Fundamentals of shaping a pedestrian street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex

Kolodin Konstantin ORCID: 0000-0001-7197-9824 PhD in Architecture Associate Professor, Department of Architectural Design, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering 190005, Russia, gorod Sankt-Peterburg, g. Saint Petersburg, ul. 2-Ya krasnoarmeiskaya, 4 kolodinstudio@bk.ru Cherepanov Petr Bachelor's Degree, Department of Architectural Design, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering 190005, Russia, gorod Sankt-Peterburg, g. Saint Petersburg, ul. 2-Ya krasnoarmeiskaya, 4 perech1967@mail.ru

Skurlatova Ekaterina Anatol'evna Bachelor's Degree, Department of Architectural Design, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering 190005, Russia, Sankt-Peterburg oblast', g. Saint Petersburg, ul. 2-Ya krasnoarmeiskaya, 4 skurlatova.katarina@mail.ru

Relevance of the research topic

St. Petersburg is experiencing the need to form territories whose design solutions and functioning will be attractive for both city residents and tourists to visit. Multifunctional complexes can become the main objects of attraction in the design of city districts. This aspect seems relevant, since today, when designing new areas, the main preference is given to residential and commercial facilities. The development of a pedestrian street model in the form of a multifunctional complex could solve the problem of balanced design.

Complexes of this typology involve visitors in their functionality and offer them, as participants of the structure, a certain behavioral choice. These goals are achieved by the formation of enfilade design functions, as well as the creation of public areas and playgrounds. In turn, the presence of such multifunctional complexes gives an incentive to the active use of adjacent areas of the district. Transport links with other areas of the district and urban public facilities are structured.

Multifunctional complexes should be provided with a territory of such a size that will correspond to their socio-social goals. Separate areas are allocated for open areas – technical zones and parking lots. It is important to create a typology of complex design with more chamber differentiation of diversified components ^[1]. This, in turn, will allow to allocate a larger number of plots for residential and commercial development, which today seems to be important.

As part of a promising approach to the creation of multifunctional complexes in new districts of St. Petersburg, special attention should be paid to the design of pedestrian streets. In order to achieve the stated goals, it seems advisable to create a street with the correct cyclical mechanism of operation, since tourist pedestrian streets in the city center are not used efficiently enough. A new solution could be the design of a pedestrian street with an expansion of the spectrum of its functions in the structure of a particular district ^[2] and the elaboration of its purpose as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex.

The purpose of the study: to conduct a systematic analysis and study the main directions of the architectural and planning organization of multifunctional complexes in Russian urban planning practice. This analysis will allow us to develop a model of unified construction of objects in the form of multifunctional pedestrian streets.

Research objectives

· to determine the most relevant formation of a multifunctional pedestrian street in the planning structure of the new districts of St. Petersburg

· to develop an optimal mechanism for the operation of a pedestrian street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex

· determine the basic principles of shaping a pedestrian street as an architectural object in the form of a multifunctional complex

The object of the study is the three-dimensional structure of a multifunctional complex designed in the form of a pedestrian street in the Lenexpo residential quarter (St. Petersburg).

The subject of the study is the principles of shaping the diversified components of the street made in the project and presented in the form of a multifunctional complex of complex structure.

Research methodology: structural analysis of the proposed project "Multifunctional pedestrian street in the structure of the Lenexpo quarter" (St. Petersburg) in order to identify its advantages in the construction of residential quarters.

The novelty of the idea lies in the design of a pedestrian street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex included in the structure of a residential quarter.

The role of a multifunctional street in the architectural and planning structure of the city

In the historical part of St. Petersburg there are a large number of architectural complexes consisting of unrelated public buildings, but at the same time they are centers of attraction for tourists and residents of the city. Successful examples of such complexes located in the historical center inspire modern architects to stylized imitation of such ensembles in areas with modern buildings and their re-adaptation taking into account the new architectural and planning structure. This approach can serve as an incentive to search for modern solutions in the development of public urban facilities and improve their functional quality ^[3].

