The task for the participants involved the creation in the historical center of the city, next to the Arsenal, an ensemble of cultural institutions: a center of Ukrainian music, a museum of modern art and a Ukrainian cinema center. The total area of the new "arts quarter" is about 10 hectares; a particular difficulty in the design was the problem of historical fortifications - ramparts passing through the territory of the future complex.
Isozaki solved it by making the master plan of the ensemble as free as possible, which would allow the construction of buildings by architects working in different manners on its territory. The jury also noted the balance achieved in the project by Arata Isozaki between the volumes of buildings and the free space between them. The Japanese architect views the Arsenal area as a collection of "historical layers"; new construction on this site involves the creation of yet another, the newest layer, but also the disclosure of all the previous ones: together they constitute the cultural heritage of Kiev, access to which should be provided to the residents of the city.
Isozaki was entrusted with the further development of the plan for the "Mystetsky Arsenal", as the future ensemble is called, and the Center of Ukrainian Music will be built according to his project: the jury liked his proposal for its interior space and acoustic qualities.
The rest of the winners of the competition will also take part in the work: the Swedish bureau AIX, which took the second place, will deal with the Ukrainian Cinema Center, David Chipperfield, who was in the third place, will design the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Kleihues + Kleihues workshop will design the hotel.
