are placed in the western, southern and eastern parts of the stylobate. Secondly, taking into consideration that the Youth Palace is now planned for demolition, I planned to transfer part of the functions from the Youth Palace to the new complex, partly as a tribute to the valuable architectural structure.
So, on the second floor will be an auditorium complex with exhibition space, on the third a multifunctional space, including a co-working space with a set of rooms for various activities, a media library, which is connected to the lecture hall on the second floor, as well as office space. The vertical volume of 9 floors accommodates a 42-room apart-hotel, a fitness center, and a café with cinema halls.

Technical information

The project uses self-supporting wooden frame structures and monolithic reinforced concrete frame system. Materials for the facade finishing are composite hinged panels of different series.