Architectural Contrasts: Exhibition Showcasing the Competition That Shaped the Research Centre’s New Identity to Open in Moscow

On Friday, August 28, at 11:00, the Federal Research Centre for Innovative Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies at 8 Baltiyskaya Street, Moscow, will open an exhibition dedicated to the architectural competition for its new complex. Entitled A New Image for Russian Science, the exhibition will explore how Russia’s architectural community envisions the research institutions of the future.

Representatives of the competing teams and members of the jury have been invited to the opening, including:

• Vladimir Dorofeev, Acting Director General of the Federal Research Centre for Innovative Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies;
• Rustem Dautov, Director of the Department for Budgetary Investment at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation;
• Pavel Volchkov, Deputy Director General of the Federal Research Centre for Innovative Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies;
• Anton Finogenov, Director of Urban Environment Development at DOM.RF;
• Elena Myznikova, CEO of MUZA FORM, the competition winner.

The first- and second-floor foyers of the Centre’s main building will display submissions by all six finalists. The exhibition will include models, video presentations, visualisations, drawings and design albums covering key aspects of the proposals – from their architectural concepts and planning solutions to implementation stages and anticipated outcomes.

To attend the opening, please register at:
https://forms.yandex.ru/cloud/6a8c62c51f1eb5bd45d73960

The exhibition will run until September 17. It will be open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays from 14:00 to 14:30 and from 16:00 to 16:30. Advance registration is required:
https://tsentr-lab.timepad.ru/event/4160288

The exhibition will appeal to a broad audience. Architecture and urban development professionals will be able to explore how the proposals were developed, while Moscow residents will gain an insight into how the neighbourhood in the Sokol district is set to change. The existing Centre comprises largely outdated buildings dating from the 1930s and is currently separated from its surroundings by a concrete fence. MUZA FORM’s winning proposal envisages the creation, over a ten-year period, of an architectural ensemble featuring two high-rise landmarks, a landscaped park, public spaces and a podium with an accessible roof.

The other submissions also attracted considerable attention. According to jury member Sergei Kuznetsov, Architect of the Future at VEB.RF, “the margin between the competing teams was minimal.” Wowhaus placed second, IND third, TPO Reserve fourth, the AI-arhitects + TOLK + ZLT + ArTech Lab consortium fifth, and the PASP Architectural Bureau + ROST Design Studio consortium sixth.

The competition brief called for an architectural identity that would represent Russian science as a whole, integrate the complex into its surroundings, make it attractive to young scientists and meet the latest technological requirements. The redeveloped Centre will accommodate dozens of laboratories specialising in treatments for cancer, cardiovascular conditions and rare genetic disorders; research into ageing and regeneration and interactions between people and their environment; as well as pilot-scale pharmaceutical production.

DOM.RF served as the competition curator. The competition was held with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and LLC “Evocorp Management Company”. LLC “CENTER LAB” acted as the competition operator.

Competition website: фицконкурс.рф