Tubular Exhibition Hall and Music Theater in Rike Park

Why is it significant?

Stand before the striking futuristic silhouette of the Rike Park Music Theater and Exhibition Hall, popularly known throughout the city simply as The Tubes.

Key Facts

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Stand before the striking futuristic silhouette of the Rike Park Music Theater and Exhibition Hall, popularly known throughout the city simply as The Tubes. Designed by internationally acclaimed Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas and Doriana Fuksas and constructed between 2010 and 2012, this avant-garde complex is one of the boldest modern architectural statements in Eastern Europe. The building consists of two enormous flowing cylindrical volumes clad in stainless steel panels and structural glass, resembling giant metallic trumpets or periscopes rising organically from the park lawns.

Observe how the two tubular structures are angled toward the city, functioning as gigantic architectural telescopes framing historic views. The northern tube, designed to house a 560-seat music theater, opens with an expansive glass vitrine that frames a direct sightline toward the historical presidential palace on the hill. The southern tube houses an expansive exhibition hall, with its soaring glass portal facing directly toward Old Kala and the ancient ramparts of Narikala Fortress across the river.

Like the nearby Bridge of Peace, the Fuksas Tubes sparked lively public and architectural debate when unveiled, challenging traditional notions of urban context in an ancient capital. Yet international critics celebrated the project for its visionary fluidity, praising how the reflective steel envelope mirrors the changing colors of the sky, the river water, and the surrounding green park. The complex stands as a daring manifestation of Georgia's post-2000 architectural ambition to embrace global avant-garde design.

In the golden hour before sunset, the curved steel panels reflect warm amber and violet hues from the evening sky, giving the building an almost otherworldly radiance. The dramatic contrast between these hyper-modern metallic forms and the ancient fourth-century stone battlements of Narikala on the ridge above creates a thrilling visual dialogue across centuries. This unique landmark celebrates the fearless creative spirit of twenty-first-century Tbilisi.

Walk a short distance west toward the eastern approach of the iconic Bridge of Peace.