khris
Senior Member
Canadian to design Russian opera house
Jack Diamond replaces French architect
Dec 13, 2008 04:30 AM
Martin Knelman
Arts Columnist
Toronto architect Jack Diamond and his partner, Donald Schmitt, have been chosen to design what has been called Russia's most important building project in 70 years.
The building, St. Petersburg's second opera house, known as Mariinsky 2, will go along with the renowned Mariinsky Theatre, which was built in the 19th century.
Diamond – who was drafted because of his work on Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – is set to replace the prominent French architect Dominique Perrault, whose proposal will be shelved after being selected by a jury in 2003 over 10 other candidates. Perrault designed the French National Library in Paris.
More than $20 million has already been invested in Perrault's scheme, which featured a dome of black marble and golden glass. But there were problems with practical issues like maintenance in a severe climate.
No official announcement has been made, but the Russian business daily Kommersant reported the change yesterday. And the Star has learned that Diamond is in St. Petersburg negotiating details.
The commission would be a huge vindication for Diamond, who was criticized in some quarters because the Toronto opera house, built on a tight budget, is not an iconic monument when seen from the outside.
But it's the marvels inside that wowed Valery Gergiev, artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, when he was given a tour of the Four Seasons Centre in 2007 by Richard Bradshaw, the late Canadian Opera Company leader.
The new Mariinsky theatre, which could open in 2011 or 2012, will have about 2,000 seats – making it the same size as Toronto's intimate opera house.
Source
Jack Diamond replaces French architect
Dec 13, 2008 04:30 AM
Martin Knelman
Arts Columnist
Toronto architect Jack Diamond and his partner, Donald Schmitt, have been chosen to design what has been called Russia's most important building project in 70 years.
The building, St. Petersburg's second opera house, known as Mariinsky 2, will go along with the renowned Mariinsky Theatre, which was built in the 19th century.
Diamond – who was drafted because of his work on Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – is set to replace the prominent French architect Dominique Perrault, whose proposal will be shelved after being selected by a jury in 2003 over 10 other candidates. Perrault designed the French National Library in Paris.
More than $20 million has already been invested in Perrault's scheme, which featured a dome of black marble and golden glass. But there were problems with practical issues like maintenance in a severe climate.
No official announcement has been made, but the Russian business daily Kommersant reported the change yesterday. And the Star has learned that Diamond is in St. Petersburg negotiating details.
The commission would be a huge vindication for Diamond, who was criticized in some quarters because the Toronto opera house, built on a tight budget, is not an iconic monument when seen from the outside.
But it's the marvels inside that wowed Valery Gergiev, artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, when he was given a tour of the Four Seasons Centre in 2007 by Richard Bradshaw, the late Canadian Opera Company leader.
The new Mariinsky theatre, which could open in 2011 or 2012, will have about 2,000 seats – making it the same size as Toronto's intimate opera house.
Source