Moscow’s Chief Architect Sergey Kuznetsov has announced the winners of the Open All-Russia Competition for a Concept of Redevelopment of two modernist cinema theaters: Varshava and Voskhod. An initiative of ADG Group, in collaboration with the Committee on Architecture and Urban Planning of Moscow City, the competition awarded one winner for the Voskhod theater, and two winners for the Varshava theater. The organizer of the competition is the agency for strategic development "CENTER."
Russian-Dutch SVESMI Studio won the award for the Voskhod theater with their concept, “Exchange Games,” which focuses on transforming the space into an entertainment hub for low-income residents of the Ryazan suburbs, “where there is no infrastructure for recreation for children or any space for comfortable communication and networking.” The economic efficiency of the concept is driven by its programming of flexible rent patterns and multipurpose use of spaces on a regular basis.
The design incorporates a connection between indoors and outdoors with four wide entrances and many windows, which on the first floor lead into space for commercial and social use, with a central market space.
For the Varshava theater, the jury selected two winners, Spektrum Consortium + EMBT + A2OM, and SVESMI Studio. The design by Spektrum Consortium + EMBT + A2OM transforms the theater into a “social hub with a focus on gastronomy,” including a “market for local food, a cooking school for people from the neighborhood, a food court for office workers of the nearby business centers, cookware stores, a bar, and restaurants.” In addition to food resources, the team created an educational space—the Stanisław Lem Science-Fiction Center—a point of attraction to draw in science fiction fans.
The second winner for Varshava, SVEMSI Studio, designed “Exchange Games,” a concept that intends “to restore the main glass façade and expand the glazing area by adding height to the façade.” The design incorporates entrances on two levels of the building—the first and the third—which are connected by elevators, escalators, and a ramp.
The winners of each category will be granted RUB 650,000 and the right to design supervision for the project implementation.
News via the Architectural Council of Moscow.
