On the move – From Italianskaya Ulitsa to Zhukovsogo Ulitsa
Moving an entire school, including all the staff and the current students, within one month is tough enough on its own, but the fact that the new location for the school is still under construction makes it an even greater challenge. We had the opportunity to visit the renovation site and see for ourselves. So I grabbed my camera and we headed out of the school.
A right turn towards the Fontanka river, over the bridge along Nevsky Prospect, a left turn onto Liteiny Prospect and then around the corner onto Zhukovskogo Ulitsa. This area of Saint Petersburg is trending right now with lots of bars, healthy food cafes and coffeeshops in close proximity to each other. Pizza, ribs, Californian poke, burgers and pho bo – all in just one block. People are even saying, that it’s stealing Ulitsa Rubinsteina’s fame. You can also find the oldest (and coolest) bookstore „Подписные издания” virtually a stone’s throw from the new school – perfect for a stop-over at lunch. The facade of the building is beautiful with its iconic yellow color and four columns spanning the first two floors. We go straight through the gate in between the columns into the small courtyard, take a left and up we go – there are quite a few more steps to climb than the old school, but eventually we arrive on the 4th floor, everything looking almost exactly as per the architect’s digital model, which we posted on Instagram some weeks back. Almost.
Certainly much busier with construction workers in every corner hammering, measuring, laying cables and the like. The walls have been cleaned thoroughly, but still lack the polish. The floor is still uneven and carpeted in dust. We are even handed face masks from one of the workers from the German construction company in charge of the extensive renovation project. We are told that 20-40 construction workers are on site 24/7 in order to ensure the project is finished on time (with the deadline being set for the 29th of March, the school has only 2 days to move).
The new school takes up the whole U-shaped floor of the building and is certainly more spacious than the old one. Not only are there more classrooms, but they have also nearly doubled their size and the front desk area is to resemble a comfortable lounge with a seating area. There will also a be a new study area where students can do their homework. Sockets for charging students’ devices will be installed right next to these sofas. Because it is a historical building all the rooms have high ceilings, and big windows allow a lot of light to come in. However, the overall style is still to remain the same as that of the old school. The new school will have the same colour scheme and transparency as well as the same lighting. The interior will be quite atmospheric and modern and will enhance the overall loft style even further. Plus, we will actually have our own barista serving coffee and snacks right next to the front desk. How cool is that?!
And a little update on how to get there. If you are taking the metro, you will need to get off at the station „Mayakovskaya“, cross Nevsky Prospect and head north along Ulitsa Mayakovskaya and once you reach the next big crossing turn left onto Ulitsa Zhukovskogo. 300m further you will find the new school on the left hand side (see the map for more details). If you were to compare it to the school on Italianskaya Ulitsa, its technically the same distance north from Nevsky Prospect, but is situated on the other side of the Fontanka river, across the Anichkov bridge.
Well, so far for the update on the new school. Only two weeks left and our current students will start their regular Monday morning classes in new surroundings. We will keep you posted on any updates about the school and – of course – once it is opened will provide you with pictures of the end result.
