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New Holland Development today announced that it is preparing a new, updated plan for the restoration and reconstruction of New Holland Island, which includes a full-scale park zone along the Admiralty Canal and the territory surrounding the island’s internal water features.
Under the new plan, the construction period will be divided into several phases in order to accelerate public access to one of the city’s most popular landmarks. St. Petersburg’s residents and tourists will be able to visit the island anew by the end of 2015.
The success of the Summer at New Holland program, held from 2011 to 2013, demonstrated the necessity for creating a park area and recreational infrastructure on the island. In light of this, plans to build along the Admiralty Canal side of the island have been scrapped.
The former foundry building and the pond will open along with the park area, hosting a series of cultural events and a winter ice skating rink. Work on the remainder of New Holland’s historic buildings will continue, but the island will remain open to the public.
As a result of these changes in concept and the expansion of the area dedicated to the new park, New Holland Development has retained Dutch urban planning firm West 8, which specializes in landscape design and public spaces to build upon the master plan successfully completed by WORKac.
The new general plan for the island is being developed by Dutch urban planning firm West 8, which specializes in landscape design and public spaces.
The restoration and reconstruction of New Holland’s historic buildings are being conducted in accordance with plans approved by regulatory agency KGIOP. The planned functional uses of the buildings remain as previously announced. They include exhibition and art spaces, children’s and youth educational centers, offices, stores, a cinema and and hotel type serviced appartments. More information on the project will be published by the end of summer on the New Holland website: www.newhollandsp.com.
After the reopening, a schedule of programming similar to what has been offered in past summers will be held year-round, making New Holland one of St. Petersburg’s most important social and cultural centers. The Iris Foundation, which focuses on the support and development of contemporary culture, will continue in its organizational role for these events.
About West 8
West 8 is an award-winning international office for urban design and landscape architecture, founded in 1987. Over the last 25 years West 8 has established itself as a leading practice with an international team of 70 architects, urban designers, landscape architects and industrial engineers. West 8's main office is based at the port of Rotterdam, and has two branch offices in Belgium, New York and Toronto. West 8's New York office was established after winning an international design competition for the design of Governors Island Park - a 172-acre island in the New York Harbor.
With a multi-disciplinary approach to complex design issues, West 8 has extensive experience in large-scale urban master planning and design, landscape interventions, waterfront projects, parks, squares and gardens. It also develops concepts and visions for large-scale planning issues that address global warming, urbanization and infrastructure.
West 8 developed projects all over the world in places such as Copenhagen, London, Moscow, New York, Madrid, Toronto, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Seoul. The office gained international recognition with projects such as Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam (NL), Borneo Sporenburg in Amsterdam (NL), Chiswick Park in London (UK) and Expo '02 in Yverdon-les-Bains (CH).
Many of the projects are the result of groundbreaking entries in important international competitions. Recently won competitions include Governors Island in New York (USA), Playa de Palma in Mallorca (ES), Miami Lincoln Park New York (USA) and Yongsan Park in Seoul (KR).
Amongst the numerous awards received by West 8 are the Honor Award of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the International Urban Landscape Gold Award (IULA), the Prix de Rome, the Dutch Maaskant Award, the Bijhouwer Award, the Rosa Barba First European Landscape Prize, the Green Pin, the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture of The Mondriaan Fund (previously BKVB, the Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture).
About New Holland Development
New Holland Development (NHD) was founded in 2010 for the explicit purpose of developing a proposal for the island of New Holland. On November 15, 2010, the company officially won the right to redevelop the island, as awarded by the municipal administration of the city of Saint Petersburg, with the goal of further restoration and preservation of the architectural monuments on the island. According to the investment agreement, NHD will invest no less than 12 billion rubles over a seven-year construction period. NHD signed this contract with the city on December 15, 2010. From that moment on, NHD has been the sole investor and developer of the island of New Holland.
Summer in New Holland
The Summer in New Holland program began in 2011 as an experiment on potential paths for the development of the island. Over the course of three years, New Holland welcomed more than 760,000 visitors and hosted over 900 events, peaking in the 2013 season with 382,000 guests and 500 events. New Holland served as a venue for projects in the spheres of contemporary art, architecture, design, literature, theater, technology, sport, gastronomy and programs for children. Highlights included the Orange Days festival of contemporary Dutch culture; the IT festival Geek Picnic; projects by US artists The Bruce High Quality Foundation (“The Apology”, “Art History with…”, “Public Art and Collaboration”); Open Library Day; the Trikubitus Summer Adventure Camp for children; the Pop Up Gallery featuring a series of exhibitions in cooperation with contemporary art galleries from Russia and abroad; concerts by young Russian musicians; and much more.
About the Iris Foundation
Founded by Daria Zhukova in 2008, Iris Foundation is a nonprofit organization for the support and advancement of contemporary culture and art both in Russia and abroad. The foundation’s first project was the opening of the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture – the largest space of its kind in Moscow – in the historic Bakhmetevsky Garage, which was designed by Constructivist architects Konstantin Melnikov and Vladimir Schukhov. The Center’s primary objectives are to bring the finest cultural and artistic achievements to Russia, to raise the prestige of the country’s own contemporary culture, and to nurture the next generation of Russian artists. Garage also organizes and supports numerous cultural events around the world. In 2012, the Center relocated to a temporary pavilion in Moscow’s Gorky Park. Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the structure consists entirely of recycled paper and cardboard. In 2014, Garage received the international status of museum. The Iris Foundation was appointed by the developers of New Holland Island as the creative director for the architectural concept and development strategy of the island.
