WEST 8 + STUDIO 44 WIN TUCHKOV BUYAN PARK COMPETITION IN SAINT PETERSBURG
press release
 
SAINT PETERSBURG / ROTTERDAM - West 8, in collaboration with Russian partner Studio 44, have won the international design competition for the Tuchkov Buyan Park in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The news was announced live on a press release on the 18th September. The Tuchkov Buyan Park will be located in the middle of the old town on the river Neva, creating beautiful vistas across the water.

The international jury chose the design from 229 applications from 50 countries. West 8 / Studio 44's entry, entitled "Park of Full Sail Romance", refers to the maritime history and romantic identity of St. Petersburg.

The competition set the task of creating a green public space connected to the water. The project also had to improve the quality of life in the adjacent neighbourhoods, and become a magnet for both residents and tourists to visit.
The winning design by West 8 / Studio 44 shows a romantic park for urban strollers and informal festivals. With a topography of undulating hills, the park ‘kisses’ the river and offers visitors views to the beautiful silhouette of the city beyond. Underneath, a series of cubist-designed grottos are planned to bring a rich and diverse series of atmospheres to the waterfront site.

With seasonality in mind, the park has been explicitly designed to be attractive to visitors in both the summer and winter months. Trees and plants have been divided over different ecological zones, including an indoor orangery, which is intended to become a popular destination for visitors. The park also included a variety of other programmatic elements: a large multifunctional lawn, various bridges, a colonnade, a floating stage, a labyrinth, a playground and an open-air theatre.

According to the jury, the design reflects a "spectacular concept" and an "excellent understanding of park design, materials, movement, energy, atmosphere, identity and perspective".

Lastly, the design proposes the creation of a ‘green loop’, creating and accessible route to visit four highlights of St. Petersburg: from the Hermitage, via the fortress of Peter and Paul, past the Tuchkov Buyan Park and ending at the Alexander Garden.
 
 
 
West 8 is an award-winning international office for urban design and landscape architecture founded in 1987. Over the last 31 years West 8 has established itself as a leading practice with an international team of 70 architects, urban designers, landscape architects and industrial engineers. West 8 developed projects all over the world in places such as Copenhagen, London, Moscow, New York, Madrid, Toronto and Amsterdam. The office gained international recognition with projects such as Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam (NL), Borneo-Sporenburg in Amsterdam (NL), Jubilee Gardens in London (UK), Expo \'02 in Yverdon-les-Bains (CH) and Miami Beach SoundScape Park (US). Many of the projects are the result of groundbreaking entries in important international competitions. Recently won competitions include Toronto Waterfront in Toronto (CA), Governors Island in New York (USA) and Yongsan Park in Seoul (KR).

Amongst the numerous awards received by West 8 are the Honor Award of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture 2011, Mondriaan Fund (formerly BKVB), the International Urban Landscape Gold Award (IULA), the Prix de Rome, the Dutch Maaskant Award, the Bijhouwer Award, the Rosa Barba First European Landscape Prize, the Green Pin and the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design.
 
 
 
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