Erick van Egeraat wins the Russian Best Building Award 2011 (NL/RU)

On October 16, 2011, Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat was awarded the prestigious Russian Best Building Award for his 'Chess-club building' in Khanty – Mansiysk. Directly after completion the 5,000-m² Chess-club building in Khanty-Mansiysk hosted the 2010 Chess Olympics.








Billiard & Chess_Alexey Naroditskiy

The Chess-club building: an 'enchanting architectural work which adds quality to the Khanty – Mansiysk region and beyond'.



Erick van Egeraat worked closely with the municipality of Khanty-Mansiysk and its main benefactor Gazprom in realizing this extraordinary building. He compared the Chess Club's 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 emphasized by the 'cool' metallic facade and the 'warm' predominantly wooden interior.

"This tiny building is a little icon but it symbolizes the continuous development of this unique city in the center of Eurasia," says Erick van Egeraat.

Best Building Awards is an open public competition in construction and architecture. The prize is awarded annually to the best projects of architecture, made by professional architects and developers and builders.

The jurors elaborated on their decision to award Erick van Egeraat: "Erick van Egeraat's Chess-club building is an enchanting architectural work which adds quality to the Khanty – Mansiysk region and beyond. It is an example for the architectural potential Russia has to offer in the years to come".

The architect, who at this moment is working on the new Sberbank University and the new Dinamo Moscow Stadium, 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."

Source: Designed by Erick van Egeraat


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