Mosfilmvoskaya mixed-use complex

By Caterina Testa - 16 June 2014

Sergey Skuratov graduated from Moscow’s Architecture Institute in 1979. More than 34 years’ experience as a practitioner and academic and some 20 built projects to his name have made him widely acknowledged for his intellectual and design excellence. Skuratov’s many projects in Moscow and other Russian cities evidence an intriguing blend of the rationalist and the ethereal, obsession and practicality, realism and vision; always mindful of context yet at the same time able to transcend it. While the urban context, its culture and history undoubtedly influence his projects and architectural design, Skuratov’s signature is always apparent whatever the building. Similarly, although themes and materials recur, each project is seized as an opportunity to define a new architectural language and launch an experimental challenge in terms of architectural style.

Mosfilmvoskaya mixed-use complex
Hovering gravity-defying volumes are also a feature of the imposing Mosfilmvoskaya complex. A pair of skyscrapers are linked by two large suspended bases. The underlying architectural concept is to create a fitting counterpart to the open spaces near the Poklonnaya Mountain and the Setun river valley, the natural landmarks in this sparsely populated area where Moscow State University has its headquarters amidst dense vegetation and the Mosfilm has its sprawling headquarters.
The two towers, one 213, the other 130 metres high, are linked by a couple of parallel 8-storey buildings standing on 50 three-meter columns. The design is as simple as it is visionary.
The tallest tower spirals upwards, clad in 8 shades of Apolic panels. The smaller tower comprises irregular alternating sections inclined at different angles.