Entertainment center to illuminate dark Russian town

Erick van Egeraat Associated Architects, Rotterdam, Netherlands, has started construction on Vershina, a 377,000-sf entertainment center in Surgut, Russia. The use of light in the building’s design allows it to stand out as an illuminated icon during the city’s long, dark winter nights. The design features a large central mass visually divided into discrete sharp volumes by transparent cuts in the façade. These “lines of light” allow daylight in, and artificial light to radiate out at night. The complex will house shops, sports facilities, restaurants, bars, clubs, and an open atrium area. Completion: summer 2008.