Project by Artem Agekyan and Gleb Agenorov. Open image full size

The bachelor's final qualifying work of Artem Agekyan, an SPbGASU graduate, and Gleb Agenorov, a second-year master's student at the Faculty of Architecture of our university, was included in the 100 best projects at the international student architectural competition World Architectural Student Awards (WASA).

The work of the authors from SPbGASU “Revitalization of the territory of the Big Sea Port of St Petersburg” took fourth place in the A-League (A-League is a league responsible for a modern and integrated approach to the development of the design territory).

The World Architectural Student Awards is the world's largest student architecture competition. A professional jury evaluates student projects based on three main principles: creating equal opportunities for all participants regardless of their home country and language, transparent judging and accessible feedback from jury members. Based on the results of the competition, a world ranking of 100 authors of the best works is formed.

Participation in the competition allows you to share your creative vision with the global architectural community and receive feedback from professionals.

The noted project is the work of a close-knit team of two caring urban planners, as well as teachers Mikhail Vilensky and Ksenia Veretennikova

St Petersburg port today

The work is based on a study that made it possible to identify problems in the territory of the Big Sea Port and outline prospects for solving them in the interests of the entire city.

According to the project, a new multifunctional district is being formed on the territory, consisting of separate “cells” with their own sites of attraction.

The area under study is located in the west of St Petersburg, on the site of the existing Big Sea Port.

The coastline, 31 km long, is washed by the waters of the Neva Bay, separated by the Kronstadt Dam from the Gulf of Finland. The port is one of the largest in the North-West of Russia with a cargo turnover of over 60 million tons and occupies an impressive territory of 600 hectares (2.56% of the city’s area, which is significantly higher than in most large port cities in Russia and the world), and its territory influence is more than 1300 hectares. This includes the entire territory of Kanonersky and most of Gutuevsky Islands, harbors, Ekateringof Park, Western High-Speed Diameter, etc..

In the process of development of the city, man-developed territories and industrial development constantly increased, destroying the recreational framework and preventing residential development from the shore. Compared to the entire city, the area has a depressing industrial appearance. This is a valuable space near the cultural center of the city with unique historical and engineering objects.

The authors assessed the development of the entire Baltic basin and port from the 12th century to the present day and identified the most pressing and large-scale problems:

• the location of the port in a small and farthest water area of the Gulf of Finland with an impressive cargo turnover;
• the huge traffic of cargo ships through the only passage in the dam protecting St Petersburg from floods, which negatively affects the environmental situation in the Neva Bay;
• the port’s inability to accommodate large cargo ships with low draft and long length;
• the lack of high-quality transport infrastructure both for the study area and for the entire water area as a whole;
• the social inaccessibility and isolation of both infrastructure and valuable water front.

The strategy for the development of Russian sea port infrastructure until 2030 (approved by the Maritime Board under the Government of the Russian Federation on 28 September, 2012) involves increasing the capacity of the St Petersburg port by more than doubling - up to 125 million tons, which will negatively affect the environmental and transport situation in Northern capital. In 2021, statements appeared about the possibility of moving the port outside the city. The sustainable development strategy is designed for 50 years, during which the port will be relocated to Ust-Luga and Primorsk in the Leningrad Region, as well as to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. Removing ports from large cities is a common solution around the world, which has a positive impact on the quality of the environment. 

Project concept

Today, the port area is part of the “gray belt” (industrial development around the central part of the city) of St Petersburg. The industrial function of the port has formed around it a large number of exploited and abandoned industrial enterprises that closely interact with it. In the east and south of the territory there are two large thermal power plants: Pervomaiskaya CHPP-14 and South-Eastern CHPP. All this led to the inaccessibility of the territory and the high density of residential development along the periphery of the port.

Revitalization of the site can give a new impetus to the development of not only the historical part of the city, but also all coastal areas of the Neva Bay, creating a unified social and business urban fabric around the water area. The prerequisite for this is a multitude of projects for planning areas of advanced socio-economic development throughout the entire radius of the bay. Thus, along the long coastline of the Neva Bay, numerous development epicenters with different functional contents are being formed: in the north and west – social and business, and in the south – cultural and leisure.

This approach will help the development of a new type of public transport - water, and coupled with the accessibility of the new area for other types of transport, a unified circulation of life will appear in the coastal areas of the Neva Bay. Subsequently, the expansion of satellite epicenters will create a single organism in the form of a new St Petersburg.

These changes will make it possible to conceptualize St Petersburg not only as a cultural city, but also as a powerful economic engine of the North-West of Russia. 

Functional zoning

The conceptual proposal for the territory is based on the presence of railways, a harbor, cultural heritage sites (including Ekateringof Park), as well as residential and public development. The design area is divided into four key areas.

The area of cultural significance is located in the south of the Gutuevsky and Kanonersky Islands, its borders are formed in the north by the Western High-Speed Diameter, in the south by the Baroque and Eastern basins, the Lesnoy Mole roadstead, in the east by the Ekateringofka River, and in the west by the Gulf of Finland.

The proposed concept for the reconstruction of this area is based on a large number of water bodies washing the territory and the typology of port infrastructure. Foreign experience in the development of former port areas was analyzed and used.

The area of scientific and environmental significance is located in the very south of the territory where the oil terminal of the Big Port of St Petersburg is now located. In the north and west it borders with the Gulf of Finland and the Sea Canal, in the south with the Krasnenkaya River, and in the east with Ugolnaya and Bolshaya Turukhtannaya harbors. The functional significance of this area is due to the already existing green zone and large park and recreational potential. In addition, this territory is convenient for the location of research facilities for the study and restoration of marine biology of the water area due to direct access to the Gulf of Finland and the existing large settling lake.

The concept of planning solutions is based on the winding alignment of railway tracks, which form the planning axes of the area. A significant role in the formation is played by a settling lake in the north-west of the territory, a thermal power plant, as well as a water-recreational framework.

The light industry district is supposed to be located in the space currently occupied by the Kirov plant and nearby enterprises, around which there is a large residential area. The functional role of this area is determined by the developed industrial infrastructure and high street and road development. Existing railway tracks can be used for their intended purpose.

The concept of the territory is based on existing cultural heritage sites, railway tracks, as well as water bodies in the east of the area under consideration.

The sports and recreational area is located on the territory of the Turukhtanny Islands and the island of Crooked Dam. The harbor of Lesnoy Mole is convenient for holding water sports competitions and orients the territory towards sports in general. Its park serves as a transit between the mainland and the theme park on Kanonersky Island.

Due to an integrated approach and consistency of urban planning solutions, a new city district is created in the design area, fully revealing the potential of the regenerated area. The city will receive a new access to the sea and an expressive sea facade, and will acquire new tourist and economic opportunities. At the same time, the area will be highly accessible for land and water transport along the entire perimeter of the water area, which will improve the transport situation in St Petersburg as a whole..

In addition to recognition at the World Architectural Student Awards, the project received the following awards:

• Grand Prix in the category “Architecture” at the International Review-Competition of final qualifying works for bachelors, specialists, masters at the XXIII International Forum “New Ideas of the New Century” in Khabarovsk;
• Silver diploma at the VI Open Architectural Competition of the Volga Federal District “Archnovation”;
• Diploma of the Union of Architects of Russia at the international festival “Architecture” in 2023;
• Bronze Diploma of the Green Roof Challenge 2023, organized by the Guild of Landscape Engineers.