Year:

2019

Location:

Saint Petersburg

Size:

5500 m²

Status:

Competition proposal, shortlisted 

Team: 

Evgeny Reshetov, Tatiana Sinelnikova, Anastasia Voropaeva, Ilya Belyakov, Lubov Lukonina, Alexandra Kim, Irina Ten, Yana Demina

Saint Petersburg-based architectural bureau Rhizome has unveiled the proposal for the new leisure and business campus at the city’s new vibrant public space ‘Sevkabel Port’. A rooftop extension overlooking the sea gently complements the post-industrial ensemble of the oldest cable plant in Russia whilst offering new functional programs and spatial experiences for the users of the building. 

The project was shortlisted in the nation-wide open architectural competition launched by the ‘Sevkabel Port’ Managing Company in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The cluster occupies a historical building in the former Siemens-Halske factory overlooking open waters of the Gulf of Finland.

The construction of the business and leisure campus on the roof of the complex’s main warehouse is an important stage in the project’s dynamic development. Blending together social and business functions, Rhizome aims to create a shared space that can simultaneously accommodate an important meeting, a weekend fair, or a Sunday spa visit — all with a spectacular view onto open water. 

The multifunctional, flexible space of the campus consists of four main elements and is open for different scenarios of seasonal activities. The two-storey office space is formed by several self-enclosed work areas for the future operators of the project. Combined with study rooms, a conference hall, and a cafe, the block includes a quiet semi-insulated courtyard and terrace.

On the other side of the roof, guests can pay a visit to a sauna — a vital activity popular across the Baltic region and Russia. A spacious steaming room is complemented with an enclosed solarium and two open summer terraces with a panoramic view of the tranquil waters. The sauna and offices are separated by a wooden boardwalk area of ​​1900 m2 with mobile furniture and podiums that could be reassembled for different kinds of activities.

A 385-meter-long running track made of tartan rubber encloses the campus space and invites users to join an evening jogging club or a rollerblade race.

Transparent volumes of new campus spaces keep up with the laconic geometry of the warehouse. All new blocks are assembled from prefab spatial units supplied by a local producer. The use of modular technology serves two purposes. It allows for the incremental launch of the project, according to the wishes of the client while also avoiding a long-term construction process that would disturb the normal operations of the cluster.