Torzhkovsky Market

Throughout its semicentennial history Totzhkovsky Market  has undergone a series of different transformations: spontaneous and chaotic usage of space resulted in eclectic and messy environment outmatching the original and modest aesthetic of modernist building.

Torzhkovsky Market was constructed in 1978 based on the project of “Lengiprotorg” institute and got highly rated among professional community: during the sessions of town planning council in 1960 the original project was described as “model and very appealing in terms of its architectural expression”.

The Market – a canonical example of Soviet modernist architecture – shows off with its tripartite structure formed by the sloping shell surface shaping a well-known silhouette of the building.

The concept of Torzhkovsky Market renovation delicately reinvents the modernist heritage adopting it to contemporary needs. Based on the authentic project drawings from the 1970s, the project includes renewal of the façade with the preservation of its distinctive rhythmical pattern, demolishing later chaotic layers of materials covering the building, renovation of entrances and opening up the façade originally designed as a solid window overlooking Torzhkovskaya street.

The restoration concept also takes care of essential materials responsible for the general image of the Market – ceramic tiles of the façade and terrazzo floors.The prevailing idea of the project which is the transition of the Market to the public space takes shape right before the entrance in a form of a Marketplace – a multipurpose spot for summer fairs, concerts and outdoor activities.

The idea of transition also affects the interior of the Market in a way that its monofunction is complemented by various formats of use where the key role is nevertheless played by the Market.

Widening up the functional spectrum of Torzhkovsky Market, traditional counters are mixed with kiosks occupied by local food projects and two-storey pavilions extending the useful space and forming a perspective view from the new terraces.

Another outcome of the renovation is the introduction of a museum dedicated to the history of trade and F&B industry of Saint Petersburg and an event space responsible for leisure and educational part of the project.

The inner space of the Market driven by neutral surfaces and textures is visually connected to the city by the glass façade that creates a pleasant setting for visitors occupying seats alongside the window. The return to the original window glazing typology also allows any passers-by to observe the life inside the renewed space of Torzhkovsky Market.