MVRDV has been selected as the winner of an international competition for a new mixed-use complex to be located near several important historic buildings in the city center of Moscow, Russia. Known as Silhouette, the complex will pack 52,000 square meters (560,000 square feet) of commercial, retail and residential space into its pixelated, geometric volume.
Located at the intersection of Academician Sakharov avenue and Sadovaya-Spasskaya street, Silhouette draws inspiration from its historic neighbors, including the Le Corbusier-designed Tsentrosoyuz Building and Narkomzem, the Constructivist style Ministry of Agriculture building by Alexey Shchusevand. The building takes advantage of its corner plot by stepping toward and away the street below, ensuring high exposure and accessibility to the rest of the city.
“Silhouette is really an abstraction of the classical stepped building silhouettes found in the city,” explains Jacob van Rijs, co-founder of MVRDV. “The combination of two grand and warm-toned buildings create a symbolic gateway to the city centre, but also homely dwellings and fine workspaces with a lively programme on ground levels for all to enjoy.”
Rising to a height of 78 meters (256 feet), Silhouette will offer expansive views of the city while simultaneously adding a new profile to the Moscow skyline. Employing a modular system, the building shifts in and out to accommodate the various program types within, including a sports center, flexible workspaces, an event space, a supermarket, an underground parking garage and a range of luxury apartments. Its dynamic facade ensures that each floor plate features a unique configuration, allowing for a variety of apartment types and layouts.
“The volume of the building is sculpted and diversified to create distinctive entrances, a sloping roofscape and strengthens the views of the city,” explain the architects. “Sculptural cuts on the top and bottom of the facade are carved out according to the function that needs to take place, or certain quality that needs to be provided within the space inside.”
The building elevation translates the shifting form to a 2-dimensional plane, with various window sizes responding to their position within the facade. The building will be clad is a bold red ceramic facade system that references the Constructivist building adjacent and emanates a warm and welcoming presence.
MVRDV’s proposal was selected by developer GK Osnova through a closed competition.
News via MVRDV.
Architects
Location
Orlikov Pereulok, 1/11, Moskva, RussiaDesign MVRDV
Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de VriesDesign Team
Jacob van Rijs, Frans de Witte, Fedor Bron with Mick van Gemert, Elija Kozak Daniele Zonta, Fouad Addou and Iker PerezVisualization
Antonio Luca Coco, Davide Calabro, Pavlos Ventouris and Tomaso MaschiettiClient
GK OsnovaCompetition Phase Management Coordination
Interstroy - Aleksey Polischuk, Ekaterina Abramovich, Arseniy Zubuga, Svetlana Babloeva and Igor BelyaevProgram
52,000m2 mixed-used with 28,320m2 residential, 8,230m2 commercial, 1,375m2 shared facilities and 13,310m2 underground parkingArea
52000.0 m2Photographs
Courtesy of MVRDVArchitects
