Artplay: a centre of architecture, art and design in Moscow.

A disused pressure gauge factory is turning into the new cultural hub of creative Moscow. 75,000 square metres dedicated to architecture, to design, to photography and to all the expressive forms of art.



During our recent trip to MosBuild, the trade fair in which Floornature was a media partner, we took the opportunity to explore the Russian capital, seeking out issues dear to our portal.
In pursuit of the themes of reusing existing structures, we would like to discuss the Artplay project.



It was set up in 2003 to bring together a number of creative sectors, then in 2008 it moved to its current location near Kursky Vokzal station, in the abandoned buildings of a former pressure gauge factory dating back to 1905.





The factory conversion project shows consideration for the existing buildings and is attentive to social responsibility: the last factory workers still in the factory were hired by the new management that seeks to communicate with the context, also by organising events involving local participation.



This 75,000 square metre area houses about forty architecture and design practices, showrooms, cafés and bars, cultural and leisure areas, the British Higher School of Art and Design, la Moscow School of Architecture, la Moscow Film School, and the Scream School of Computer Graphics.



A true cultural hub, where 6,000 square metres has been set aside for exhibitions dedicated to the management’s core business: creativity in all its forms.



The private initiative abides by the principles of environmental sustainability, grouping together all these cultural offers in a single location very easy to get to by public transport, so visitors don’t waste time in the traffic and save themselves long trips by car.

Location: Moscow, Russia
Link: Artplay http://www.artplay.ru
Photos: Paolo Schianchi, Christiane Bürklein