Sustainable adaptive reuse of a ruined industrial building in St. Petersburg: Pigment factory

Abstract

The established pattern of redevelopment of de-industrialised areas in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, shows a number of unsustainable trends. Redevelopment projects fail to integrate unprotected non-heritage industrial ruins into the new development and usually imply their total demolition with a subsequent construction of monofunctional residential complexes on the created tabula rasa. This monofunctional character of the newly redeveloped areas exacerbates the emerging shortage of recreational green public spaces in the city.

This thesis is intended to showcase that adaptive reuse practice could address these unsustainable trends. An obsolete ruined large-scale ‘Pigment’ factory, not officially defined as a historical and cultural heritage, hence unprotected from demolition, is chosen as a project site. This adaptive reuse project envisions how to prolong the life of the ‘Pigment’ factory and prevent its further ruination by introducing necessary modifications without compromising valuable features and general integrity of the building. The new functional program and modification methods were determined by combination of various factors: the lacking functions in the district, the architectural typology and the current ruined condition of the factory. In general, the design proposal was conceived with acknowledgement of both industrial heritage characteristics and key features of a ruin.

This adaptive reuse project envisions how the ‘Pigment’ factory could be sustainably integrated into the surrounding newly redeveloped residential area in such a way that both the neighbourhood and the city could be improved. It demonstrates the application of adaptive reuse practice, which could enrich the urban fabric and create a sustainable future on the basis of industrial ruins.