West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

West 8 / Studio 44's entry, entitled "Park of Full Sail Romance", shows a romantic park for urban strollers and informal festivals, whilst referring to the maritime history and romantic identity of St. Petersburg.

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. Lastly, the design proposes the creation of a ‘Green Loop’, creating an 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. 

An international jury chose the design from 229 applications from 50 countries, praising the project as "a spectacular planning concept" and the "excellent understanding of park design, materials, movement, energy, atmosphere, identity and perspective".

 

Competition Organizer:
Strelka KB

Consultant team:
Taisia Volftrub
Derevopark