Instead of a concert hall — a new concept: what will become of the caisson in Kyiv
9 April 11:08
Igor Tynny, owner of IVT Group, announced the suspension of the caisson revitalization project in Natalka Park in the Obolon district of Kyiv. He made the announcement during an appearance on the Business Breakfast program with Volodymyr Fedorin of Forbes Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
The businessman explained that construction had to be put on hold due to the war, the curfew, shifting consumer priorities, and critical staffing issues.
Why Tynnyy Halted the Project
According to Igor Tynnyy, the primary reason for the pause was the new realities of wartime. The businessman stated that the project was ambitious, but after the start of full-scale war, people’s behavior, the structure of demand, and the opportunities for implementing complex commercial initiatives all changed. He directly linked the suspension of work to the war and the curfew.
“It was an ambitious project, but the war and the curfew changed everything. I was forced to freeze construction,” the entrepreneur explained.
Separately, Tynnyi emphasized the staffing factor. According to him, the project faced critical difficulties in recruiting people and maintaining the team, which also became one of the reasons for the pause.
Why the logic of the project itself has changed
Ihor Tynnyi explained that consumer priorities have shifted amid the war. In his view, the time has come in Ukraine for so-called “inferior goods”—that is, basic necessities—while premium entertainment segments have lost their relevance. That is precisely why the idea of creating an entertainment space in its pre-war format no longer fits the new situation.
This means that the pause affects not only the pace of construction but also the very concept of the facility. The project is no longer being considered in the form in which it was planned prior to the full-scale invasion.
What they now plan to do with the caisson
Despite the suspension of work, Tynnyi stated that the project is not being abandoned for good. According to him, the caisson will still be completed, but its functional purpose will change significantly. Instead of an entertainment center or concert hall, the plan is to create a public space with a military-artistic component.
Thus, the project is shifting from a commercial-entertainment model to a more public and symbolic one. This fits into a broader trend of reimagining urban spaces in Kyiv under the influence of the war.
What is the caisson in Obolon
The concrete caisson in Natalka Park is a remnant of a large-scale Soviet-era infrastructure project. Construction began as early as 1936 under conditions of secrecy as part of a network of tunnels beneath the Dnipro River.
According to various accounts, the structure was intended to be part of an underground railway or a system of military-strategic tunnels connecting the two banks of Kyiv. After the outbreak of World War II, construction effectively halted, and work was finally abandoned in 1949.
The caisson itself has long been considered one of Obolon’s most famous unfinished engineering projects and a part of the history of the so-called “Stalin Metro.”
How the idea for revitalization came about
In 2017, the civic organization “Park ‘Natalka’” proposed transforming the caisson into an art space.
Subsequently, construction work began around the structure, and official permission for the renovation was granted in 2020. Over time, it became known that the renovation of the site is being carried out by Granada-82 LLC, which is linked to Ihor Tynny.
Before the full-scale war, Tynnyy planned to transform the abandoned 1930s structure into a modern concert hall and music park featuring jazz and blues stages. They had hoped to complete the work as early as 2022.
Why the project has already been mired in controversy
In 2022, a public conflict arose over the caisson’s reconstruction. Kyiv City Council member Vladislav Trubitsyn claimed that the work was being carried out without the proper permits. A criminal investigation was subsequently opened, but the company responsible for the reconstruction later provided proof of the necessary permits.
