VGIK - Gerasimov Institute Of Cinematography - Moscow, Russian Federation

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The VGIK is the oldest film school in the world, founded in Moscow in 1919. The brief was correspondingly demanding: a main auditorium of 589 seats capable of functioning simultaneously as a cinema, a concert hall, and a theatrical venue — each requiring different acoustic conditions — housed within the new university wing.

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The acoustic design, developed in collaboration with Milan-based acoustic engineer Marcello Brugola, is built around a digitally controlled system of rotating Topakustik wood panels. Operated through dedicated software and sensor technology, the panels reconfigure the acoustic geometry of the hall in real time, adjusting absorption and reflection coefficients to match the requirements of each use. The false ceiling — curved, suspended, constructed from Topakustik panels mounted on calendered ribs with a fixed five-metre radius — was designed specifically to govern sound wave reflection across the entire seating area. It is the first application of curved Topakustik panels at these dimensions.

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The spatial language of the project follows the same logic as the acoustic system: everything is subordinated to performance. Lighting fixtures, air vents, and sprinkler terminals are integrated into horizontal cuts in the wall surfaces, maintaining the continuity of the panelled envelope. The result is a room where the technology disappears into the architecture.

Beyond the main hall, the complex includes a 250-seat experimental theatre, two 100-seat cinema rooms, a projection room, a control room, and a dedicated screening room. An elevated technical bridge above the false ceiling provides manually operated theatre lighting for educational use.

The auditorium was inaugurated by Russian President. It has since become a principal venue for Moscow's film festival circuit.

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Location: Ulitsa Vil'gel'ma Pika, 3, Moscow, Russia, 129226

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Awards: 

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DA Design Awards 2020 — Bronze, Institutional Category Architecture MasterPrize 2020 — Honourable Mention, Interior Design / Public Spaces IDA Design Awards 2022 — Bronze, Architecture Institutional

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Credits:

Project Leader: Paolo Lettieri.

DesignTeam: Paolo Lettieri,  Marcello Brugola, Irina Ivanova, Alessandro Pasini, Andrea Pagnoni,  Irina Tibaeva, Vibhor Mukul Sing.

3D visualization: Irina Ivanova

Photo: Paolo Lettieri

 

Client: Art Deco Moscow, ST Engineering Moscow.  

Final Client: VGIK University, known as Gerasimov Institure of Cinematography of Moscow

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