Today is a special day and a special selection of landmark Russian projects from the Baltic to the Pacific: Kazan, Vladivostok, Kaliningrad, Sevastopol, St. Petersburg.
Kengo Kuma’s first completed project in Russia — an "ice flower" on Lake Kaban. Nineteen glass petal‑screens change color from sunset crimson to transparent ice. From competition to opening took only three years. The theatre was built almost entirely by Russian contractors using domestic materials. Wowhaus literally camped on site, and the result became the main architectural event of 2025.
Kamala is already receiving audiences. At the same time, cultural clusters are rising on construction sites in three cities, each vying to become its city’s architectural dominant.
Museum and Theatre Complex | Snøhetta + Gorka| Vladivostok
On the summit of the Orlinoe Gnezdo hill, at an elevation of 185 metres, a cluster of branches of the Mariinsky, the Tretyakov, and RGISI is taking shape. The project has had a difficult fate: four concept changes, each sparking fierce debate among residents and architects. After the Norwegians from Snøhetta left, the project was taken over by the Russian bureau Gorka (what a beautiful name!). Stained glass and façades are currently being installed; construction completion is planned for the end of this year, opening in 2027. From the 130‑metre roof‑staircase there will be a panorama of the Golden Horn Bay.
Branch of the Bolshoi Theatre | Snøhetta| Kaliningrad
The building’s central axis is shaped like a spinning ballerina. Realizing such an idea in load‑bearing structures proved an engineering challenge without precedent in Russian practice. A cantilever with an 80‑metre projection floats without a single support. Technological features: individual ventilation and subtitle screens at each of the 950 seats, automatic set changes. 1,100 people work on site around the clock; delivery is scheduled for the end of 2026. The Bolshoi’s charm will remain in Moscow, but in terms of technology the Kaliningrad branch promises to surpass the original. We’re working there with renderings of a nearby residential complex.
The Choreography Academy on Khrustalny Cape is already operating, and an Art Gallery opens this year. The Opera and Ballet Theatre will be the cluster’s final object. All three buildings were designed by the same firm: the Austrian Coop Himmelb (l)au, participants in the Deconstructivism exhibition at MoMA alongside Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. Builders are now closing the roof and completing the glazing. The theatre will welcome its first audiences in 2027. From construction sites we move to dreams — two ambitious projects that currently exist only as renders.
Two skyscrapers, 703 m and 555 m, next to the existing Lakhta, which is already Europe’s tallest building (462 m). The project underwent public hearings in March this year: heights were approved, functions defined, and a metro station planned. If Lakhta‑2 is built it would become the world’s second tallest building after the Burj Khalifa. Construction starts this year, completion in 2033. The project’s animation was also discussed a few years ago.
A black cube on the water. The image refers back to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest sanctuary. The single minaret is designed as a lighthouse with an observation deck, which restores the word’s original Arabic meaning: "minaret" literally "lighthouse." Inside, a prayer hall for 10,000 people and a museum of Islamic history around the perimeter. The site is being selected and construction is expected to start this year. If realized close to the sketches, this will be one of the most unusual mosques in the world.
Half of the projects were launched under the presidential cultural clusters program; the rest were initiatives of regions, businesses, or religious communities. Different clients, different architects, different scales. One country, and the best way to understand it is to look at what it builds. Happy holiday!