KURA CULTURAL CENTRE 2013 - 2014

The Kura Cultural Centre scheme unveils the incredible possibilities to realise a new vision for the city of Mingachevir. The proposal aims to create a new cultural and social centre, a multi-functional setting for conferences, concerts, theatre performances, film screenings, festivals, exhibitions, social events. With the intentions to design a transparent cultural media centre, the KCC intends to become revolutionary in its engineering and aesthetic.

The scheme addresses major urban and architectural design considerations for the siting and open space strategy, the adequate programmatic mix, the spatial, engineering, material and aesthetic character within a clear framework for realisation.

A new vertical landmark: The envisioned building will stand out as a transparent, radiant tower reflecting both sky and its surroundings as well as the vibrant life within it.

Casting a ‘new light’: ‘Inclusion’ through light and transparency describes the architectural idea of bringing at the KCC the ‘outside in’ and taking the ‘inside out’.

The city as a stage: The proposed building attempts to reinvigorate the archetypal conference and auditorium hall by redefining the relationship between the hallowed interior and the general public outside and around it. There is deliberately not only one foyer but instead, a vertical public route that connects the two auditoria by means of open spaces at different levels. Both the primary spaces -the 315-seat main auditorium and the 165-seat multi purpose hall have translucent glass façades and large openings that open the halls to the views and the landscape, offering the context as a dramatic backdrop for performances. The easily manipulable seating and stage configuration of the main auditorium, treasures a flexible and improvisatory nature allowing artistic directors to rapidly change the venue into a wide array of configurations.