At the moment, it seems appropriate and relevant to create such architectural imitations and adaptations for new districts of St. Petersburg in order to continue the overall architectural context and maintain the integral identity of the city ^[4]. These complexes can be qualitatively planned using the methodology of functional design, which includes the zoning of the territory and the placement of objects for various purposes, for example, residential areas, public areas and streets.

The relevance of the pedestrian street in the planning structure of the new districts of the city is obvious. Pedestrian street is the main social transit. Creating links between public and industry groups through the street as an architectural object should become a priority for investors and developers ^[5]. To date, the street performs the only function of transit. It is proposed to rethink the role of the street in the planning structure of the new districts of the city and present it as an independent object, which will be one of the main formative components in the structural design of the territory.

Multifunctional pedestrian street as an independent object in the block structure

The idea of a pedestrian street as an architectural object as part of a multifunctional complex is shown by the example of a project proposal of this kind in the structure of the Lenexpo quarter (St. Petersburg). This quarter is located in the south of Vasilievsky Island – the historical district of St. Petersburg. The projected site occupies an area of 13.63 hectares and is located near significant objects of the city – the public space "Sevkabel Port" and the Sea Station. The quarter has a long embankment connected with the system of other city embankments and buildings, as well as access to the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

During the implementation of this project, the proximity of significant public facilities and zones was taken into account. The objectives of the project were the organization of safe and comfortable use of the territory, the use of the tourist potential of the quarter and the creation of high-quality infrastructure. To fulfill these goals, it was proposed to introduce a multifunctional public complex into the structure of the quarter. This complex is a multifunctional pedestrian street.

The location of the multifunctional pedestrian street in the structure of the Lenexpo quarter was not chosen by chance. The development of the territory from north to south along Cash Street and the Galley Bucket reveals the optimal placement of the street across the block from east to west (Fig. 1). With this configuration, the main advantage of the street itself is used – pedestrian transit from Cash Street to the embankment. The connection of these sections forms the correct mechanism of the complex – a cyclic through passage.

Figure 1. The project "Multifunctional street in the structure of Lenexpo quarter". The scheme of the general plan of the quarter.

One of the main ideas of this project was the possibility of connecting important sections of the block at the beginning and end of the street through public facilities, as well as the distribution of cyclical flows of people within unified zones. To create such a mechanism, a special environmental approach and modern technical support are important. The concept of this project develops the use of industry functions within the boundaries of the street as an architectural unit.

The development spot of a multifunctional pedestrian street

A multifunctional street in the Lenexpo quarter has an impact, among other things, on the areas adjacent to it. The transverse location of the street with the correct mechanism of operation sets the main compositional axis of the territory. Further design of the quarter was carried out depending on the given compositional axis. Residential buildings, primary school zones and secondary schools react to the structure of a pedestrian street (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. The project "Multifunctional street in the structure of Lenexpo quarter". A fragment of the master plan.

The construction spot of the multifunctional pedestrian street was inscribed into the architectural and planning structure of the quarter in the most rational way. The dimensions of the pedestrian street development spot are 94 meters wide and 240 meters long. Considering the distances between the objects and the size of the adjacent zones, the spot is relatively small. Providing all public sectors of the quarter on one multifunctional pedestrian street allowed expanding residential areas to the north and south of the quarter, which, of course, was an investment advantage of the entire project. At the same time, it also became possible to build an additional public facility – a small sports complex.

The width of the pedestrian street itself is 30 meters. The street is divided into various structural sections: a covered green boulevard with a width of 12 meters, two bike paths with a width of 2.4 meters and two covered promenades with a width of 6 meters each. They ensure the operation of a multifunctional street as a cyclical transit and distribute human flows. Multilevel promenades and bridges over the street create vertical and horizontal communications of the complex, which function as a structure-forming mechanism for architectural and planning solutions ^[6].

