Greg Hamilton sends along an article on the latest plan for St. Petersburg:
“The heart of the city quarter will be a new civic space under a unique glazed roof. ”
“This unique crystalline glass tensegrity structure will imbue the space with a delicate lightness and changing light, reflecting the weather, time of day and the passing seasons. This will be a major destination in the city where people can meet, shop, eat and be entertained whilst being protected from St Petersburg’s hostile winter climate.”
Hmm, interesting… now imagine a “crystalline glass tensegrity” roof structure like this, which would at night time be able to accommodate an “experience” such as designed by Imaginary Forces for the Fremont Street Experience…! Sensory overload perhaps, but great for special occasions requiring a touch of panem et circenses. (The last link opens a Quicktime video, btw, which takes a while to load but is an audio-visual feast. The imagery is breathtaking.)
Maybe being a life-long Victorian has made me ignorant of the realities of a St. Petersburg winter but I can’t help but think covering a large area like that would deaden and sterilize it. Perhaps it would take a couple of winters exposed to the elements to convince me it was the greatest idea since sliced borscht.
The most famous covered street/arcade is that one in Milan (I think) after which the Toronto Eaton Centre was modelled.
Seattle has a poorly executed canopy covered street next to its convention center.
As mentioned, there’s Fremont Street in Vegas.
Covered streets aren’t all that rare. Wasn’t there a [pie in the sky] proposal a few years ago of covering the 1000 block of Robson Street?
It’s funny how things go. A lot of the old suburban malls trying to be like downtown by removing their roof… and we some downtowns doing the opposite by trying to put a roof over it all. Identity crisis.
It reminds me of the VPL building (indoor/outdoor confusion, unexpected warmth) but on a grander and therefore troubling scale.
A fate similar to the residences and palaces so gigantic they could not keep them warm in the winter comes to mind.
This concept of covering your main shopping drag exists in almost every city in Japan. They’re great car free zones were people can bike, stroll, relax at a cafe, and a great venue for all the festivals they have.
Although a covered shopping area might sound quite sterilized, it could work well in Vancouver, especially considering our love for soggy weather.