Sevkabel PORT
This is a big coastal development project for the historic Sevkabel factory (Siemens & Halske), situated on Vasilyevsky Island. The site is located in an industrial district, placed right between the street (Kozhewennaya linia) and the Gulf of Finland. Old red-brick 19-th century buildings of the Siemens & Halske manufactory coexist with and industrial facilities of the 70s of the 20th century on the same site.
These buildings are located in different Coordinate grids of the brick and concrete buildings differ from each other, and that diference creates complex, trapezoidal spaces between them. Dealing with an existing environment, we focused our efforts on the renovation and adaptation of existing buildings, as well as on the preservation of the industrial genius loci. This approach allowed us to emphasize the existing features of the site, including some of the industrial artefacts.
We chose black raw metal and plain wood as basic materials. The area which is facing the street is relatively traditional – benches and streetlamps of neutral design are placed on small scale granite paving, while the inside territory was considered as a post-industrial freespace. The main entrance is marked by four large rusty rotating pylons. Position of which varies, depending on the situation. The inner alley is flanked by multifunctional wooden objects that combine a tower, a bench and a lamp. Their design is inspired by cable reels, which were widely used on this particular factory. The embankment is divided along into two zones - a lawn is spread right next to the water, while wooden slab forms a new hyper-porch for the main building. 9-meter long benches are located in each niche of the elevation, and on the lawn one may find vertical double-berths for sunbathing. All design solutions are as simple as possible and use industrial materials and aesthetics.
The functional infill of the buildings is truly diverse, all of the residents were carefully selected by the project team in such a way, that all of them are involved in the renovation process. The historical red-brick buildings are mainly occupied by small workshops and bureaus, as well as offices, groud floors are mainly used for restaurants and bars. The former cable hall has been turned into a cozy event space. The Soviet administrative building accommodated a variety of educational and sports projects, as well as shops. The largest concret building, which faces the sea, accommodates a covered plaza, music club and a restaurant on the ground floor. Museum, gallery and theatrical exhibition project are expected to run an the first floor by the end of the year.
The Sevkabel PORT project is a process and represents the development perspective of the entire coastal industrial zone of this area. Former industrial site turns into a multifunctional cluster for everyone, and a place where the city meets the sea.
