Designers of MTEC in Vladivostok Impressed by Achievements of Stroytransgaz Employees
15 December 2021
A delegation of representatives of the architectural firm Snøhetta led by Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founder and director of the company, made a working trip from Oslo to the other end of Eurasia, to Vladivostok. During the trip, the Norwegian architects were accompanied by Vladimir Lavlentsev, General Director of Stroytransgaz Group. In the capital of the Far East, the guests took a sightseeing helicopter tour, visited the construction site on Orlinoye Gnezdo Hill, where Stroytransgaz employees are building a cultural and educational centre based on their design, and discussed with future users of the cluster the details of the project that need to be improved or reworked.
At the construction site of the cultural and educational centre, the delegation was welcomed by Igor Volkunovich, General Director of Stroytransgaz-Vostok. At a panoramic construction office erected specially for the arrival of guests from Norway, the architects were told about the recent achievements of the builders and the immediate tasks.
"We have significantly increased the number of workers at the site recently, now we have more than 120 employees here. We have already concreted the pits, fabricated the frames, and are starting to install waterproofing and slabs. Preparation for concreting of foundation slabs is underway. The detailed design documentation for the first 5,500 cubic meters of concrete for the foundation has been received. At the same time, we are reinforcing the strips, install secant piles and excavate the earth subgrade,” said Igor Volkunovich.
The architects could see what STG Vostok manager's had talked about for themselves, first while walking around the construction site and later from a bird’s view height from a sightseeing helicopter flying round the construction site of the cultural and educational centre. The guests were impressed by what they saw. According to them, Vladivostok turned out to be an even more picturesque city than they imagined and the achievements of Stroytransgaz employees once again confirmed the strong business reputation of the company.
"We were glad to personally meet our partners from Vladivostok, with whom we have communicated online only until now. Even at a distance from each other, we have already managed to achieve a lot, and I am sure that now the work will be even more and more successful. We have seen what status the enabling works are in, now we can proceed to the main construction phase. The architectural design is completely ready, we still have a lot of work to do, but the appearance of the centre and the impression it will leave are already absolutely clear to us. Thinking about how I visualized the design on paper and in real life, I can definitely say that reality exceeded my expectations. Everything is much better in reality; Vladivostok is a very sunny city, perhaps the sunniest in Russia. In such sunlight, our centre will play out in absolutely new colours, it will become a real decoration of the city,” emphasized Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founder and director of the architectural firm.
The Norwegian architects discussed the immediate tasks with the future users of the centre, including representatives of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts. The discussion was also attended by managers of STG-Vostok and representatives of GORKA Group who is adapting the Snøhetta design to Russian conditions.
During the meeting, it was decided to pay special attention to traffic improvement in the area of the Orlinoye Gnezdo Hill so that people visiting the cultural and educational centre would not waste time in long traffic jams. Options include the construction of a bridge at the exit from the centre, an underground U-turn for service vehicles and, of course, the construction of a 800-car parking lot.
In addition, the agenda includes issues such as relocation of the area allocated for the buffet in the theatre, modifying the entrance lobby of the theatre building to reduce the influx of cold air in winter, and a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring the best possible conditions for visitors coming to the cultural and educational centre.
According to Stroytransgaz General Director Vladimir Lavlentsev, works on Orlinoye Gnezdo Hill will be ever gaining more pace as the contractors have direct tasks and they are committed to fulfilling these tasks with utmost responsibility.
"We are mobilizing human resources, both our own and those of KitayStroy, our subcontractor. We are currently on schedule. We have managed to bring in the required number of experts to work on the project. Now, we have 120 people, we expect to increase the number of workers to 400 people by the end of February. As the building is erected, and as shell, core and utilities are installed and finishing works commence, this number will increase. According to our estimates, it will be 2,000-2,500 employees," concluded Vladimir Lavlentsev.
To recap, the centre on Orlinoye Gnezdo Hill will represent a complex architectural project consisting of three buildings: a museum, a concert hall and an educational building. It will house branches of the country’s largest museums, including the State Hermitage, Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of Oriental Art and a branch of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The task to create four new cultural centres outside Central Russia was set by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in his 2018 Federal Assembly Address. Later, it was detailed in the Executive Order On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of Development of the Russian Federation till 2024. The construction was commissioned by the National Cultural Heritage Foundation for Social and Cultural Projects. Stroytransgaz Group is the general contractor for the construction of cultural and educational centres in four Russian regions. In addition to Primorye Territory, such clusters are being built in Kemerovo and Kaliningrad Regions, as well as in South Russia.
When designing the project sited in the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District, the designers kept in mind that Russia holds a unique position in terms of the prospective cultural development. Building a museum, a performing arts school, an opera and ballet theatre at a landmark in Vladivostok is an evidence of Russia’s constant striving for the global leadership in terms of cultural experience in future.
The decision to change the 950-seat concert hall to a bigger 1,300-seat theatre hall has become the most noticeable modification as compared with the previous design concept. The project provides for dressing rooms and scenery bays, stage facilities, side stages; the area of the stage itself has been increased.
The designers set the task to seamlessly integrate the complex into the existing landscape and architectural style of the city, local plant species will be used for landscaping and the pavement will be made from natural materials. A key feature of the centre on Orlinaya Hill will be accessible roofs, i.e. everyone will be able to get to the picturesque terraces and view points right along the roof stepping up from the base of the building to its top.
Construction of the cluster will not only unlock the cultural and educational potential of the region and secure the status of its tourist and cultural centre, but also help expand cultural ties with Asia-Pacific countries and improve the insight of the Far East residents and foreign tourists into the best pieces of the Russian culture.