holographic pyramid by syndicate chosen for garage museum's summer cinema pavilion

syndicate architects’ winning proposal for the garage screen summer cinema pavilion comprises a truncated pyramid elevated off the ground and wrapped in holographic façades. with its bold shape, unusual materials, and functional design, the pavilion will be built in front of the OMA-designed garage museum of contemporary art in moscow this spring to offer the experience of an open-air cinema in any weather.

all images courtesy of syndicate architects

organized by russian urban consulting company strelka KB, the competition asked up-and-coming russian architects to design a multifunctional temporary summer cinema pavilion for the garage museum which would be accessible to visitors with disabilities and meet the venue’s standards of environmental responsibility. chosen among six shortlisted proposals, syndicate‘s design references the former vremena goda café, which was reconstructed by rem koolhaas in 2015 as a permanent home for the museum. the elevated truncated pyramid allows for the cinema hall to visually unfold into the park, while its holographic facades, garage screen neon sign hung at eye level, and red velvet curtains create a festive mood.

‘the garage screen cinema is an iconic venue,’ notes victor stolbovoy, part of syndicate’s team of young architects with experience in major russian and international firms. ‘we do not see it as simply a box which you can just go into and watch a movie. it is a dynamic place that interacts with the surrounding context and is always changing depending on the angle of view. the materials that we have proposed are not typical for summer cinemas, and this also adds to the triumph of the design.’

‘one of the missions of garage is to support russian art and architecture. syndicate offered something more than an architectural concept: it’s a new way of experiencing cinema. we hope that this competition will stimulate the development of temporary architecture in russia.’ notes dasha zhukova, founder of garage museum of contemporary art and part of the competition jury, which also included: anton belov, director of garage; varvara melnikova, CEO of strelka institute for media, architecture, and design and founding partner at KB strelka; daria paramonova, head of strelka architects; ekaterina golovatyuk, co-founder of grace studio and the architect behind the museum’s first summer cinema; and olga aleksandrova, partner at buromoscow.