Tbilisi’s Rike Concert Hall Slated for Demolition Despite Never Opening
4July 22, 2026
The Rike Concert Hall inTbilisi, Georgia, is set to be demolished. Designed by the renowned Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas of Studio Fuksas, the building was mostly completed in 2012 but has never been opened. Thearchitecturedepartment of Tbilisi’s city hall issued a permit allowing for the concert hall’s demolition, mandating the venue’s deconstruction by December 25th.
Nicknamed the “Rike Tubes,” the concert hall in Rike Park had become one of Tbilisi’s most recognizable architectural feats, consisting of two interconnected ducts made of glass and steel. Following the initial building of the venue, a change in Georgia’s government let to the suspension of the project. The complex has changed ownership multiple times since. In 2025 it was acquired by Makro Constructions, who applied for the permit to take down the Rike Tubes.
“In more than sixty years of professional practice, this is the first time Studio Fuksas has faced the demolition of one of its projects without ever being invited to discuss possible alternatives,” Studio Fuksas stated in a press release. “Neither the public authorities nor any other stakeholder has engaged with the Studio despite our repeated willingness to cooperate.”
According to The Architect’s Newspaper, Georgia’s Prima Minister Irakli Kobakhidze disliked the design, saying in 2025 that “this ugliness does not befit out beautiful capital.”