Construction of a Student Dormitory and Service Apartments for Teachers and Artists of the Cultural and Educational Complex in Kaliningrad is Complete

The presentation of the completed facilities was attended by media, representatives of the regional government, residents of the complex, and management of the General Contractor.

Construction of the Cultural and Educational Complex in Kaliningrad is carried out by Stroytransgaz Group as commissioned by National Cultural Heritage Foundation for Social and Cultural Projects. The designer is the GORKA Group.

The readiness of service-provided accommodation for artists and teachers of the cultural complex in Kaliningrad is 100%. There are 387 apartments comprised of 1-, 2- and 3-room premises.

Comfortable conditions have been made available for employees of the branches of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, the Central Music School, the Bolshoi Theatre, and the Tretyakov Gallery.

The builders had the challenge of creating a comfortable and accessible environment for all groups of people.

“The fact that all buildings should be accessible to public at large was taken into consideration already at the planning stage of the Kaliningrad Cultural and Educational Complex project. People with disabilities can also learn, teach and live in comfortable conditions in the complex. The service-provided accommodation has barrier-free environment. One of the examples are impact-resistant doors with contrasting markings, wide openings in entrance areas, relief tiles on the floor, mnemonic diagrams and Braille signs,” Dmitry Rzhannikov, General Director of STG-Zapad LLC noted.

Since the residential complex is built on a small hill, a special ramp is provided for the convenience of a low-mobility population, which levels out the difference in heights.

Pedestrian areas in the yard are paved with tiles, and a lowered curb stone and tactile indicators for the visually impaired have been installed. Each entrance is equipped with a ramp with handrails, some are equipped with additional electric lifts, inside the buildings there are large lifts that can carry wheelchairs.

Playgrounds have been installed for kids. They are divided by age: from 3 to 6 years, and from 6 to 14. The playing areas are covered with crumb rubber to mitigate falls.

Parents also will not be bored: the yard accommodates a sports ground with fitness equipment, bike racks and a recreation area.

"Service apartments are of 'move in and live” type. The rooms have a modern design. The apartments are provided with all necessary furniture and household appliances. It is worth adding that every detail was discussed with future owners: color, texture, functionality, manufacturer of materials used, interior solutions, etc.," said Dmitry Rzhannikov, General Director of STG-Zapad LLC.

These modern apartments are fully equipped: dining tables with chairs, kitchen sets, and built-in appliances (washing machines, refrigerators and stoves) are purchased and installed in the kitchens. All the windows are decorated with curtains. The living rooms and bedrooms have workplaces, sitting areas with soft sofas and armchairs, beds with orthopaedic mattresses and pillows, cabinets, bedside tables, and TV sets. There are modern bathrooms with a bathtub or a shower cabin, depending on the size of the apartment. Some apartments have two bathrooms.

The dormitory for the students of the Baltic Higher School of Music and Dramatic Arts accommodates 150 people. 

Both students and staff will live in two-person rooms that are fully furnished and equipped. Student rooms also have a small kitchen with a dining area, a separate bathroom (shower with a washing machine and dryer function, toilet), and a walk-in closet.

"The residential sections of the dormitory are, in fact, fully equipped one-bedroom apartments with well-designed furnishings and equipment for our students to fully enjoy life and work. Students can relax, communicate, and work in special co-working spaces found on each floor. The dormitory of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts is also a comfortable environment for inclusive students, for whom specialized living areas are arranged on the first floor, taking into account the peculiarities of their life and work. The first floor of the building has its own medical room with a treatment room, thus allowing us to take preventive care of the health of students and staff. We also respected the choices and values of today's youth, not forgetting the bicycle parking along the building, as well as the system of separate waste collection, "- said Yulia Aleinikova, director of the branch of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.

The recreation and leisure room is a spacious, modern place to collaborate in a friendly co-working atmosphere. It is a place with the technical equipment necessary for work, areas for meetings, trainings, presentations, training courses, master classes and just relaxation - all of this is to enhance the productivity and development of creative thinking in young people.

And a few words about the architectural look of buildings. The design of the houses furthers and complements the educational part of the cluster (educational buildings of the branches of the Central Music School, Moscow State Choreography Academy, and the general education school). Buildings are made in a minimalist style, with an emphasis on a combination of geometric shapes, the rhythm of window openings and expressiveness of the natural texture of clinker bricks.

Background info:

The task to create four new cultural centres (Vladivostok, Kemerovo, South of Russia, Kaliningrad) was set by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in his Address to the Federal Assembly in 2018 and specified in the Executive Order On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of Development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024.

Facilities in Kaliningrad are built on two sites, Eastern and Western, located on both sides of Kaliningrad Stadium erected on Oktyabrsky Island for the FIFA World Cup 2018^TM.

The following facilities are under construction at the Western site:

• Baltic Higher School of Music and Dramatic Arts (branch of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts)

• Opera and Ballet Theatre (branch of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre)

• Museum complex (branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery)

The following facilities have been commissioned at the Eastern site:

• Education building of Music boarding school (branch of the Central Music School)

• Education building of the Choreographic Academy with a boarding school (branch of Moscow State Choreography Academy)

• Comprehensive school for 550 students, including a swimming pool

Construction completed:

• Accommodations for students and employees of the complex

• Dormitory for students of the Baltic Higher School of Music and Dramatic Arts

According to the President, creation of the cultural, educational and museum complexes will allow the regions to reveal their cultural and educational opportunities, arrange modern cultural space in the entire territory of Russia, change life quality of the residents through art introduction and, at the same time, make these cities particularly attractive for tourists.