Tatinvestcivilproject cuts Kamal Theatre’s layout project development sevenfold
2,6 million rubles were allocated first
The elaboration of the layout and survey of the territory for the construction of a new building of the Galiaskar Kamal Theatre won’t require millions from the Tatarstan budget as it was considered earlier. The works will cost just 397,000 rubles, which is nearly seven times lower than the initial price of 2,647 million rubles announced earlier, Realnoe Vremya found out.
Ten competitors were bidding the project, two of them withdrew their applications. Tatinvestcivilproject Main Territorial Project and Survey, Research and Development Firm, which belongs to the Tatarstan Ministry of Construction, got the contract.
Other aspirants made low-cost offers. So one of the competitors offered 410,000, another one did almost 754,500. Others claimed bigger sums, while two tried to get the contract with the initial price. At the same time, in late July, Realnoe Vremya was told in the press service of the Tatarstan Ministry of Construction that the layout and survey of the territory already received a positive statement of the inspection.
6,5 ha for theatre
It should be reminded that the area for the new building of the Kamal Theatre will be 6,5 ha. The venue of regional importance will be located at the crossroads of Khadi Taktash, Nursultan Nazarbayev and the water area of Lower Kaban Lake.
“The preparation of documentation for the layout of the territory is made to organise the territory due to the scheduled construction of a venue of regional importance Galiaskar Kamal Theatre, technical equipment of transport service that are needed for the venue, considering the functional and territorial zoning and survey to determine the location of the border of the land parcel for the venue of regional importance,” the documentation explains.
The potential formation of karts, saturation and flooding of the parcel are among complicating factors. The works are due to be done until 20 December.
Aggressive “UFO with Tatars”
An international contest for the architectural concept of the new Kamal Theatre building was announced in the Tatarstan capital in the summer of 2021. Its participants went through a selection of applications, the finalists were chosen and attended an introductory session. At the last stage, the architects particularly watched a play spectators performed, they explained why the Kamal Theatre was important to them.
The winner of the contest was chosen in February. The jury gave the first place to a consortium chaired by Wowhouse (Moscow, Russia). It includes Kengo Kuma & Associates (Tokyo, Japan), Werner Sobek AG bureau (Stuttgart, Germany) and Architect Bakulin German Alekseyevich’s Personal Art Workshop (Kazan, Russia).
Wowhous’s consortium presented a project whose sharp glass roofs were compared with rockets, a snow hill or somebody saw an “UFO with Tatars”. Aide to the Tatarstan president Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova called it “aggressive, militarist.”
The authors of the project themselves were inspired by the roof of the current Kamal Theatre and simply “multiplied” and changed it. Moreover, the inside of the theatre attracted and frightened because of an excessive use of the ornament, and not all the ornaments turned out to be Tatar.
In July, Realnoe Vremya found out that Wowhouse consortium was developed the project documentation, particularly detailed layout of main halls of the building — a big one designed for 600 seats, a universal one for 200 seats, eastern, chamber and several rehearsal halls as well as necessary technical rooms, storage rooms and makeup rooms for artists. The theatre regularly holds meetings with the designers where all the details of the project are discussed.
It was planned to start the construction this year. The Kazan authorities haven’t yet decided what to do with the existing building of the Kamal Theatre.