West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

In accordance with a new master plan developed by West 8, and approved by the Investment Committee and the Council for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the City of Saint Petersburg, New Holland Island’s first phase of restoration and regeneration has been completed. The island reopened to the general public on the 27th of August 2016, with a newly completed phase one that includes:

- The reorganization and landscaping of park areas in the interior of the island;
- The restoration and contemporary outfitting of the former blacksmith's building (The Foundry), the administrative building (The Commandant’s House), and the old naval prison (nicknamed The Bottle);
- The restoration and landscaping of the embankment of the Admiralteisky Canal and the island’s inner basin;
- The installation of infrastructure for the engineering and technical support of the island;
- The installation of lighting architecture for the park areas and the restored buildings;
- A playground modeled after the historical frigate ship Petr and Pavel;
- The planting of a herb garden outside the Foundry building;
- The placement of temporary pavilions for hosting cultural events as well as facilities necessary for the administration of the park (kiosks, info-centers, a stage, restrooms, and entrance).

Work will continue on the renovation of the large historic complex of former warehouses, which are scheduled to be fully restored and ready for use by 2025. Nevertheless, the island will now stay open to the public year-round.

After the recent success of the public arts and culture program 'Summer on New Holland', lead by Dasha Zhukova’s IRIS Foundation, New Holland Development decided not to proceed with the original plan to construct a new building on the island. Instead, they chose to organize a full-fledged city park, complete with infrastructure with a focus on adaptive reuse.

To implement this idea, they employed West 8, under the direction of Design Director Edzo Bindels. Observation and research conducted during temporary programming of the island helped inform the new master plan, which received official approval from the municipal authorities in 2014.

All of the projects listed contained within Phase 1 have been realized over a span of only two years. The second phase of restoration and renovation is slated to be completed in 2019. This phase includes the restoration and landscaping of the area around the buildings of Corpus 12, which comprises a total area of more than 15,000 m² along the Kryukov Canal, on the side of Ploshchad Truda (Labor Square).

For more information visit the New Holland website

more information: New Holland