baumanskaya, Moscow

The project for the transformation of the old metal institute buildings and its facilities, including an old industrial laboratory, into serviced expat housing in Moscow explores the possibilities of creating a local community while maximizing the possibilities of existing buildings.

The proposed programme for the project includes several communal activities to capitalize on the proximity of the project location to several high-tech and educational institutions.

The communal programme is introduced to provide a lively atmosphere in the development, making it more than just another residential development, and to bring together creative ideas and knowledge

The communal programme is introduced to provide a lively atmosphere in the development, making it more than just another residential development, and to bring together creative ideas and knowledge offered by an expat community. The generously dimensioned classical buildings of the institute are repurposed to accommodate fully-serviced apartments of varying sizes, from smaller studios to larger luxury apartments. The different sizes of the apartments accommodate different kinds of expats — from the short-term corporate traveller to the long-term expat family, with their stays varying from a few weeks to a year.

The communal programme includes indoor sports facilities, community living rooms and a spa. The facilities are placed at several strategic locations across the entire complex. They are concentrated in the plinth, along the building cores, to encourage social interaction among the temporary residents. Furthermore, the plinth offers spaces for various small-scale commercial establishments such as bars, restaurants, artisanal food outlets and outdoor event spaces. These programmes that are open to the neighbourhood help to embed the complex into the context while giving the residents the feeling of living in the city.

This is done by carefully studying the architectural and spatial qualities of each building and prescribing programmes and activities that are compatible with the specific building

The large space of the former laboratory of the institute is transformed to house flexible co-working spaces with community centres and leisure spaces that function as a local creative hub. This large flexible space along with the inner courtyards becomes the beating heart of the entire complex. The majority of the original structure of the complex is maintained and used efficiently. This is done by carefully studying the architectural and spatial qualities of each building and prescribing programmes and activities that are compatible with the specific building. In this way, the spatial qualities of the original buildings are not only highlighted but are also maximized. Flexible and light construction solutions, especially for the communal areas of the industrial buildings, are designed to make the buildings and their functions adaptable for future requirements and modifications.

Project Details
  • Site
  • Moscow, Russia
  • Client
  • Motus LLC
  • Design
  • 2018
  • Size
  • 30000 m2
  • Program
  • Mix-use
  • Assignment
  • Feasability study
  • Team
  • Patrick Meijers, Jeroen Schipper, Kapilan Chandranesan, Gloria Caiti, Elena Staskute, Irina Vaganova
  • Visuals
  • Orange Architects