By 2024, a brand new Museum and Theatre Complex will be built in the Siberian city of Kemerovo (3,600 km from Moscow), famous for its Kuzbass coal mines.
The venue is being designed by Austrian architectural bureau Coop Himmelb(l)au and is the first project in Russia by the internationally renowned architects. Locals have been able to see the project in advance and have also had a chance to express their opinions and discuss the project with authorities.
The complex is designed in the Deconstructivism style, typical for postmodern architecture and often used by other modern architects, such as Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, among others. The center will be made mostly from iron and glass and will look like a weightless geometric construction, partly reminiscent of сrystal, partly of floating clouds.
The complex is to become a new cultural hot spot in the city and will house branches of such institutions as the Mariinsky Theater, State Russian Museum and Kuzbass Art Center.
The new building will occupy a whole quarter in the city center, along the Iskitimka River bank. An artificial elevation of the landscape will be made specially for the complex. It will be visible from far distances and the surrounding area will be renovated into a picturesque park.
The complex area will also include a theater hall for 950 seats, museum and art studios, cafes and restaurants, VIP audience and rehearsal zones, as well as a large underground parking - one of the city citizens’ main requirements.
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