The building of the street includes six objects. The average size of each of them is 30 meters wide and 57 meters long. The individual buildings forming the street at the same time look like an organic ensemble, since the distance between the buildings is minimal. All this makes the composition and architecture of the objects of a multifunctional pedestrian street universal and self-sufficient (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. The project "Multifunctional street in the structure of Lenexpo quarter". Axonometric model of a multifunctional street.

The options for exterior and architectural planning solutions can be any. Starting from the idea of a single street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex, it is possible to structure independent parts of the street, fit them into existing buildings, give them the necessary shape and set any number of them.

Multifunctional street objects

The analyzed project includes six separate buildings that create their own chamber, universal and self-sufficient infrastructure. The multifunctional street presents not one type of buildings, but a set of many objects with different functions: shopping and exhibition areas, restaurants, apartments and an office block. Such a design allows us to consider the street as a multifunctional complex with different and independent industries.

In the project of a multifunctional street, three industry zones can be distinguished, which are formed by adjacent objects. A detailed description of the zones and their functions are given in Table No. 1 and the graphic image (Fig. 4).

Table No. 1. Functional zoning of street components as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex

Figure 4. The project "Multifunctional street in the structure of Lenexpo quarter". 1st floor plan for approx. 0.000.

The multifunctional pedestrian street is distinguished by industry diversity. The information from Table No. 1 gives an idea of the relationship of objects and their industry affiliation. Continuous operation of all components is provided by the maintenance unit located underground.

Shaping a multifunctional street

The main difference between this multifunctional street project and similar works is the architectural and planning vision of a pedestrian street as a multifunctional complex, as well as the integration of its modular multi-industry components. A pedestrian street has a beginning and an end, clearly defined zones, as well as a certain composition and rhythm. The street structure was developed holistically and in the form of a system of universal and self-sufficient functional blocks. Each block has its main function (branch). All independent blocks are connected to a multifunctional pedestrian street and are located along its axis.

Each block of the multifunctional street is universal in terms of form and has its own internal autonomous parts, each of which performs a specific chamber function and creates an additional connection with the main industry. Parts of individual blocks can increase, change, rotate around their axis and be duplicated (Fig. 5). The novelty of this structure of a single module lies in its direct attachment to the common trunk of a pedestrian street. From a technical point of view, not only multifunctional component buildings are subject to unified maintenance, but also the street itself, as well as the territory adjacent to it. Such an engineering and technical approach makes it possible to give a multifunctional pedestrian street an arbitrary shape or fit it into the fabric of any city, while creating the necessary number of component buildings to perform various functions and multi-industry associations.

Figure 5. The project "Multifunctional street in the structure of Lenexpo quarter". Scheme of industrial blocks of a multifunctional street.

In exterior architectural solutions, a multifunctional pedestrian street is also universal and self-sufficient. Each individual street should be based on the architectural image of the city for which it is being designed. This project "Multifunctional Street" was developed for one of the residential quarters of St. Petersburg. In this case, the main principle of facade architecture is the creation of a falsely symmetrical street environment with the silhouette of classic St. Petersburg houses of the historical center. When working on the project, there was a tendency to integrate the reminiscence of the classical architecture of St. Petersburg into a new district of the city, while giving it an up-to-date appearance. Another task of the development was to create a connection of the object with a reference to the historical environment at the level of shaping, internal structures, as well as the organization of spaces and interiors ^[7].

The structures of the street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex are a modular frame large-span grid, inside which the necessary spaces can be formed for any functional and industry purpose. The construction of a single pedestrian street ensures the work of industries within technically stable and safe blocks. To implement the project of a multifunctional pedestrian street, it is best to use modern materials – light composite panels, metal, glazing of various light transmittance coefficients.

Designing a street as an object in the form of a multifunctional complex is applicable to the structure of any territory - city, district, quarter. Multifunctional pedestrian street is simple in architectural planning and design solutions, relatively inexpensive to install, versatile and relevant to use. In the project of a multifunctional street, any functions can be combined, as well as new ones can be added as such a need arises.

