At the behest of the head of state and as part of creating a cultural and educational center on the shores of the Baltic Sea, a museum space has emerged. The gallery branch will become a comfortable environment for enlightenment and realization of creative ideas. For companies involved in implementing this project, it represents a unique experience.

A Platform for Architectural Experiments

The concept of developing Oktyabrsky Island in Kaliningrad, located between two branches of the Pregolya River, initially envisioned constructing medium-rise residential buildings with well-developed infrastructure here. However, she underwent changes, and today this territory is considered to be a unified park area that combines cultural objects with various active zones. This place for offers city dwellers an opportunity to relax while hosting open exhibitions, events related to art, theater, and other public activities.

The non-profit organization Fund for Social and Cultural Projects «National and Cultural Heritage» acts as the client for the cultural and educational cluster.

Today, this area can be called a platform for architectural experiments. The island promises to become a center of gravity within many kilometers around: here, branches of the Bolshoi Theater, Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (RGISI), Moscow State Academy of Choreography, and Central Music School at the Moscow State Conservatory named after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are planned to open.

One key object is the Tretyakov Gallery branch. In a certain sense, it is innovative because, approval to the authors from the architectural bureau «Meganom», there is a suspended enfilade—a series of consecutive spaces (exhibition halls)—in the air above the exhibition space, whose openings are aligned along one longitudinal axis. At the same time, the enfilade itself is quite classical for museums and provides opportunities to organize different types of expositional spaces.

Another feature of the museum and its architectural dominating element is a 50-meter administrative tower. It houses equipped with cabinet for museum staff, multifunctional spaces intended for presentations, press conferences, and other events, as well as technical rooms for engineering systems of the complex.

Using BIM Technologies

In the framework of realizing the building of the branch Tretyakov Gallery's in Kaliningrad, «Metropolis» company developed design and work documentation regarding structural solutions and design internal engineering systems, including author supervision.

— From a technical standpoint, the project team gained valuable experience in conditions of complex engineering and geological structure of the construction site, — notes Ivan Klokov, Head of CR Group at «Metropolis». Initial seismicity of the territory on Oktyabrsky Island is 6.3 points, at the same time, according to seismic properties, soils belong to category III., according to SP 14.13330.2018, creases the seismicity of the survey site to 7.3 points.

According to the calculations, 4,500 piles were designed using a pin joint, which is innovative in Russia. The technology of joining sections of precast reinforced concrete piles using pin joints, according to the «Metropolis» team, is promising and provides a significant reduction in the amount of materials to implement, labor intensity, and time to connect them with sufficiently high strength and durability.

The project was developed using BIM technologies with full alignment of structural elements and engineering routes of adjacent departments, followed by checking for «collisions» and their elimination. At the stage of working design, this made it possible to perform all calculations in the project with 100% accuracy.

Safety and Microclimate

Effective protection of museum exhibits requires a comprehensive approach involving diverse methods and technologies. Approximately twenty security systems have been installed in the museum, including alarm systems, video surveillance, and automation. To implement these measures, over 250 km of cable was laid out.

In case of an emergency, the use of a fire extinguishing system with finely dispersed water makes it possible to preserve all the exhibits as much as possible, since water under high pressure (over 10 kg) creates dispersed dust that does not damage the paintings.

At the request of future users, complex technical solutions have been designed for the museum, which will allow engineering equipment and security systems to be adapted to the requirements of various exhibitions. For example, to organize an exhibition of contemporary art, you can set up partitions in a certain way, while transferring all sensors connected either via wired cables or wireless technology.

A system has also been set up to create a museum microclimate. It is designed to ensure the safety of exhibits both during exhibitions and during their storage and allows you to monitor the current situation around the clock using sensors for a variety of parameters. If necessary, it turns on automatically to maintain them at a preset level. A special art storage system and special rooms for restoration have been created.

Thermal-humidification air treatment will take place in the air conditioning systems to provide continuous and year-round maintenance of the required microclimate parameters necessary for housing costly exhibits. Ventilation includes purification of outside air, utilization of waste heat from extracted air, heating of incoming air up to 12 °C during cold seasons, and bactericidal treatment.

Currently, in the building of the Tretyakov Gallery branch in Kaliningrad, adjustments are underway for the complex climate control equipment, while the museum staff is preparing to greet visitors. Two permanent exhibitions will open first: the Children's Museum and the multimedia project «Hall of History of the Tretyakov Gallery». Additionally, an exhibition entitled «Five Centuries of Russian Art» has been announced.

Read the article about the Tretyakov Gallery in Kaliningrad on the ASN-info website