The pier will be the sixth building of its kind on this site - opposite the business center of St. Petersburg. From the end of the 19th century, promenade piers were built there; the current one ends with a 5-storey building with cafes and restaurants. The pier is not surrounded by water throughout its entire length: until about the middle of its length, a bulk island with a park adjoins it.
Participants of the competition had to not only propose their own version of this structure, but also come up with a landscape solution for this park, as well as the design of the embankment adjacent to the beginning of the pier.
Bureau BIG sees the new pier as intertwining many paths and functional areas - for walkers, fishermen, cyclists, swimmers and boaters. The “island” park will also be divided into parts with a different program, each with its own landscape solution. But the most visible element of the project will be the huge "loop" with which the pier will end. It seems that its surface is twisted by a vertical knot, in fact it will be an independent building with exhibition areas, a cafe and an observation deck on the roof; a plaza-platform for concerts and other events will be arranged in its shadow.
In contrast, Michael Maltsan and the landscape bureau Tom Leader Studio have transformed the pier into two slender, curved bridges for pedestrians and cyclists; at the end, they are connected to form a "lens" - a rounded structure bounding a part of the water surface, containing areas for walking and sunbathing, and a boat dock.
The West 8 workshop has given the pier an organic shape, and the park on the bulk island has been partially transformed into a mangrove forest with rich flora and fauna. The pier is adapted for boating and fishing, which is popular with tourists and townspeople, and the architects also thought about feathered fish lovers: comfortable perches for pelicans are planned. The pier ends with a rounded "eye", a building where several levels of terraces will be located - observation, for social events, for a cafe. A "shoal" will be created around - a loose beach.
UPD 2012-22-01 Michael Maltsan and the landscape bureau Tom Leader Studio were named the winners of the competition.