Review of implemented projects of a similar orientation

As part of the study of this development, a brief structural analysis of similar projects carried out under different conditions and for other territories was additionally carried out. First of all, it is necessary to highlight the works of Candidate of Sciences in Architecture, Associate Professor of the Department of Architectural Design of St. Petersburg State University Kolodin K.I. He carried out two large-scale conceptual projects with similar principles of linearity and multifunctionality along the horizontal transit:

· "Inhabited Bridge as the new center of Tomsk" (1978-1989) is the author's conceptual proposal for the reorganization of the central district of the city of Tomsk. The project was carried out in the form of a model of a cyclic, habitable, multifunctional bridge ^[8] with a length of 10 kilometers along the Tom River [9 p. 5-6].

· "St. Petersburg 300 - St. Petersburg 400" is a conceptual project made in the form of a large urban layout of a multifunctional habitable transit over the Gulf of Finland of St. Petersburg. The project includes several multifunctional complexes forming a new facade of the city and creating a link between residential and non-residential industries along the transport transit line ^{[9, pp. 7-9]}.

In St. Petersburg and Moscow there are examples of architectural complexes with a similar industry structure and typology:

· Bolshoy Gostiny Dvor is a significant object of the trade industry in the historical center of St. Petersburg. A structured line of store rows, multi-level technical and administrative services, as well as the addition of a museum function identifies the Large Gostiny Dvor with the conceptual ideas of the multifunctional pedestrian street project.

· St. Petersburg Nikolsky Rows have a design structure identical to the format of the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor. Interest in this complex is aroused by the successful results of the reconstruction carried out by the architectural bureau "Studio – 44" in 2007-2015. During the work, the courtyard of the market was renovated, entertainment facilities, public playgrounds, cafes and restaurants were added. This attracted a large number of visitors and caused a new impetus in the infrastructural development of the surrounding area ^[10].

· Malaya Sadovaya Street in St. Petersburg is currently not working efficiently enough. There is no necessary functional diversity on the street. Most passers-by follow the street without any involvement and use the street exclusively as a transit corridor. One of the possible reasons for such disinterest on the part of the public may be that Malaya Sadovaya Street connects unequal urban objects – Nevsky Prospekt and Italianskaya Street, incomparable in their cultural and historical significance.

·         The Old Arbat and Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow are examples of a more streamlined mechanism of work on the principle of "streets and alleys". Streets connect important public facilities of the central administrative district of the city and at the same time leave visitors a behavioral choice due to diversified facilities, high-quality infrastructure and connectivity of equivalent urban facilities.

Conclusions

According to the main sections of the study and the structural analysis carried out, the following conclusions can be formulated:

1. Taking into account the current prospects for the development of architectural design, a multifunctional complex should be developed not in the form of an isolated spot in the structure of a new district, but in the form of a unified chamber structure consisting of a number of objects, the totality of which is formed in the form of a pedestrian street. This will contribute to the technological and innovative use of existing land plots, which from the point of view of urbanism as a science can become an incentive for further promotion of innovative architectural developments.

2. If individual objects of a multifunctional street are combined on the principle of multi-sectoral unification (housing, leisure, trade, business, sports, education), this will solve a number of urgent urban planning problems, namely: the release of land for housing construction along with successful commercial and infrastructural development of the territory.

3. The modular principle of building a multifunctional pedestrian street should accumulate all currently available modern technological developments that will form the basis for the design and construction of self-sufficient autonomous subsystems, which will make the construction of such facilities as ergonomic and attractive to investors as possible.

4. The mechanism of operation of a multifunctional pedestrian street should be based on the concept of psychological behavioral comfort created by the structure of the complex itself, which is able to provide a person with the maximum possible number of alternatives along with comfortable psychological conditions for the realization of his behavioral choice.