In addition to Studio 44, David Chipperfield Architects (UK), MVRDV (Netherlands) and WorkAC (USA) received proposals to continue working on their island development projects. Recall that a new closed international competition designed to decide the fate of the famous island was announced in St. Petersburg in February this year. Six leading foreign architectural firms were invited to participate in it: in addition to the already named finalists, these are OMA, Dixon Jones and Lacaton & Vassal. In addition to Nikita Yavein, Russia at the competition was represented by Yuri Avvakumov and Alexander Brodsky. For more than a month, teams worked on their proposals for turning New Holland into a multi-functional cultural and commercial complex, and then an Advisory Committee of Experts selected 4 best projects.
The shortlisted bureaus will present the final versions of the island's development concepts by early summer. In June, all works will become exhibits at the exhibition, which will be held in the new building of the Central Naval Museum on the embankment of the Kryukov Canal, next to New Holland. According to the organizer of the competition, Millhouse, the winner will be announced at the end of the exhibition and "after consultation with members of the public."
As you know, this is the second attempt to choose a scenario for the development of the territory of New Holland with the help of an international competition. The first one was held in 2006 and was won by the tandem of the developer Shalva Chigirinsky (ST "New Holland") and the famous British architect Norman Foster. Foster's project combined the respect for the monument with new forms and technologies - in particular, the Palace of Festivals, designed in the form of a star, was compared by many to a spaceship that landed in the center of the island. Then, in 2006, Foster's proposal was greeted with great enthusiasm (by the way, Studio 44 was the consultant to the British bureau), but 4 years later the project was deemed too expensive and “inadequate”. In February 2010, the authorities of St. Petersburg officially announced the abandonment of the project, after which they discussed the option of inviting Mosproekt-2 and personally its head Mikhail Posokhin to participate in the reconstruction of the island, and then a new investment competition was held. In November 2010, it was won by New Holland Development LLC, a structure of Roman Abramovich's Millhouse company, undertaking to create a new landmark of St. Petersburg (preserving all the architectural monuments on the island's territory) in 7 years and invest at least 12 billion rubles.
