12 May 2022
The project facilities in Kaliningrad are built at two sites, Eastern and Western, located on both sides of the Kaliningrad Stadium erected on Oktyabrsky Island for the FIFA World Cup 2018TM. The key events of the past month were the first batch of concrete placed into the foundation slab of the Bolshoi Theatre branch and concreting of the expansion joint of the Museum Complex, a branch of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Three facilities are under construction at the Western site: a branch of the Tretyakov Gallery, a branch of the Bolshoi Theatre, and a branch of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.
The new phase of construction commenced at the project site of the Bolshoi Theatre branch. The first batch of concrete was placed into the building’s foundation slab. Preparations for the second phase of placing of about 1,200 cu.m of concrete are underway. Overall, concrete for the foundation slab will amount to 13,700 cubic meters.
At the same time, heavy-duty bored piles are being installed. 5 bored pile rigs are used in the process. Pile foundation is 45% complete. 270 out of 682 bored piles have been installed. 10,200 cubic meters of concrete and more than 1,500 tons of rebars were used to install bored piles.
The construction of the Tretyakov Gallery branch is keeping up the pace at the Western site. The key event of the month: expansion joint concreting. This element of the building compensates for thermal expansion of concrete during seasonal changes in weather conditions. In line with the architectural concept, the branch of the Tretyakov Gallery looks like it is soaring in the air. In this case the expansion joint binds the in-situ frame into a single structure and ensures its strength. In 28 days, after concrete has cured to its design strength, builders will proceed to remove the supporting structures of the building footing cantilever.
Facade work is underway on the Museum Complex. Mineral wool insulation has been completely installed around the entire perimeter of the main building. Preparations are in progress to install the cassette subsystem for facade plates. Ventilated curtain wall insulation is 40% complete. 3,500 sq.m of mineral wool blocks has been installed.
Another important work project at the construction site of the Tretyakov Gallery branch is the construction of a 9-level administrative tower 50-meters tall. In-situ casting operations have been completed up to 38.2m. Reinforcement is being installed for the structure’s level 9 floor slab. The administrative tower frame is 90% complete. Quantities used are 660 cubic meters of concrete, more than 400 tons of rebars. Concreting of the administrative tower is 75% complete.
Inside the museum, ongoing is the installation of the ventilation system, installation of trays and cabling, installation of MEP systems, wall plastering, waterproofing of the main roof is nearing completion.
In the construction area of the Baltic Higher School of Music and Theatre Arts (a branch of RGISI) with a total area of 8,900 sq.m., the building’s pile foundation has been completed. 663 piles have been sunk. The pile field is 100% complete.
STG-West is currently building residential houses for staff at the Eastern site. The total area of apartment buildings is 27,693 sq.m. The area of the student dormitory of the Higher School of Arts (a branch of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts) is 4,174 sq.m. To date, the overall completion of facilities has exceeded 90%.
All internal MEP services have been installed: >126km of power and lighting cables, 92km of communication cables, 52km of piping. 10,000 sq.m of facades has already been installed. The installation of glass curtain walls is complete. Indoor finish work is underway: installation of kitchen sets, laminated flooring, wallpapering, wall plastering, tiling in bathrooms.
1,350 people and 40 units of machinery are currently used in the construction projects in Kaliningrad.
The Culture and Education Complex is a unique project, there are no equivalent facilities, and it requires the use of many latest technologies. The national and global situation will anyway have some implications for the construction processes, including procurement and logistics of certain equipment and materials from manufacturers based outside of the country. Import substitution is being implemented without quality being compromised.
Currently, the construction of all venues of the Culture and Education Complex is progressing on schedule. Commissioning is expected once completion is achieved.
Construction of the Culture and Education Complex on the Oktyabrsky Island in Kaliningrad is carried out by Stroytransgaz Group commissioned by the National Cultural Heritage Foundation for Social and Cultural Projects. The designer is GORKA Group.