In the category Built in the future Designed by Erick van Egeraat won the Russian Best Building Award for his Chess-club building in Khanty, Mansiysk.
The Best Building Awards is an annual open public competition and is intended to show the most original, innovative and innovative projects that make a significant contribution to the development of modern architecture and urban planning in Russia.
The price for Best Building 2011 went to the Pipe electric welding shop Height 239 of the Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant. 'It's amazing how in times of financial crisis, the plant has found a means to expand production, the construction of the shop, in which architects and designers have invested a lot of nonsense. Bright colours, "flying" interior solutions, many live plants …', according to Tatiana Zavialova in The Voice of Russia.
The Chess Club Designed by Erick van Egeraat got an award in the category Built in the future and also provoked discussions. According to some it is a reminiscent of a spaceship, or the sparkling iceberg.
Directly after completion the 5.000 sq. meter Chess-club building in Khanty-Mansiysk hosted the 2010 Chess Olympics. Erick van Egeraat worked closely with the municipality of Khanty-Mansiysk and its main benefactor Gazprom in realising the building. He compared the Chess Clubs sleek, but slightly distorted appearance with the physics of a chess player. Motionless on the outside, but with great internal struggle to beat the opponent. This contrast is emphasised by the cool metallic façade and the warm predominantly wooden interior.
Van Egeraat was thrilled by his award; I am proud to receive the Best Building Award 2011. This win is recognition for our continuous effort over the past 15 years and fuels our enduring desire to add quality to this great country. And according to The Voice of Russia, joked during the ceremony: "This is one of the smallest projects that I built. I suspect that this is one of the reasons why colleagues awarded me this prize. But I want to assure all that in the near future I will prove that it is possible to build in Russia, attractive, inexpensive, practical large scale buildings. Soon you will see."
Designed by Erick van Egeraat is at this moment working on the new Sberbank University and the new Dinamo Moscow Stadium.