Mariinsky Theatre II, St. Petersburg, RUS
The Mariinsky Theatre in the heart of St. Petersburg is one of the most famous opera and ballet houses in the world. Now the historic building from 1860 has grown – right next door. In May, the curtain rose on the new Mariinksy II Opera House, which welcomes its visitors with generous transparency on the other side of the Krukov Canal.
Project data
Architect
Diamond Schmitt Architects, Toronto, CA
KB ViPS Architects, St. Petersburg, RUS
Client
Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Moscow, RUS
Acoustics
Müller-BBM, Planegg, DE
Products
usedGEWE-therm®
Glass supplier
Schollglas Sachsen GmbH, Nossen
Planning and design
Mariinksy II was planned by the Canadian architectural firm Diamond Schmitt and the German acoustics specialists Müller-BBM. On an area of around 79,000 m², the new opera house offers space for strolling, relaxing and, above all, enjoying music, because it is one of the most modern houses in the world in terms of technical stage equipment and acoustics.
Architecture and Foyer
The large panoramic glazing of the formally simple building has an inviting effect. It not only offers insights into the action – behind it a foyer with a suspended staircase extends over several floors, bathed in warm light by amber-coloured onyx – but also a magnificent view of the historic Mariinsky Theatre in classicist style. The new and historic theatres are connected by a pedestrian bridge over the Krukov Canal.
The Theatre Hall
The heart of the new opera house is the theatre hall: with 2000 seats, arranged in a classic horseshoe shape, it offers the audience finely tuned acoustics. The three tiers are unusual – usually an opera house of this size has five tiers. However, due to the height gained in this way, significantly more energy reaches the individual ranks and the full sound enjoyment is also maintained in the back rows of spectators.
Foyer area and daylight incidence
One of the reasons for the high quality of stay in the foyer area of the new Mariinsky Theatre is the large-scale use of glass. This allows a high incidence of daylight and gives the opera house an open and spacious atmosphere. Around 1300 m² of GEWE-therm® sun thermal insulation glass from SCHOLLGLAS were used in the panoramic façade. The highly selective sun protection coating, which is arranged on the outer pane towards the space between the panes, reflects the sun’s rays. This prevents excessive heating of the building and ensures a pleasant climate inside.
Glass as a load-bearing element
In today’s world, glass plays an important role in modern architecture, not only as a design element, but also as a load-bearing element. Thanks to the great advances in structural glass construction, the material can now take on numerous stability-related tasks. These possibilities significantly expand the spectrum of glass use.
Safety aspects and room for manoeuvre
For example, the panoramic façade was designed with GEWE-safe® laminated safety glass to ensure fall protection. This combination of sun protection and safety significantly expands the design freedom of architects and enables large-scale glazing for buildings with high daylight utilisation. A further 314 m² of high-tech special glass from SCHOLLGLAS was also installed in numerous window elements and overhead glazing.
A harmonious combination of old and new
The striking panoramic façade of the new Mariinsky Theatre is not only convincing from a functional point of view, it also plays a major role in terms of design: the glazing allows an unobstructed view of the historic theatre opposite, which is also reflected in the façade from the outside – creating a reciprocal relationship between old and new.
