New Holland unveils summer cultural programme

New Holland, the triangular island complex in the centre of St Petersburg, will host a final series of cultural events this summer before undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration backed by Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich. Acclaimed Russian architects Boris Bernaskoni and Sergei Bukin have buil temporary structures for an art gallery, a food market, an open-air stage and a skate pool. LavkaLavka, the Moscow-based farmers’ collective, will also oversee an organic community garden and kiosk.

Dasha Zhukova, director of the Iris Foundation, who is overseeing the project said: “The buildings are currently in an unserviceable state so we had to exploit whatever resources we had at hand – the greenery, the water, the atmosphere of the island. We laid the lawn and used shipping containers to create a set of temporary pavilions.”

The red brick buildings that dominate the island have had various uses over last 300 years since the island was taken over by Peter the Great in 1719. Originally used as storage for the navy, they have since been used as dockyards, as a correctional prison and as a space for a radio station. In 2004, the buildings were classed as unsafe and all inhabitants were evacuated.

The initial restoration scheme, designed by British architect Norman Foster, ran into difficulties and was taken over by Abramovich and his partner Zhukova in 2010. The Iris Foundation, which Zhukova heads, also runs the acclaimed Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture in Moscow’s Gorky Park.

The redevelopment is being led by Zhukova and US architectural firm WORKac, which won a 2011 competition for the restoration of the island. Their concept includes turning New Holland into a multifunctional cultural complex comprising theatres, museums, exhibition and education spaces as well as office buildings and hotels. The redevelopment is due for completion by 2018.