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MARIINSKY II – SAINTPETERSBURG, RUSSIA
A star is reborn
Saint Petersburgmakes soundwaveswith one of theworld’s largest
andmost sophisticated concert halls, the long-awaitedMariinsky II.
HailedasRussia’smost ambitious cultural venture since
the timeof theCzars, theUSD700millionvenueopened
in 2013with a star-studdedgala featuring renowned
tenor PlacidoDomingo. Locatedon the legendaryTheater
Squareandconnectedviaapedestrianbridgeacross the
KryukovCanal to theoriginalMariinskyTheater –built for
Czar Alexander II’swifeMaria in1860 – thenew facility
provides ahigh-techhome foropera, ballet and symphony
concerts.
Theglass-and-limestoneedificewasdesignedbyCanadian
architect JackDiamond to complement St. Petersburg’s
distinctive19
th
century architecture. But inside iswhere
themagic reallyhappens. Seating2,000 at full capacity,
the concert hall features advanced acousticdesign and
sophisticated technological capabilities enabling theopera
house to stagemodernproductionsonlydreamedof in the
originalMariinsky.
The showmustgoon
KONEplayedanactive role indesigning thepeopleflow
logisticsof the ten-storycomplexand itsbackstage facilities.
Every unit of equipment was custom-designed to offer
the best solution for every need, be itmoving crowds,
performers or stage sets.
“A theaterbuilding is always a logistical challengebecauseof
the technology involved, but especially sowith theMariinsky,
which aims tobe themost advanced opera house in the
world.Wedelivered special car capacities andnon-standard
car anddoor sizes to reallyget thingsmoving,” says local
KONEDirector
AlexeySamkovich
.
TwoKONEescalatorsmovevisitors from theentrance to the
cloakroom. Eachof the24KONEelevators isunique, some
reserved for visitors, others exclusively for theaterpersonnel.
There’s alsoa freight elevatordedicated tomoving justprops
and scenery.
“Agroupof elevatorsmoves largenumbersof chorus singers
anddancers, and thereare separateelevators for soloists.We
workedhard tounderstandhow the theaterworks andhow
tomoveartists smoothlyduringaperformance,” saysR
oman
Pronikov
, KONESalesManager.
Silence,please
Issueswith site readiness andchanges in thebuilding’sdesign
during the executionphase called for flexibility fromKONE
during installation. Adecade in themaking, thecontroversial
project was troubledby delays, bringing it under intense
media scrutiny.