Year:

2018-2019

Area: 

2600 m²

Location:

Saint Petersburg

Status:

concept

Team: 

Evgeny Reshetov, Tatiana Sinelnikova, Lubov Lukonina, Alexandra Kim, Yelizaveta Chernikova, Yelizaveta Morozova

Despite relatively short history of existence, food parks have proved themselves to be worldwide gastronomic classic. In comparison to food courts, restaurants or cafes, food parks provide a feeling of unity, an involvement in processes usually enclosed in professional society and an accessibility of haute cuisine. The Central Market was developed as one of the first food parks in Saint Petersburg and simultaneously as the part of Vladimirsky Passage renovation program. 

The location of the site– inbetween Rubinstein street which is the most popular nightlife destination and Kuznechny Market – resulted in project’s hybrid nature: it blends together the format of a market and a restaurant, so that the indicators of urban areas coexist with intimate fragments of interior spaces. Hence is the special attention paid to the border line between the inner and the outer spaces: the escalator, leading to Rubinstein street and hosting the main flow of visitors, is marked with bright orange colour. 

The sense of an open food hall is achieved through the pavilions, resembling roadside gas stations and newspaper stalls. The rest of the furniture also refers to public spaces: the food park is filled with zones, reminding one of play or sports grounds, allusions to park benches, more private and calm garden zones as well as the stylisations of a railway station waiting room. The urban aesthetic is also communicated through an open engineering infrastructure, murals and public art created by Saint Petersburg based artists. 

Except for providing space for permanent residents, The Central Market is also equipped for temporary events like gastronomic festivals, workshops or degustations. The multifunctional area, hosting all the activities listed above, works as the heart of the park, accompanied by an essential urban element – a “crosswalk”. 

The lighting scenarios of The Central Market accentuate the wide range of its functional modes. During the day time the spacious and brightly illuminated food park is a perfect place for a quick lunch, whereas in the evening the location with subdued lighting offers more sophisticated dining experience.