‘The Cultural Centre Is Going to Be a Place you Won’t Want to Leave’

The new HSE complex on Pokrovsky Boulevard houses HSE University’s Cultural Centre - on the building map it is marked with the letter Z. Roman Ilyin, the director of the Centre, sat down with HSE University Life to talk about the exciting changes that are in store for the Centre in the near future.

The Cultural Centre’s development plan spans several years. By the end of 2019, large and small halls will be operational; equipment will be purchased and halls will be fully furnished. ‘By the New Year at the latest, the Cultural Centre is going to be a place you won’t want to leave,’ says Roman Ilyin.

The Centre currently has a functioning dance hall where workshops and training sessions can be held, and there is also an area for co-working for students and student organizations that can accommodate up to 40 people and is equipped with dressing rooms. Plans include equipping the space with a warehouse where students can store their stage props.

The Cultural Centre may also soon be equipped with a new rehearsal space for musicians. ‘Of course, the space there is not so big, so we will not be able to transform it into a professional studio,’ Roman Ilyin explains. ‘But we can support the musical groups that have recently formed at HSE University.’

The existing room reservation system will soon be updated with the help of the Office of Information Technology so that students and staff can reserve areas in the Cultural Centre.

The system will be convenient and transparent for both students and employees of the Centre. Users will be able to view which rooms are available at what time, the status of their reservation request, and what activities other organizations are holding.

‘We have a large variety of equipment, so reservation requests should indicate one’s A/V requirements—whether sound, stage lighting, or video is needed, for example. A range of technical options will be made available to event organizers,’ says Roman Ilyin.

The Cultural Centre will eventually be open 24/7. ‘We intend to make the Cultural Centre a unique place that will attract more and more exciting student activities every year,’ says Roman Ilyin.

All HSE students (except first-year students) can participate in the university-wide contest to design the Cultural Centre’s new branding image. Eight teams under the supervision of members of the Association of Branding Companies of Russia will create their design submissions.

You can apply to enter the competition until October 1. Detailed information is available here and on the competition page (in Russian). 

September 13, 2019