August 17, 2009

DIAMOND + SCHMITT ARCHITECTS INC.

The New Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg will complement the historic Mariinsky Theatre located directly across a canal and a concert hall two blocks west of the site.

Architecture

Diamond + Schmitt to design Russian opera house

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

The Toronto firm of Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. has landed a plum assignment to design an opera house in St. Petersburg, the first facility of its kind to be constructed in Russia since the reign of the Czars.

Being funded by the Russian government, the estimated $285 million New Mariinsky Theatre will house a 2,000-seat auditorium, rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms, large orchestra pit and other support facilities.

Roof terraces and reception rooms will be located on the upper level, providing panoramic views of the skyline. A restaurant will overlook an adjacent canal. A public museum is also included in the program.

Foundation work is currently under way on the 825,000-square-foot building, which will have eight floors above grade. Completion of the project is slated for 2011.

“This commission sends a strong signal that Canadian architects can work on the most demanding projects on the world stage,” said architect Jack Diamond, principal in charge of the project.

Interior rendering of the project that includes a restaurant and will add 2,000 seats to the Mariinsky complex.

“We are enormously grateful for the confidence the Russian Federation has put in our ability to produce a landmark for the new Russia and for the performing arts everywhere.”

Diamond + Schmitt, which designed Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was chosen from among five international and Russian competitors to design the new theatre.

It is working closely with St. Petersburg architects KB ViPS, which is providing technical support and construction management services. The project is in the design development phase.

The team includes Canadian structural engineers Halcrow Yolles, mechanical-electrical engineers Crossey Engineering Ltd. and construction cost consultants, cm2r inc.

In a backgrounder, Diamond said the design will be “a contemporary expression” of the existing urban form of historic St. Petersburg. The city’s streets are lined with three to five-storey buildings with solid masonry bases and metal roofs.

The height of the “fenestrated” masonry base will be consistent with the existing buildings and create a continuous streetscape similar to the streets of the old city, Diamond said.

The base will be relieved by large bay windows.

Above the base will be a gently curved metal roof “enlivened” by a glass canopy.

“The contrast in form, material and colour 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,” Diamond said.

The theatre will be equipped with state-of-the-art production facilities. The orchestra pit will accommodate the full complement of musicians required for the Mariinsky’s opera and ballet repertoire.

A pedestrian bridge will be constructed as a forecourt to the new theatre.

In a statement, Mariinsky General Director Valery Gergiev, who toured the Four Seasons Centre in 2007, said he was “struck by the building’s beauty, its practicality and friendliness with neighbouring buildings, its superb acoustics and of course, its budget.”

That project, Canada’s first purpose-built opera house, was completed in 2006 at a cost of $110 million. It was designed as the home of both the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada.

“Clearly, the architect (Diamond) knew what was needed and delivered on all those large challenges,” Gergiev said. “Today, the Four Seasons Centre is one of the finest opera houses in the world.

“We are delighted to be working with Jack Diamond and (managing principal) Gary McCluskie in creating what I am confident will be Europe’s greatest new opera house.”

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