Food halls are a significant hedonic trend in the pre-pandemic era. In St. Petersburg, which local publications like (or have they already liked?) To call the gastronomic and bar capital of Russia, four large sites were opened last year where one could taste the cuisine of different parts of the world: the first were Dolgoozerny Market and the City Mall shopping mall in densely populated Primorsky district, then pulled up the "Gallery" at the Moscow railway station and, finally, the Vasileostrovsky market. The format quickly became popular, during rush hours you had to stand in a decent line to get your portion of pho-bo or pleskavitsa. Commercial success was evident, with new discoveries being announced from time to time.
Apparently, the Torzhkovsky market also fell into this wave. It was re-conceived by Agora. Gastro-urbanism - now there is such a creative business that is engaged in the development of gastronomic clusters. The RHIZOME bureau, which knows a lot about pleasures, was invited to create the architectural project: one of his famous works is a portable table for organizing a picnic with wine on the embankments of St. Petersburg. Of the more serious implementations: the Futura bistro, which quickly became a cult place, or the interior of the O gastrobar, photographs of which have been circulated in architectural magazines.
The initial data of the Torzhkovsky market differ from those of previous food halls: it is located in a fairly quiet area near the Chornaya Rechka metro station, where there are no crowds of tourists or malls, and the surrounding buildings are mostly below ten floors. The building itself belongs to the era of modernism: it was built in 1978 according to the project of Lengiprotorg.
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zooming 1/3 Renovation concept of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 2/3 Concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 3/3 Vyborg trade market in the city of Leningrad. Cuts along the axes 1975. Courtesy of Rhizome
Architects consider their project more like a restoration. They took the documentation of the 1970s as a basis in order to reliably renovate the facade, part of which is a solid showcase, remove the later layers and return bright characteristic details: for example, the floor, laid out in the terrazzo technique that is fashionable today. Also, a hotel will reopen in the building, which was also in the original project.
The entrance lobbies and signboard will be completely renovated. The name of the market will be written in “cash-calculator” font, letters will be “typed” from rectangular blocks with LED backlighting, which can change color depending on the season, time of day and night, holidays. A second level will appear in the inner space, which will increase the usable area and complicate the composition.
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zooming 1/3 Renovation concept of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 2/3 The concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 3/3 The concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
After all the transformations, the market will cease to be just a retail outlet and will turn into a public space. But not an attraction, since it will retain its identity: in the purity of forms, freed from signs, laconic interiors, stylized under the modernist aesthetics of panels.
Counters with farm products remain the main ones - a special place has been designed for each category of goods, but they will be complemented by cafe kiosks, an event platform and a museum of the history of trade and public catering of St. Petersburg - welcome visitors with children. Seating areas will be located along the glazed façade so that passers-by can spy on the daily life of the market. The square in front of the entrance will be landscaped for summer fairs, concerts and recreation.
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zooming 1/4 Renovation concept of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 2/4 The concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 3/4 Concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
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zooming 4/4 Concept of renovation of the Torzhkovsky market © Rhizome
Reconstruction works have already begun and are planned to be completed by the end of the year.
