Changing The Facade – Pushkinsky Cinema – Ark Building

The Pushinsky cinema hall is historically linked to the city of Moscow and has been a landmark of this city since the first day of its existence. For more than five decades, the building, albeit in the past had different names and use, has always been linked to the life of the people of Moscow.

Having examined the building from an architect’s point of view we felt more like archeologists rather than architects. We felt like we found a frozen in time building that gave us a lot of information regarding a whole unknown era.

However, the Pushinsky cinema hall is not just a historical building. It is a genuine and alive piece of art that contributes in Moscow’s life and history.

Our aim was to maintain the former building and cover it with a new “ice shape” layer so as to totally change the former shape but in the same time, to let small sharp cuts through which, traces of the past are visible for those who want to search and discover the history of the city. Therefore, we keep its uniqueness, its history and its architecture for the younger generations to see.

We created an impressive “Ark” that symbolises Russia’s power and the country’s ability to look towards the future, having been taught from its past’s mistakes.

State
on drawing board

Owner
Architizer, in cooperation with DuPont, the Union of Russian Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the YEM Building Information Center and Karo Film.

Size
m²

Location
Moscow

This project refers to the design of a ground floor private residence with surrounding fencing, in the farm area of Epanomi (municipality of Thermaikos) which has a total area of 11557.50 sq.m. The ground floor house has been designed and developed based on the topographical details of the area . The building has visual engravings on the southwest, its entrance is located on the northeast and evolves around a outdoor living room. More specifically, the exterior seating area consists of a semi-outdoor area with a pergola, which includes the entrance to the house.

The main living spaces are located in the northwest part of the property. There is the kitchen with the dining room and the living room, as well as two bedrooms and a laundry space. To the southeast there are three guest bedrooms, one with a private bathroom and two with a shared one.

The external staircase located on the main patio leads to an outdoor seating area, which is designed on the roof, with a pergola. On the exterior space of the building one more pergola creates a shading system that serves the outdoor parking space. The outdoor space also hosts a hot tub, in connection to the master bedroom.

The central and connecting element of the composition is the atrium, from which there is access to the all the interior spaces. The design offers privacy where it is needed with large openings to the surrounding view.