St.Petersburg The State Hermitage Repository. Stage II. | Konstantin Trofimov

Design: 2003-2004 Construction: 2005-2012 The Team: Studio Head: '>http://S.Trofimov'>, Architect as Project Manager: '>http://N.Trofimova'>, Architect: Ekaterina Maleeva, Konstantin Trofimov, Ilya Trofimov, Darya Dodonova, Vladislav Malevanny, Valeriy Lukin. The Hermitage Repository today is a set of buildings stuffed with state-of-the-art museum technologies, a part of "The Big Hermitage" project. Three hectares of land in Primorsky district are gradually built up with the 8 buildings of the new facility. Even now this is the most advanced facility among all museums. Its concept and technique are unique. Almost 10 years ago a production plant was started in Staraya Derevnya neighborhood but then permanently suspended. The new century came with new ideas. Today the Repository is not just a new storeroom for ¾ of a largest museum collection waiting for being displayed. The "open storage" principle makes all previously concealed masterpieces available to the visitors. Priceless exhibits are already being restored and displayed here. In addition to the greater part of the Hermitage collection and the restoration rooms the new Stage II buildings will accommodate a research library, a multimedia library, a school educational center, collectors' club and lecture and exhibition rooms. The facility is equipped with rooms for research work and support technical services. Museum in-house customs function and special vehicle fleet will support the growing international exhibition exchange. The site also includes three previously erected blocks with a total floor area of 20,000 sq.m. As part of the project a new Restoration and Curators' Block will be built on the existing foundation while the walls of one of the unfinished buildings are used for the Lecture and Exhibition Block. The Entrance Hall, Biological Control Block complete with a hothouse and the Technical Block are the new elements of the sate-of-the-art project. The total floor area of the Stage II blocks is 50,800 sq. m. The Repository architectural concept is based on the combination of large forms, spaces and symbols. In this connection abstract joining of objects is charged with meaningful associations. Thus the design of the main and the largest Restoration and Curators' Block presents a cube of pronouncedly pure gold. The symbolism of this arresting compositional center is that of a jewel box. Aslant to it is a decorative portal faced with Karelian granite. It's full surface is covered with replicas of petroglyphs found at the shores of Lake Onega and the White Sea. The ancient cliffs having preserved the petroglyphs happened to be the first museums in the history of human kind - the ideal storage models. The decorative water basin at the foot of the portal as an eternal mirror reflects the petroglyphs, golden facets and the original stone sculptured figures brought by the Hermitage archeological expeditions. The plaza in front of the entrance will present a modern sculpture garden. One of its fragments is the hanging garden moved here from the Small Hermitage due to the reconstruction of the original building. Here is the planned beginning of the museum display where contemporary art and classical sculptures will be in harmony with ancient idols. The round inner courtyard of the Repository also integrates in the museum space. The glass wall of the Entrance Hall includes the inner garden in the courtyard in the interior. As a continuation of the Hermitage tradition the Repository buildings roofs at different levels will be turned into hanging gardens.