The Role of Historical Architecture of Siberian Theaters in Modern Urban Environment

The article examines the role of historical architecture of Siberian theaters in the modern urban environment. Despite their cultural and historical significance, the integration of theater buildings into the urban environment remains insufficiently studied in the Russian architectural and urban planning science.
Purpose: The aim of this work is to identify the spatial and visual interaction of historical theaters with surrounding buildings in constantly changing urban environment. Theaters from four Siberian cities are analyzed: Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Krasnoyarsk, and Irkutsk.
Methodology: The methodological basis of the work is Magdalena Kozen-Kwoznyak's typology, based on three types of interaction between the theater and the city (teatr emisji, teatr recepcji, teatr interferencji), as well as Buo-Yuan Xu's concept of the urban continuity and discontinuity. In addition, analyzed are the architectural and stylistic environment, the structure of street connections, transport accessibility, and recreational infrastructure. The comparative analysis shows that theatres demonstrate different models of integration: from active generation of public space (NOVAT) to pronounced isolation caused by both historical dense development (Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen) and modern urban barriers.
Research findings: It is shown that even with classic architectural forms and a central location, a theater can lose its function as a compositional dominant due to a lack of connectivity with its surroundings.
Value: The emphasis is made for the need to develop comprehensive urban planning strategies aimed at preserving cultural heritage and strengthening the role of theaters as living elements of the urban environment.

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