Aug 30, 2009
Mariinsky Theatre | Diamond and Schmitt Architects
Image courtesy Diamond and Schmitt Architects
Canadian architectural firm Diamond + Schmitt Architects has been nominated to design the 4-million new Mariinsky Theater complex’s 2000-seat opera and ballet house in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Canadian firm has been chosen from among five international and Russian competitors like Dominique Perrault. The budget for the new Theater is €295,000,000, with a projected completion date of 2011. The New Mariinsky will complement both the existing Mariinsky Theater located in Teatralnaya Square directly across the canal from the site of the new theater, as well as the new Mariinsky Theater Concert Hall, a 1,200 seat facility two blocks west which opened in 2007.
Image courtesy Diamond and Schmitt Architects
From the architects: ‘Architecture The urban form of historic St Petersburg is remarkably consistent in both material and scale. The streets are lined with three to five story buildings having a solid masonry base and a metal roof. The monolithic character of the fenestrated masonry base is relieved in many of St. Petersburg’s grand secular buildings by colonnaded porticos that stand out from a continuous façade.
The design of the New Mariinsky Theater will be a contemporary expression of the existing historic urban form. The height of the fenestrated masonry base will be consistent with the existing buildings of historic St. Petersburg and will create a continuous streetscape similar to the streets of the old city. The base will be relieved by large bay windows that will provide panoramic views of the city and the adjacent historic Mariinsky Theater, fulfilling the role of the historic colonnaded porticos. Above the base of the New Mariinsky Theater will be a gently curved metal roof enlivened by a glass canopy.
Image courtesy Diamond and Schmitt Architects
The contrast in form, material and color between the building’s base and its roof will give the building a contemporary identity rooted within the context of St. Petersburg’s exceptional architectural heritage. The New Mariinsky will be a 2000-seat opera and ballet house with six stages and six rehearsal rooms as well as an appropriate number of dressing rooms and other support facilities required for an opera house in the first rank. The new theater will be equipped with state-of-the-art production facilities that will serve both the historic Mariinsky Theater as well as the new theater.The orchestra pit will accommodate the full complement of musicians required for the Mariinsky’s opera and ballet repertoire.
Image courtesy Diamond and Schmitt Architects
Image courtesy Diamond and Schmitt Architects
The New Mariinsky will be designed to place among the best opera houses in the world. As such, the auditorium will be carefully designed with respect to acoustics, sight lines and audience comfort in keeping with the international stature of the Mariinsky Opera, Ballet and Orchestra. Panoramic views of St. Petersburg’s distinctive and historic skyline will be visible from the roof terraces and reception rooms located on the upper level of the new theater. This roof top area will be used to great advantage during the Mariinsky’s annual White Nights Festival. A restaurant overlooking the adjacent canal and the historic Mariinsky Theater will form part of the public area of the New Mariinsky. A public museum is also included in the building program. Urban Design When completed, The New Mariinsky Theater will be part of one of the most significant concentrations of cultural complexes in the world. Other buildings within the cultural district include the New Holland complex, the Conservatory of Music, the recently completed Mariinsky III Concert Hall, and the historic Mariinsky Theater. Thus the urban design objective will be to give a collective sense of cohesion to the individual buildings within the district. With this in mind, the urban design related to the New Mariinsky Theater will look beyond the confines of the site’s existing boundaries in order to connect the new theater with its cultural neighbors. A pedestrian bridge will be constructed as a forecourt to the New Mariinsky. This will widen the narrow sidewalk that currently exists on busy Decembrist Street and will create a welcoming plaza outside the new theater. Secondly, the existing park facing the Conservatory of Music will be extended to connect the Conservatory, the historic Mariinsky and the New Mariinsky Theater. This continuous landscaped public space will seamlessly unite three of the buildings within the cultural district and will define the New Mariinsky Theater and its strategically positioned entrance as the western terminus of the precinct.’
Diamond and Schmitt Architects is a 150-person firm with an international practice. In addition to the 2,000-seat Four Seasons Center in Toronto, its most recent achievements include the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C. All three of these projects were chosen by Architectural Record and Business Week as among the best buildings in the world in the years 2007, 2004 and 2008 respectively. The award is given for ‘high design’ buildings that advance the mission of their clients and users.
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