The Hovard Palace club house was built in the center of St. Petersburg, a two-minute walk from the Fontanka river embankment. Around - low, mostly historical buildings, which form a dense front of Zagorodny Prospekt. The site for construction appeared after the demolition of the hostel. Its tenants were resettled, and on the vacated area of 0.6 hectares, they decided to build a new elite residential complex. The author of the project is Moscow architect Mikhail Belov, who worked in close cooperation with colleagues from St. Petersburg. The implementation took almost ten years in total. But on the other hand, over a long period of time, it was possible to accurately verify the details and solutions, to achieve high quality performance.
As the author of the project, Mikhail Belov, explains, the main task was the need to delicately and organically fit a large-scale nine-story building into the chamber environment of the historical center of the northern capital. For this purpose, the U-shaped building in the plan is shifted into the quarter. A wide and well-maintained courtyard is laid out in front of it, more like a city square. In the center of the building, under a spectacular classical portico, the entrance is symmetrically located - it is also the main entrance. Petersburgers still call the main entrance of residential buildings that way.
The harmony of perception of the new building in the existing environment is ensured by the neoclassical style chosen by the architect. The house follows the order system, corresponds to the classic proportions and the "Golden Ratio". The basement is highlighted, the residential part is divided into order belts: Tuscan and Ionic. In the upper part, there are penthouses: they are slightly displaced inward relative to the main body of the building, making them look like a solid completion. In all its manifestations, the new residential complex seems to be trying to make peace with its surroundings, trying on the image of either an old St. Petersburg palace or a Northern Italian palazzo.
Light facades are decorated with stucco moldings, slender columns, pilasters, protruding bay windows, deep cornices, wrought iron gratings and even sculptures. The main finishing material is a brick of a warm milky shade, the decor is matched to the brick. Forged balconies and tall oak windows add elegance. Large windows with sashes 2x3 meters were made specifically for the Hovard Palace club residential complex by Avangard Saint-Petersburg on an individual project using ROTO FRANK fittings.
Given the harsh climate, only triple glazing could provide warmth in the large apartments of the club house. The weight of each sash with triple glazing is about 60 kg - which is a lot, but for Roto NT Designo fittings this weight is far from being the limit. Completely hidden from view, the ROTO FRANK hardware is modern and efficient, therefore it is well suited for French panoramic windows, designed according to historical models and supplied for Hovard Palace. A total of 800 double-leaf windows were installed in the new complex, manufactured in our own workshop of the Avangard Saint-Petersburg company. Their laconic and noble design ideally suited the interiors of all apartments, without exception, made in three styles: Art Deco, Empire and Neoclassicism - according to the projects of the famous designer Robert Molon.
The total area of the complex is about 30,000 m². It has 75 apartments with a very spacious area in our time of crisis: from 125 to 620 m². Also, as already mentioned, penthouses are provided: they are even larger and they offer a breathtaking view of the historical center of St. Petersburg. The first floors include a fitness club with a 25-meter swimming pool, a bath complex, a wellness area and a spa, a first-aid post, a children's playroom and storage rooms for residents. In the underground part there is a two-level parking lot. In front of the house there is a square with islets of greenery, recreation areas, designer lighting of the territory. There is a certain conservatism in everything here, inherent in the architecture of the complex. Although one must think that it was precisely the adherence to traditions and love for the classics that softened the impression and made it possible for such a large-scale new building to be present in the prevailing architectural environment of St. Petersburg.
