Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas with SPEECH have won the prestigious international competition for the design of the Moscow Polytechnic Museum and Educational Centre in Moscow. The new complex—slated for completion by 2017—will occupy a 31,403 square-meter plot of land in Sparrow Hills, about 10 km from the Red Square, which includes several monumental buildings built in the socialist classical style, such as Moscow State University.

International competition for the "Moscow Polytechnic Museum and Educational Centre", Russia, won by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas architects + Speech

“It’s one of my most beautiful projects and it is an Italian victory, the museum and educational center must become a milestone and reflect the image of the new generation.” Massimiliano Fuksas.

The "Moscow Polytechnic Museum and Educational Centre" in Moscow (about 31,403 square meters) will be located in the "Sparrow Hills", about 10 km from the Red Square, at a cost of 180 million dollars.

Near the site there are several buildings built during the "socialist classicism", monumental buildings, among which the library of Moscow State University.

The project is composed of four elements that make up a sculpture of irregular geometry, as cut by the wind, entirely covered by copper pre-oxidized that sends back streaks of green and blue.

The elements are connected to each other through the internal levels. They develop across and lay on a transparent case that looks at the city.

The project idea came from the desire to communicate with the architecture of the past and at the same time come into conflict with it. The monumental architecture of the surrounding buildings is in contrast with this new building that is imposing but expresses a formal complexity underlined by the color of copper pre-oxidized that covers it.

The volume of the case, having a regular layout, is functional for loading and unloading the artworks between the level -1, which include the parking, ground floor and upper levels of the four sculptural elements.

The transparent case consists of two levels. The area open to the public is situated on the ground floor and it includes the lobby that can accommodate several art installations, a cafe, a shop, two auditoriums of different sizes (between 500 and 800 seats) designed as parallelepiped made of red wood and three winter gardens with a sliding roof.

On the ground floor three structural volumes made of copper pre-oxidized stand out housing the vertical connections, in contrast with the formal geometry of the surrounding space.

At the top level, the mezzanine, there are the offices.

The cover made of stone of the case is conceived as a “square suspended" for the public. The sculptural part of the project is laid on it.

The sculptural elements made of copper pre-oxidized develop on three main levels. Each level corresponds to a function. Interior spaces are designed on the basis of functional flows, deliberately in contrast with the complexity of the geometry of the exterior.

The first level is dedicated to a space related to communication.

There are mainly placed several conference / auditorium rooms and the Science and Technology Center with support services.

The second level is dedicated to the exhibition: exhibition halls, science / art gallery, exhibition area of the Museum's collection, exhibition Maths, cinema / auditorium.

On the third level there are several laboratories, a library, a workshop, the exhibition area of the Science and Technology Museum Center.

Natural light enters the museum through three major cuts, two arranged vertically, one on the front side and another at the rear overlooking the near park, while a large skylight at the ceiling dominates all levels of the museum.

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Studio Fuksas, led by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, is one of the most outstanding international architectural firm in the world. Over the past 40 years the company has developed an innovative approach through a strikingly wide variety of projects, ranging from urban interventions to airports, from museums to cultural centers and spaces for music, from convention centers to offices, from interiors to design collections. With headquarters in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen, and a staff of 170 professionals, the practice has completed more than 600 projects and has worked in Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Australia, receiving numerous international awards.

Massimiliano Fuksas of Lithuanian descent, was born in Rome in 1944. He graduated in Architecture from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1969. Since the Eighties he has been one of the main protagonists of the contemporary architectural scene. From 1994 to 1997 he was a member of the Planning Commissions in Berlin and Salzburg. In 1998 he was awarded for his professional career with "Vitruvio International a la Trayectoria" in Buenos Aires. From 1998 to 2000 he directed the “VII Mostra Internazionale di Architettura di Venezia”, Less Aesthetics, More Ethics. In 1999 he received the Grand Prix National d’Architecture Française, the following year he was named National Academic of San Luca and was decorated Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française. In 2002 the Honorary Fellowship of the AIA – American Institute of Architects , Washington D.C. Three years later member of the Académie d'Architecture in Paris. In 2006 the Honorary Fellowship of the RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects, London UK and was named Cavaliere di Gran Croce della Repubblica Italiana. In 2010 he was decorated with Légion d’Honneur by the French President. In 2012 the Medal of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Italy, and the Global Lithuanian Award, Art and Culture category in Vilnius, Lithuania. The following year the Idea-Tops Awards, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport-T3, awarded Best Transportation Space in Shenzhen, China. In 2014 Architizer A + Award and Architizer A + Pop¬¬ular Choice Award, Transportation-Airports category in New York. From 2000 to 2015 he was author of the architecture column - founded by Bruno Zevi - in the Italian news magazine "L'Espresso" and from 2014 to 2015 he was, with his wife, the author of the Design column in the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica". He has been Visiting Professor at a number of Universities such as Columbia University in New York, the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Wien, the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. Long since he is dedicating special attention to the study of urban problems in large metropolitan areas.

Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas was born in Rome where she graduated in History of Modern and Contemporary Architecture at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1979. She has also earned a degree in Architecture from ESA, École Spéciale d'Architecture, Paris. She has done didactic activities at the Institute of History of Art at the Faculty of Letters and Arts and at Industrial Design Department ITACA at “La Sapienza” University in Rome. She has curated four “Special Projects” at the “VII Mostra Internazionale di Architettura di Venezia”, Less Aesthetics, More Ethics in 2000: Jean Prouvè, Jean Maneval, the Peace Pavilion and Architecture of Spaces, and the Contemporary Art section. She has worked with Massimiliano Fuksas in 1985 and has been director in charge of “Fuksas Design” since 1997.  In 2002 she was decorated Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française. In 2006 Awards for Excellence Europe” ULI (Urban Land Institute), first prize awarded to New Trade Fair, Rho-Pero in Milan, Italy, Washington D. C. In 2012 Wallpaper* Design Awards 2012, EUR New Congress Centre, Rome, Italy awarded Best Building Site, London, UK. In 2013 she was decorated Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française. The same year the Idea-Tops Awards, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport-T3, awarded Best Transportation Space in Shenzhen, China and Designer Kitchen & Bathroom Awards 2013, Impronta wash-basin for Catalano awarded Gold Winner in the Innovation in Design, London.
From 2014 to 2015 she was, with Massimiliano Fuksas, the author of the Design column in the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica".
 
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