KCAP

Waterfront Heritage Mixed-use

Masterplan for high-quality environment for living, working and recreation at the waterfront

Orange Architects and KCAP, with their plan ‘New Gold Dream’, won first prize in the urban and architectural competition for the most western tip of Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. With its important role in the historical development of St. Petersburg towards the west, Vasilievskiy Island will become the most prominent manifestation of the city of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland.

Golden City is a development concept of the Vasilievsky Island reclamation area in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is based on the design developed by KCAP and Orange Architects with A-Len as part of...

Client
  • Glorax Development, NTVO
Year
  • 2015 - 2016
Status
  • Under Construction (not involved since March 2022)
Program
  • 15 ha Urban plan with six blocks: 220.000 m2 housing, 100.000 m2 other functions and 15.000 m2 street retail, 100.000 m2 mixed-use, school and kindergarten
Disciplines
  • Architecture
  • Urban Design
  • Landscape Architecture
Collaborators
  • Orange Architects
Awards
  • Urban Awards (2016)
  • Move Realty Awards (2018)
  • Move Realty Awards (2019)
  • Urban Awards (2017)
  • International European Property Award (2016)
  • European Property Awards (2016)
  • Golden Capital Award (2021)
Publications

  • Vasilievsky Island is the largest of St. Petersburg's islands. Envisaged by Peter the Great as the center of his new capital, it is home to several of St. Petersburg's most significant institutions. Here, you can find the prestigious St. Petersburg State University, the Stock Exchange, the LenEXPO exhibition center, and the Passenger Sea Port on the island's eastern end. The western end of the island, directly facing onto the Gulf of Finland, is still being developed, so Glorax Development from Moscow organised a competition for the 15-hectare site that is becoming the new face of St. Petersburg for whom arrives from the Baltic Sea.

    Golden City wants to provide a connecting thread between the past and the future, drawing inspiration from classical St. Petersburg, with its historical quarters, picturesque courtyards, and beautiful gardens. 

  • The design concept of the six blocks of the Golden City's mixed-use development project focuses on enhancing the iconic value of the city of St. Petersburg and on creating an attractive and high-quality environment for living, working, and recreation. The peninsula will be enlarged with a park to enjoy the waterfront at the Finnish Bay. In the competition project, the basic principles for all buildings of the ensemble were defined: white volumes of buildings on a golden plinth interacting with the public space, and golden tops of towers with unique completions: spires that remember the decorative Fabergé style.

  • Golden City offers stylish glazing, emphasizing the lightness and airiness of buildings, impressive facades, a variety of open spaces, pedestrian streets, and sun-drenched courtyards. All this is combined with boulevards, fashionable restaurants, and chic boutiques: a mix that gives the complex a bright personality and unique historical flavor. 

    The attention to the pre-existence of St. Petersburg, its architecture and nature, plays a vital role in the overall design of the new development that takes advantage of the local qualities. All spaces are interconnected. Therefore, the pedestrianised district fosters a neigbourhood feeling. Walkability is the tangible sign of the human scale, besides the significant dimensions of the buildings themselves.

  • Block 6 has already been implemented, while blocks 4, 7, and 8 are under construction. Block 4 is a triangular shaped block that creates one coherent and exciting working environment. The ensemble consists of a set of individual-shaped solitary buildings for a complex functional mix. The various office buildings have shared functions in the plinth and offer a commercial program, a kindergarten, and parking facilities.

    Block 7 consists of one six-storey perimeter block with three 17-storey towers on top and includes two courtyards: one is enclosed, and the other is open. The building has one underground level. The first floor has a commercial program with five residential floors above.

    The terraced shape of Block 8 stands out in the silhouette of the Golden City skyline. The stepped tower volumes create green rooftop terraces that enjoy panoramic views over the courtyards, the city, and the Finnish bay. The golden topped towers and double-height commercial plinth are recognizable special features in the façade. The overall concept for façade composition is based on a geometrical grid of white and golden elements. The difference in the decoration enriches the dynamic building shape and creates a playful ensemble. 

Gallery

Related news

Related projects