Makeover for st petersburg

The historic city of St Petersburg in Russia is to get an extreme makeover - Architects HOK have unveiled plans which aim to regenerate the city's Eastern fringes and include the city's first ‘Techno Park'...

St Petersburg has so many aliases it's difficult to choose between them. Often referred to as the Venice of the North, the Paris of the East and the northern capital of Russia, the city's stunning beauty really is a brand all of its own.

Lying on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, St Petersburg has been one of Russia's political and cultural centres for more than 200 years. Home to 4.6 million people, it is Russia's second largest and Europe's fourth largest city, (by city limit).

More evocative of Russia's past than any place except perhaps the Moscow Kremlin, the historical city is to be given an extreme makeover, and brought right up to date with the construction of the city's first Techno Park.

The master plan, designed by Architects HOK, covers 148 acres of land on the Eastern fringes of St Petersburg. 

The plan covers 148 acres and includes a mixed-use scheme containing an established technical university and the existing public transport system. The new scheme will combine offices and a training Centre.

A blueprint for the Techno Park is also in the pipeline, which will be financed through public, private and state funded investment.

HOK's Head of Planning in London Tim Gale, said, "The scheme will help create a new identity and heart for the district.

"This is a new genre of master planning for St Petersburg and it's a brave move for the city.

"The plan seeks to capture the synergy between the academic base and more commercial uses to provide a dynamic and democratic heart to the district," added Mr Gale.

Once planning permission has been granted, construction is due to begin on the project in early 2010.

And another thing...

St Petersburg also recently got a new wing for their Museum of Fine Arts, which was also designed by Architects HOK. The new Hazel Hough Wing, a £10 million expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, opened to the public earlier this year.

At nearly 40,000 square feet, the addition virtually doubles the size of the museum and allows visitors to see far more of its permanent, 4,600-piece collection, while enhancing the flexibility of touring shows, says Director John Schloder.

Picture by wili_hybrid