Studio Fuksas-designed Rike Concert Hall in Tbilisi set to be demolished
The unopened Rike Concert Hall in Tbilisi, designed by Italian practice Studio Fuksas, is set to be demolished less than 15 years after it was completed.
Tbilisi's city hall architecture department has issued a permit allowing the owner of the concert hall to demolish the building. According to reports in the Georgian press, its owners now have until December 25 to dismantle the building.
Largely completed by 2012, the high-profile building has sat unused in the central Rhike Park for over a decade.
The tubular concert hall designed by Studio Fuksas was abandoned following a change in the country's government in 2012 and never opened to the public.
Its future has been in doubt ever since. Following a decade of closure, the building was sold to a property developer in 2022, who in turn sold it to the current owner – Makro Constructions – in 2025.
Explaining the decision, Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze described the building as "a garbage dump" that was in "very bad condition".
"This is private property, a building that was absolutely non-functional," Kaladze was reported as saying in Georgian newspaper Inter Press News. "A garbage dump, one might say, in a very bad condition."
"It is functionally unjustified, and accordingly, the private owner made a decision to dismantle it," he continued.
Although no plans for the site have been announced, a hotel was previously mooted for the site.
"Together with the cultural council, we gave the owner the opportunity to carry out the demolition, and then we will wait for a new project, which will be presented to the City Hall, and we will discuss the development of this," said Kaladze.
"There has been no proposal, no project yet. As soon as it is introduced, the public will know about it. It is a very important place, therefore, the project must also be in accordance with the environment."
Founded by architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Studio Fuksas is one of Italy's most prominent architecture studios. Recent projects by the studio include a "vertical park" on the Monaco waterfront.
The photography is courtesy of Studio Fuksas.
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