Part of the new European Embankment city quarter masterplan for a new urban plaza in the midst of historic St. Petersburg, the 21,000 m² Dance Palace, by UN Studio, blends yet stands out.
The St. Petersburg standard for building height is 28m. As such, the building largely adheres to this standard (with an little bit apparently peaking above, because hey, what are standards for but to be broken?). There is a measure of both transparency and opacity provided by the facade cladding system. This system is comprised of a screen created from thousands of triangular openings which grow or shrink depending on their location on the facade. These create an ebb and flow to the facade which exists as a sort of ‘energetic tranquility’.
Behind the facade is a large theatre, holding 1,000 people; and a smaller auditorium set to hold 300. The main auditorium is set up in a horseshoe configuration for acoustic and stage proximity maximums. Очень хорошо.
