Two projects of Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat have been officially opened earlier this week in the Khanti-Mansiysk autonomous region of Siberia: the Chess Club building in Khanty-Mansiysk and the Vershina Trade & Entertainment Center in Surgut.
Chess Club
The new 5,000 sq. meter Chess Club building in Khanty-Mansiysk already hosted the 2010 Chess Olympics in September. Now in December, it will officially open for the inhabitants. Erick van Egeraat worked closely with the municipality of Khanty-Mansiysk and its main benefactor Gazprom in realizing this extraordinary building. He compared the Chess Club’s sleek, but slightly distorted appearance with the physics of a chess player. Motionless on the outside, but with great internal struggle to beat the opponent. This contrast is emphasized by the “cool” zinc-clad façade and the “warm” predominantly wooden interior.
“This tiny building is a little Icon but could soon become the first step in the redevelopment of this unique city in the centre of Eurasia”, says Erick van Egeraat.
Trade and Entertainment Center
The 37,000 sq. meter, state-of-the-art trade and entertainment center in Surgut offers space for retail, extreme sports, dance, restaurants, bars and an underground night club. The eight-story venue provides round-the-clock activities for visitors of all ages. The dialectic play of light and dark, night and day form the basis for the concept.
“When I presented the first sketch for the trade and entertainment center, the response was amazement. Now, when the project is completed, it’s my turn to be amazed. I am proud to have achieved this for the city of Surgut”, says Erick van Egeraat.
The building is equipped with an extensive lighting scheme. Motion advertisements are projected onto the glazed façade. The volume is cut to form ”sharp volumes” allowing daylight to enter deep into the center. At night, they radiate lines of light via secondary cuts in the façade. It transforms into a beacon of light in the predominantly dark winters of the Siberian province.
See more photographs of both buildings in the image gallery below:
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