Exhibition complex of high technologies
Location
Russia, St. Petersburg
Type
Years
2014
Status
Completed
Works
Concept idea development

About

At the territory of Saint-Petersburg Research Institute of Forestry the building of a unique exhibition complex of high technologies is planned. The originality comes from the way of demonstration of the exhibits, as well as from the approach to image creation:

The territory of Institute of Forestry is surrounded by the atmosphere of the natural landscape. It is an oasis which is totally untypical and uncharacteristic for any St. Petersburger. Tall trees of hardwood embrace all buildings at this area. It should be noted, that not only over one hundred year old trees present the nature value, but also the buildings present the historical value. One of these buildings, which is the object of cultural heritage, is the House of Professor Kaygorodov D.N., built in 1905 in the style of the Northern art Nouveau. The other one is not less valuable – the construction was finished in 1975, and reconstruction took place in 2013.

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The respect to the present environment has formed the basis for the architectural design principle.

Nevertheless, the project doesn’t presuppose any copying or imitation of the earlier built constructions at this area; on the contrary, this building should be erected with the help of new, modern technologies of the future. The new building should symbolize the beginning of a new approach to understanding and studying of forestry science.

Picturesque grove with birches and oaks in the centre of the megapolis – is a present for both, a city resident and a visitor of the exhibition complex. The purpose of its building is not to take this present away when entering the hall, but to erase the borders between the nature landscape and the inner space. It is achieved with the help of several ways.

The new construction will occupy the place of old dilapidated warehouses. As a result, the main area for the complex is free of vegetation. The trees, which are close to the complex, will be preserved, while the outer perimeter will cautiously wrap around them.

Supporting columns of the building have different angles to the surface of the ground, reflecting trees swinging in the wind. The roof over the hall looks like intertwined branches of the nearby growing tree crowns, through which the sun rays are breaking. Commonly, this effect can be seen in the forest, looking up into the sky.

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In the centre of the vestibule, which unites all floors of the complex, there are several tall alive trees, passing all main exhibition halls and stretching up to the glass roof.

With such organization of architectural components, which images are taken from the nature, the building inside doesn’t differ from the structure of outside, it continues everything, that surrounds the exhibition complex.

Main connecting elements are special multifunctional passages. Three such connections are located on the first, third and fifth floors and each represents a space truss structure. The corridors are shifted from each other, making an image of horizontal volumes twisting into a spiral if the visitor looks from the hall. The end of these connections goes out of the building boarders. The entrances which face a dense grove function as conference-halls, having glass walls. The conference-halls reach out of the building borders for 15 meters. The end wall is slightly inclined. This architectural method gives visitors absolutely new impressions – the feeling of full plunging in nature at a good altitude, when it seems that one might reach out to the nearest tree crown. A man gets a unique feeling of the complete merge with the world of nature.

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Those entrances, which face surrounding buildings, function as rest zones. They are more modest in size, than conference-halls, as they are to create the atmosphere of tranquility and privacy. The walls are made of green glass. This color helps one, looking at surrounding urbanism, to stay in the atmosphere of nature landscape in any season. Along with that, from these recreation areas the person can see one of the buildings at the territory, the object of cultural heritage in art Nouveau style.

The connecting corridors are communication zones, which have possibilities for eхtra functions, such as café, open expositions, places for rest, etc.

Three lifts, located in the centre of the vestibule under the glass roof – are an important communication junction. The lifts have glass walls for a better view of the change of the inner space perspectives.

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The exhibition halls are divided into two types. The halls of the first type have up to four meter high ceilings and are meant to show on display small objects and small-scale installations. The halls of the second type occupy practically the half of the building. The halls are inclined and twisted into a spiral from the ground floor up to the top. Thus the visitor can get up to the highest level with the help of the lift and then can descend not down the stairs but just as a result of a sloping floor. This allows not to break one’s travel around the world of 3-D installations, going out to the flights of stairs to get to the next storey. Such construction of floor permits to descend uninterruptedly and to be constantly absorbed by this or that theme of the exhibition. Each next sloping level differs in configuration from the previous one, to give halls a variety of height. It will give flexibility for exhibition organizes in arrangement of objects.

The exterior of the building stresses the diffused borders between the complex and the surrounding nature. The inclined columns, forming the inner structure of the building, are wrapped in facades. Thus the walls are at different angles to each other. The main space of walls is paneled with mirror reflection glass, for everything around to be depicted on the walls. This effect also helps the building to plunge and dissolve into the environment. A small amount of walls have quite a massive character, indicating what load bearing capacity they provide. The walls are made of reinforced concrete, with untreated wood facing texture. Therefore it again stresses the eco-function of the building. These walls have the same facing texture both inside and outside to erase the borders between inward and outward spaces.

All components of building structure as well as facing are aimed to demonstrate to the visitor the dynamic character and marvels of nature from a new, constantly changing viewpoint.

Gallery