Redevelopment of New Holland Island, St. Petersburg by West 8 On June 9, New Holland Development announced that they, alongside West 8, are preparing a new and updated plan for the restoration and reconstruction of historic New Holland Island. Founded in 1719, the island of New Holland is one of St. Petersburg, Russia’s most important monuments. New Holland has a reputation as an island of inventors and scientists, as it was planned and developed by leading architects and engineers. The island has been home to warehouses and administrative spaces for the Russian Navy, a facility for ship builders, a laboratory for science and technology, a naval prison, and one of the first radio stations in the country.
New Holland Island, St. Petersburg ©West 8 urban design & landscape architecture.
“The introduction of the Summer at New Holland program in 2011-2013, highlighted the necessity for creating a park area and recreational infrastructure on the island. In light of this, NHD invited landscape design specialists WEST8 to develop an updated master plan, following on the initial plan developed by NHD and WorkAC. A new development plan for the island is now being drafted by West 8 together with New Holland Development, which includes a full-scale park zone along the Admiralty Canal and the territory surrounding the island’s internal water features.”
New Holland Island, St. Petersburg ©West 8 urban design & landscape architecture.
The new plan is based on respect for existing monument buildings and their potential for new, revised uses. This includes suitable programs that aim to breathe new social and economic vitality into the city of St. Petersburg. The island’s role within the city will be reinvented as West 8’s master plan and design guidelines for New Holland “marry a new verdant landscape with the island’s unique architectural monuments.” West 8 describes the new multi-functional public district as a
“public draw card for intellectual and creative forces from all over the world.” New Holland aims to become
“a city within a city, acting as a center for all types of culture and research, with a developed commercial infrastructure. With three activity zones and hubs for art, film and fashion, and food, the island will combine office spaces, cultural areas, exhibition spaces, restaurants, retail zones, and “aparthotel”. The island will also host a year-round event calendar with a variety of temporary installations and open-air events, such as a winter ice skating rink. The outdoor spaces will contain a series of public areas and green spaces that will add to the ambient public realm. The construction period will be divided into many phases in order to accelerate public access. The city’s residents and tourists will be able to visit the island anew by the end of 2015.
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