Golitsynsky Pond

Address: Gorky Park, Krimsky val 9, Moscow, Russia
Client: Gorky Park
Outside living room:
Design work: May 2011
Construction work: July 2011
The dock:
Design work: 2012
Construction work: 2012
Heads of Wowhaus: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro
Principal architects: Olga Rokal, Marina Yarmakina
Photographs: Olga Alekseyenko, Artur Dugin, Ilya Ivanov, Marina Yarmarkina

Objective:

to develop the banks of Golitsyn Pond and make it a local centre of attraction for visitors to Gorky Park; to create new infrastructure beside the pond and reconstruct the old boat station to take modern vessels.

Solution:

Opposite the boat station on the pond’s bank we brought to life the idea of an 'outside living room' – by creating a wooden embankment with sun loungers and a Wi-Fi zone. We installed outside standing lamps, which create a cozy living room atmosphere in the evenings (2011). We turned the existing boat station into a new dock and reorganized its infrastructure (2012).

Outside living room, 2011

During the first stage of the project we built a wooden terrace with sun loungers opposite the old quay. The terrace is equipped with electric sockets for charging portable devices; this enables visitors to use the Wi-Fi zone to the full, putting them at their ease in this 'outside living room'.

The addition of wooden deckchairs for sun-worshippers has turned the embankment into a comfortable place for relaxing by the water’s edge on the sunny side of Golitsyn Pond.

During the hours of darkness the 'outside living room' is illuminated by the warm light given off by outside standing lamps. The low illumination along the perimeter of the terrace creates an unusual visual accent, attracting not only visitors to the park but also the aquatic inhabitants of Golitsyn Pond.

The dock. 2012

The project’s second stage involved reconstructing the old dock, adapting it for use by modern boats, and improving its infrastructure.

A new public place was created alongside the dock; this is the Kiosk summer café, designed by the creators of the well-known Moscow club Solyanka. This is an ideal setting in which to eat ice cream or enjoy a glass of freshly squeezed juice. The legendary sculpture of a girl with an oar greets visitors to the cafe at the entrance to the shaded veranda.