RESTORATION AND MODERNISATION OF THE MAYAKOVSKY PUBLIC LIBRARY 44 Fontanka Embankment, St. Petersburg, Russia

RESTORATION AND MODERNISATION OF THE MAYAKOVSKY PUBLIC LIBRARY 44 Fontanka Embankment, St. Petersburg, Russia

Client: Construction Committee of St. Petersburg Administration

Start of design: 2015

End of realization: 2021

Project team:

Architects: Pavel Sokolov, Janna Razumova, Irina Kalinyakova, Ekaterina Feodorova,

Restorers: Anna Smirnova, Svetlana Morozova, Oleg Kuzevanov, Anastasia Shulyakova, Tatiana Gerasimenko, Marina Zhukova, Olga Rogacheva, Elena Minova, Ekaterina Musinskaya, Vera Khatskevich, Marina Chekavinskaya

Structural engineers: Sergey Bogdanov, Irina Lyashko

Chief  engineers of the project: Irina Chapova, Kira Balkanova

The Mayakovsky Public Library is housed in buildings that once belonged to The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius: the former monastic cell (frontage block), the former Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh (northern block) and the Church of the Holy Trinity (eastern block). Initially, the façade of 44 Fontanka Embankment was decorated with neo-Russian stucco decor: corbel arches, sandricks, medallions and bas-reliefs. The stucco was knocked down during Soviet times, and several generations of visitors associate the architecture of the library with its smooth, plaster façade. In the mid-1990s, the finishes were recreated, but in a poor quality, with many of the elements differing from the architect Nikolai Gornostayev's design. The restorers at “Studio 44” felt it necessary to replace the existing cement stucco with new plaster castings  in accordance with archive drawings.

The transformation inside the blocks was aimed at improving the storage and circulation of books, creating a comfortable environment for visitors and various events - exhibitions, lectures, round tables, etc. A multifunctional room is set up for these meetings.

The basements of all three blocks were lowered by 30 cm to allow the installation of all the necessary utilities and equipment. A reception area and a computerised information area are situated under the brick vaults of the ground floor of the frontage block. One of the main technical innovations of the library is the automatic monorail delivery of books from the storage rooms to the circulation point (the structure is hidden behind the suspended ceiling). In addition, readers who sometimes have no time to stop by the library to drop off a book will now be able to do so at any time of the day or night. There is a special vestibule at the entrance to the courtyard block (formerly Sergius of Radonezh Church) where you can leave your books.

In the eastern building (the former Church of the Holy Trinity), an additional Soviet-era slab was removed, restoring the former hall volume with its tall windows. The height of this spacious room (8 m) allowed building a two-level bookshelf mezzanine with open access for visitors. A glass staircase, with special anti-slip coating on the steps, leads to the upper level.

Gross internal area - 4 526,9 sq.m

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