The Hermitage XXI: The New Art Museum in the General Staff Building - Tapa dura

'Studio 44 has provided an answer to the question of how a museum can be both conservative and progressive, closed and open, imposing and inclusive. This gives the building a chance to be a real attractor for the cultural life of the city' - Aaron Betsky 'The architects have shown real insight both in trying to understand what the East Wing is, and in expressing what it might want to be ... It is fair to say that the Hermitage in the General Staff Building is a project quite unlike any other large-scale museum project in the Western world' - Hans Ibelings

Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, the Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. In early 2000, it was decided that the eastern wings General Staff Building (182030) should be converted into a museum of 19th and 20th century art, and an international architectural competetition was held. St Petersburg-based Studio 44 won the commission for the elegant manner with which it addressed the projects complexity, by preserving the integrity of the original design, adapting a ministry building into an exhibition space, incorporating 21st-century museum technologies and connecting to the main buildings and public areas of the city beyond. The centrepiece of the design is a breathtaking enfilade that will enthral visitors to the new space. The scale and dramatic outcome of the building provides a treasure trove of information and inspiration for architects, museum visitors, curators and anyone interested in Russias rich cultural heritage, of which this building marks a new chapter.