Pavilions
Address: Gorky Park, Krymsky Val, 9, Moscow, RussiaClient: Gorky Park
Heads of Wowhaus: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro
Principal architects: Anastasiya Izmakova, Olga Khokhlova
Architect: Mariya Kokhlova
Photos: Artur Dugin
- to design demountable multifunctional pavilions of non-standard construction in Gorky Park for use in all seasons regardless of the caprices of the weather.
We designed pavilions which can serve the skating rink during the winter and be re-programmed to suit the needs of the park during the summer. Rejecting the use of standard demountable metal structures, we made the pavilions from wood, a traditional park material.
When the skating rink opened in Gorky Park in 2011, one of the pavilions right at the end of the rink was Club Medeo, a venue for ice parties. In the summer of 2012 Medeo was dismantled and relocated to Neskuchny Garden, where it currently houses a co-working space and the Shardam Children’s Theatre.
In the winter the ground floor of the pavilion included a cafe with an open-air bar where visitors could order hot tea or mulled wine while standing outside. The second floor was a space for the DJ. To create visual emphases, we made the facades bright and luminous.
In the winter the sports pavilions serve the skating rink. They contain skate hire, a spacious changing room, and lockers.
In the summer the pavilions become sports halls.
In the summer one of the pavilions contains a children’s summer school and an Italian restaurant (with a terrace) called Osteria nel Parco. The other pavilions are home to Café Bulka and Café Mercato. The pavilions were built in time for the opening of the skating rink in 2011. They moved to a different location for the summer of 2012. For the coming winter they will return to their original location to once again serve users of the rink.
In order to marry the structures with the park’s landscape, we placed trees in wooden tubs next to the pavilions.
For the summer we dressed the pavilions in bright décor, using trendy colours and facing made of wood. During the hot days of summer the reprogrammed pavilions welcome visitors just as hospitably as they did in the cold of winter.
