Los Angeles-based architecture practice wHY Architecture has revealed design for a new opera and ballet theatre in Perm, Russia with its rounded glazing facade that entirely opens up the interior of the building to outside.  

The team received a planning permission from the City Council of Perm on 24th January, as well as the planning commission, and members of the public, who met to vote on wHY’s design for a major new theatre at the heart of the city. 

The announcement of the studio said: "The director of wHY’s New York office and Buildings Workshop, Andrija Stojic, will work closely with wHY’s Landscape Workshop, directed by Mark Thomann, to create an impressive new structure which will serve as a beacon for the emerging arts district along the Kama River."

The 35,000-square-metre built will be built in Perm, a city known with other theatres, including the Drama Theater, the Puppet Theatre, the Theatre for Young Spectators, the Theatre "Stage Molot", and the Theatre "Near the Bridge".

wHY Architecture's design will be a new beacon for the emerging arts district along the Kama River. The architects' design strategy radically reincorporates both the river and the landscape into the city’s cultural identity, creating a flowing, dynamic space which places art and nature at the center of urban life.

wHY opens the interior of the theater to all 

The architects created a tree-like core inside and all activities are planned around this mountainous structure, which is wrapped by fully-glazed surface.

"As a cultural landmark overlooking the city, the building has all the hallmarks of a monumental icon to the arts – however, wHY plans to explode the existing typology of the closed-off theatre structure, creating a building which is porous and open to all, with views of the city on all sides," added the architects.

As the architects highlight, the form of the building mimics the movement of dance and music, and the palette of materials references the geology of the region and the legacy of copper mining. 

The square plaza of a traditional theatre becomes an organic curved surface which sweeps visitors up into the building and invites them to explore the sculptural diversity of the structure. 

Ramps and walkways create a sense of flow throughout the building, and visitors are encouraged to explore the outdoor spaces in all seasons. These formal elements of the theatre extend to the surrounding park, where a series of dancing paths and terraced landscape create a sense of continuity between the built and natural environment.

"The overall design creates a dynamic focal point for the city, a celebration of culture and industry, people and history, which will bring the city into a new era of cultural and economic development," the studio added.

wHY is an interdisciplinary design practice dedicated to serving the arts, communities, culture and the environment. The firm was founded by Kulapat Yantrasast, a Thai architect, in 2004. wHY has 30 architects at the studio and has offices in New York and Los Angeles. 

wHY previously won competition for the Ross Pavilion International Design Competition.

All images courtesy of wHY

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