The design is inspired by the Great Imperial Crown of Russia (Большая императорская корона). The crown has a unique and characteristic form, famous around the world and dear to the hearts of the Russian people. The existing building of the Pushkinsky Cinema is considered as a modernistic icon and one of the symbols of Moscow. Its façade is widely recognized and is worth to be preserved.

The project creates a combination between the existing building (the traditional) and the new form (the modern). The new form envelops the cinema, resembling the silhouette of the Great Imperial Crown. It is made of arrayed vertical planes that radiate from the centre of the building. In this way the spectator can see the original building between the planes but perceives a completely new silhouette as a whole. The existing building is painted in bright red with a 3D lace decoration motif, in contracts with the new clear semi-transparent white planes.

www.architizer.com/en_us/competitions/changing-the-face — not active

www.architizer.com/projects/imperatorskaya-korona