Third Place Pop-up in St. Petersburg by DA Bureau.

Based in St.Petersburg, Russia, DA Bureau’s latest project includes reviving a 15-year old abandoned landmark with layers of history to bring it to the 21st century. The temporary pop-up courtyard space sits in the centre of town, activating the area and enabling people to become accustomed to the history that was once an avoidable part of the city.

The historic mansion was part of a family dating back to Lopukhins and Naryshkin, who was once entangled with Peter the Great, before the Russian revolution. Politics and war aside, on one occasion, the home was also used as a railway museum throughout the course of the soviet era.

Tackling a historic building such as this sure came with challenges and complications. As part of the significant reconstruction, the design team first had to carefully restore the historic façade, maintaining the building’s rich history and identity. Instead of being quashed, these aesthetic qualities were celebrated, resulting in an unparalleled marrying between old and new.

DA Bureau is renowned for their ability to adhere to modern minimalistic design. This is present in the Third Place Pop-up courtyard, where contrasting modern elements transport visitors to a rugged northern beach of Aquitaine in France. As people enter the courtyard through large arches, the noisy atmosphere dissipates and transfigures into the northern seashore’s quiet and calm mood – or, as many Europeans often refer to it, the home of oysters. Although this might seem impossible at first, it becomes feasible to imagine a setting where white sandy beaches juxtapose against the wooden bridges, large wearing columns and ruins. Reeds were brought from the Gulf of Finland, and small firepits adorn the space to create an ambience of a new urban cluster.

Preserving the building’s authentic characteristics and complementing this with contemporary design, DA Bureau is able to successfully bring life to an abandoned building, suitable for the 21st century and enabling people to interact with the space in a new way. The newly refurbished facades, multiple seating arrangements, and overall setting become a bright and convivial atmosphere for food festivals and celebrations of art.

Related: Burning Bridges Installation in a Small Russian Village by KATARSIS.

[Images courtesy of DA Bureau. Photography by Sergey Melnikov and Boris Lvovsky.]