{"id":12523,"date":"2025-12-26T15:06:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/?p=12523"},"modified":"2026-01-14T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:08:06","slug":"behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Scenes of an Architectural Competition, or How a New Symbol of..."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A site visit \u2014 as architects and urban planners professionally refer to going \u201cinto the field\u201d \u2014 is a first-hand inspection of the location where a future project will be built, allowing for an initial assessment of the scope of work. On the day of the first major snowfall in Moscow this winter, six teams \u2014 finalists of the competition to develop the architectural concept for the Federal Centre for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies \u2014 set out to the project site together with representatives of the competition curator (DOM.RF) and the operator (CENTER Lab).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site visit was led by the Acting Director General of the Federal Research Centre, Vladimir Dorofeyev. Although the competition was announced only recently, participants already had many questions \u2014 it was clear they were thinking not only in conceptual terms, but also in practical categories. How can the openness of the territory declared by the initiators be reconciled with security requirements, given that the institution works with potent substances and highly pathogenic microorganisms? How should transport flows and pedestrian routes be organised on a three-hectare site, and where should parking be located? What should be done with the small woodland that has grown on the plot \u2014 should it be cleared or integrated into the project in a meaningful way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key task, as Vladimir Dorofeyev explained, is \u201cto make the fullest possible use of the internal area of the future building and the adjacent territory, organising it in a way that inspires staff and visitors to productive communication and positive thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great deal of work lies ahead. In order to clear space for the creation of a new symbol of progress in Russian science \u2014 precisely how the task is framed for the competition participants \u2014 it will be necessary to demolish outdated 1930s buildings hidden behind a concrete fence topped with barbed wire, which currently detract from the urban landscape of the Sokol district. By 2030, a new main building is to be constructed at 8 Baltiyskaya Street, becoming not only an ultra-modern research facility but also a striking architectural statement \u2014 no less iconic than the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences or the Atom Pavilion at VDNH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to go beyond conventional boundaries and present strong architectural concepts that, ideally, will set new trends. We want to create an object for the city, not a building that isolates itself from everything else just to comply with all possible requirements,\u201d encouraged Pavel Volchkov, Deputy Director General of the Centre, after the site visit, as architects stood ankle-deep in wet snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the requirements are already numerous \u2014 and highly demanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cModern facilities involve working with living organisms; essentially, this is a vivarium environment. The use of analytical equipment and diagnostic tools is planned \u2014 some of this may be heavy equipment that should likely be located on the lower floors. The technological block \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0443\u0441\u043c\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442 pilot-scale pharmaceutical production. I hope the 35,000 square metres allocated to us will be sufficient to effectively realise our plans and organise work aimed at research that will bring modern medicines, diagnostic methods, and medical devices to the market,\u201d Vladimir Dorofeyev said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pavel Volchkov, in turn, assured participants that he was ready to provide continuous \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0441\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0438 on all aspects related to the operation of scientific institutions. Notably, just a few days later, competition participants were also organised a visit to the Skolkovo Innovation Centre to familiarise themselves with contemporary solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contestants themselves welcomed this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe site has great potential. We are inspired and ready to develop interesting, innovative ideas and are already eager to get to work,\u201d said Valeria Lifshits, head of the project team at Wowhaus Bureau. \u201cThe constraints imposed by the specificity of the facility actually make it more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideas also began to take shape immediately for Elena Myznikova, CEO of MUZA Group, following the working session after the site visit: \u201cEverything here needs to be completely rethought in a new way, and it is already clear how. I see the path as creating a certain flexibility within the concept, with a strong architectural idea at its core. There is an opportunity here to integrate the natural environment that has emerged spontaneously and that should either be preserved or thoughtfully reorganised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, six teams are participating in the competition. These include individual participants IND and TPO Reserve, as well as two consortia: Architectural Bureau PASP + ROST Design Workshop, and AI-architects + TOLK. They are tasked with developing proposals that define the architectural image of the facility, the interior design code, spatial planning solutions, and landscaping proposals. The results of the competition will be announced in mid-April 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"slider<\/div><\/div>
