Power house: Renzo Piano designs a new home for the V-A-C Foundation in Moscow
Moscow's iconic red-brick Red October district has been slowly transforming into a vibrant neighbourhood of art, food and culture ever since its well known chocolate factory moved out, leaving a rich collection of industrial buildings behind, ripe for redevelopment.
The area's latest ambitious project is the revival of the nearby disused GES2 power station (originally built between 1904 and 1907), which is set to be redesigned for the contemporary arts foundation V-A-C - an organisation dedicated to the growth and promotion of Russian contemporary art, across different media and channels. Heading the architectural scheme is Italian architect Renzo Piano and his Building Workshop.
The project is designed to comprise ample public space - an extensive free access area with a sculptural garden and piazza, library, bookshop, café, restaurant and auditorium. The foundation's exhibition halls will form a separate key part of the building, while there will also be a dedicated section in the complex for education programs.
The plant's existing, dramatic chimneys - a landmark for the area - are slated to remain, also becoming, after this revamp, an indispensable part of the site' sustainability strategy, which also includes solar cells and geothermal sources. Completion is planned after the end of 2018.
One of the architect’s section sketches for the new V-A-C foundation space in Moscow
INFORMATION
Images: Courtesy of RPBW, 2015
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The new Marantz Horizon is a circular wireless speaker with style as well as substance
The Marantz Horizon projects room-filling sound from its striking sculptural form, with a touch-sensitive interface and support for all forms of streaming
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Colin Greenwood's intimate portraits of Radiohead capture the band at work and play
Colin Greenwood's portraits of Radiohead have been collected in a new photography book, 'How To Disappear'
By Craig McLean Published
-
The best cocktail napkins for party season
From monogrammed minis through to hand finished Italian linen squares, these are the best cocktail napkins for parties.
By Rosie Conroy Published
-
Designer Holly Waterfield creates luxurious pied-à-terre in Renzo Piano Manhattan high-rise
A private residence by Holly Waterfield Interior Design in Renzo Piano's skyscraper 565 Broome Soho blends a sense of calm and cosiness with stunning city views
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
CERN Science Gateway: behind the scenes at Renzo Piano’s campus in Geneva
CERN Science Gateway by Renzo Piano Building Workshop announces opening date in Switzerland, heralding a new era for groundbreaking innovation
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Renzo Piano’s GES-2 V-A-C House of Culture opens in Moscow
The V-A-C Foundation celebrates its new design by Renzo Piano – the GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow, set in a former power station
By Amah-Rose Abrams Last updated
-
SANAA to resurrect Hexagon pavilion for Moscow’s Garage Museum extension
Japanese firm SANAA will overhaul the Hexagon pavilion, a 1920s Ivan Zholtovsky-designed structure in Gorky Park, for a Garage Museum extension
By Jessica Klingelfuss Last updated
-
Fiat’s iconic modernist factory hosts new urban oasis
Fiat’s former Lingotto factory and test track are transformed into Europe’s largest hanging garden – a new urban oasis for Turin
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
The buildings adding a new dimension to Miami’s skyline
As the Florida city’s architecture boom continues apace, here’s what’s next
By Jessica Klingelfuss Last updated
-
Renzo Piano’s GES-2 is a site of wonder
The GES-2's building site in Moscow is so glorious the half-constructed structure has already got the design world talking
By Tom Seymour Last updated
-
Newly completed 565 Broome by Renzo Piano is SoHo’s tallest residential building
565 Broome, Renzo Piano Building Workshop's latest residential tower in New York may be SoHo's tallest, but it remains refined and understated thanks to the Italian architect's masterful design
By Siska Lyssens Published