The institution devoted to contemporary Russian art has commissioned the Renzo Piano Building Workshop to convert a two-hectare urban site into a cultural centre. GES-2 is now an open-air building site. Forty years after the inauguration of Centre Georges Pompidou, how does one design a “non-museum”?
Paola Nicolin What is GES-2?
Antonio Belvedere It was a power station built between 1904 and 1908 to supply energy for the new Moscow tram system. The building originally had four brick chimneys, later dismantled and rebuilt in steel when the power station switched from coal to gas. The chimneys will be shifted to a different location and given a new life and function. We’re going to turn them into 70-metre-high air intakes to draw in air that’s fresher and cleaner, since the city’s contaminated air layer rises 15 or 20 metres above ground level. So instead of belching out smog and exhaust gases into the sky from the turbines, in future the complex will breathe through them.
PN Here we are in the Red October district, i.e. near the historic Krasny Oktyabr chocolate factory, but also the city’s first pedestrian precinct, with art galleries, restaurants and cultural institutions such as Strelka. This is an island of cultural capital — redistributed and invested in teaching and activities — for the production of interdisciplinary knowledge. Could it be called an island of hybrid education?
AB It perpetuates the power station’s function of producing energy, though now it’s the energy of ideas and no longer electricity. The project also developed by embodying the social and cultural implications. But not merely in terms of aesthetic impact or making great statements. Rather, it was based on an analysis of the social and cultural fabric as well as the urban fabric. In this approach, the client played an important part.
PN Several areas of the project are already clearly legible.
This story is from the October 2018 edition of Domus India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2018 edition of Domus India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The AUDACITY of LORRAINE O'GRADY
At 89, the eternally PUNK-ROCK PERFORMANCE and CONCEPTUAL ARTIST still gets a kick out of CRASHING art-world parties. Only now she's the GUEST of HONOR.
REGINA'S Resolve
REGINA KING on LEARNING to LIVE with LOSS, the LEGACY of SHIRLEY CHISHOLM, and finding a WAY FORWARD
What PADMA Wants
After almost two decades of TOP CHEF, the beloved HOST and cookbook AUTHOR is figuring out WHAT COMES NEXT
IN CONVERSATION - JESSICA LANGE and PAULA VOGEL
Actor JESSICA LANGE and playwright PAULA VOGEL on their new BROADWAY PRODUCTION, MOTHER PLAY, creating and portraying COMPLICATED WOMEN, and the FUTURE of THEATER
Doing Things the Right Way
Retired Super Bowl Winning Head Coach Mike Shanahan Stays Connected to the Game
Embracing Energy Management
How San Diego-based Lightworks is Supporting Savant's Vision for Smart Home Power
A Real Sliding Doors Moment
My Experience Installing the SmartSlydr Motorized Sliding Glass Door Opener
Expanding a Lighting Lineup
DMF Launches Enhanced iX Series and DALI Controlled Light Modules
Creating Better Proposals
How Specifi IO’s New Proposal Tool was Built for the CI Channel
A Smart Home Dashboard
Savant Introduces Home Manager Dashboard with System Visibility for Homeowners
Pop-up Laser TV
Screen Innovations Adds Motorized Ultra Short Throw Projector Lift
Elevating Service and Support in NYC
Lean Business Practices Pay Off in a Tough New York Market for Elevated Integration
On to the Next Episode
Snap One Refreshes Episode Home Theater Speaker Line with New Materials and Capabilities
Mike Shanahan's Super Bowl Caliber Integrated Home
Tyson Rabani, owner of Denverbased custom integrator QAV, was introduced to Mike Shanahan and his wife Peggy as a referral from their home’s builder.
The Strength of Consumer Tech Spending
Enthusiasm for Connected Devices Rises in the Face of Economic Difficulty
Designing Immersive Luxury Environments
The Lutron Luxury Experience App Enables Users to Take an Immersive, Virtual Journey Through Lutron Lighting, Shades, and Controls.
Choosing the Best Streaming Service
Balancing the Correct Combination of Devices and Content Sources Based on Your Viewing Preferences
Automating Gas Fireplace Control
How Bond Bridge, Shelly, or Aqara FP2 Can Help Fulfill a Common Integration Request
A Quantum Leap for Video Walls
Quantum Media Systems Achieves DCI Compliance of Its XDR3 LED Video Wall
Creating a Stress-Free Network
NETGEAR Launches PR460X with Insight Remote Cloud Management
Don't Come To My Meeting
As CEO, I've created an unusual meeting policy at my company. It helps build a culture of respect, agency - and substantial productivity, too.
What's Your Ghost Job?
It's one of your five jobs. And if you want to find meaning at work, you must identify all of them.
When Life Is Preparation
Vanesa Ellis was no expert on mosquitoes or lawn care. But as it turns out, something else made her the perfect fit for two home-care franchise brands.
Serving the Underserved
When Dennis Johnson opened a Pizza Ranch in Minnesota, he hoped to serve the nearby Native American communities in more ways than one.
green goddess
Legendary supermodel Amber Valletta turns to designer Ross Cassidy to help craft a truly sustainable new home in LA
CITY OF TOMORROW
As Copenhagen builds on its sustainable success, architect Dan Stubbergaard is championing innovative public spaces and neighborhoods for generations to come
CALI HIGH
Architect Cayley Lambur transforms an iconic Big Sur property into a multigenerational haven that nurtures work and life
HOW ONE MOM & POP SHOP EXPANDED 2,700 TIMES
Jersey Mike's famously began as a single shop owned by a teenager. Now it's everywhere. How exactly does that happen?
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH NEW ROSTER LIMITS
No one can fully predict what will happen with the reduced 165-player minor league roster limits, but baseball officials weighed in with predictions for 2024, some of which we heard repeatedly.
NO MORE SLACK IN THE SYSTEM
The in domestic minor leagues creates consternation for farm directors