\"slider<\/div><\/div>
\"slider<\/div><\/div>
\"slider<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/a><\/div>

<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Photo: LLC “CENTER LAB”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A site visit \u2014 as architects and urban planners professionally refer to going \u201cinto the field\u201d \u2014 is a first-hand inspection of the location where a future project will be built, allowing for an initial assessment of the scope of work. On the day of the first major snowfall in Moscow this winter, six teams […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","type":{"value":"news","label":"News"},"date":"December 26, 2025"},"class_list":["post-12523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Scenes of an Architectural Competition, or How a New Symbol of Russian Science Is Being Designed - \u0426\u0415\u041d\u0422\u0420 Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Behind the scenes of an architectural competition to create a new Federal Centre for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies: site inspection, key design challenges, safety requirements, and ambitions to create a new symbol of Russian science and contemporary architecture by 2030.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind the Scenes of an Architectural Competition, or How a New Symbol of Russian Science Is Being Designed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Behind the scenes of an architectural competition to create a new Federal Centre for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies: site inspection, key design challenges, safety requirements, and ambitions to create a new symbol of Russian science and contemporary architecture by 2030.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0426\u0415\u041d\u0422\u0420 Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-26T12:06:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-14T12:08:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5413691335153225724.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\\u0426\\u0415\\u041d\\u0422\\u0420 Lab. \\u041c\\u0435\\u0436\\u0434\\u0443\\u043d\\u0430\\u0440\\u043e\\u0434\\u043d\\u0430\\u044f \\u0443\\u0440\\u0431\\u0430\\u043d\\u0438\\u0441\\u0442\\u0438\\u0447\\u0435\\u0441\\u043a\\u0430\\u044f \\u043b\\u0430\\u0431\\u043e\\u0440\\u0430\\u0442\\u043e\\u0440\\u0438\\u044f\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/centrelab.500na700.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/favicon_centerlab.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/centrelab.500na700.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/favicon_centerlab.png\",\"width\":520,\"height\":520,\"caption\":\"\\u0426\\u0415\\u041d\\u0422\\u0420 Lab. \\u041c\\u0435\\u0436\\u0434\\u0443\\u043d\\u0430\\u0440\\u043e\\u0434\\u043d\\u0430\\u044f \\u0443\\u0440\\u0431\\u0430\\u043d\\u0438\\u0441\\u0442\\u0438\\u0447\\u0435\\u0441\\u043a\\u0430\\u044f \\u043b\\u0430\\u0431\\u043e\\u0440\\u0430\\u0442\\u043e\\u0440\\u0438\\u044f\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/\",\"name\":\"\\u0426\\u0415\\u041d\\u0422\\u0420 Lab\",\"description\":\"\\u041c\\u0435\\u0436\\u0434\\u0443\\u043d\\u0430\\u0440\\u043e\\u0434\\u043d\\u0430\\u044f \\u0443\\u0440\\u0431\\u0430\\u043d\\u0438\\u0441\\u0442\\u0438\\u0447\\u0435\\u0441\\u043a\\u0430\\u044f \\u043b\\u0430\\u0431\\u043e\\u0440\\u0430\\u0442\\u043e\\u0440\\u0438\\u044f\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5413691335153225724.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5413691335153225724.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/\",\"name\":\"Behind the Scenes of an Architectural Competition, or How a New Symbol of Russian Science Is Being Designed - \\u0426\\u0415\\u041d\\u0422\\u0420 Lab\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-26T12:06:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-14T12:08:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Behind the scenes of an architectural competition to create a new Federal Centre for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies: site inspection, key design challenges, safety requirements, and ambitions to create a new symbol of Russian science and contemporary architecture by 2030.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/behind-the-scenes-of-an-architectural-competition-or-how-a-new-symbol-of-russian-science-is-being-designed\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\\u0413\\u043b\\u0430\\u0432\\u043d\\u0430\\u044f \\u0441\\u0442\\u0440\\u0430\\u043d\\u0438\\u0446\\u0430\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Behind the Scenes of an Architectural Competition, or How a New Symbol of...\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12523"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12525,"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12523\/revisions\/12525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerlab.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}