Moscow, Russia
“When thinking about what kind of building would be perfect to create a space for contemporary culture, a power station comes to mind immediately!” said Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Renzo Piano has recently completed GES-2, a former power station redeveloped into a vibrant open venue for contemporary arts.
The project was commissioned by the V-A-C Foundation by billionaire Leonid Mikhelson, the enormous 20,000 sqm new art center hosts an artists residency block, an amphitheater, an education center, and a library, dedicated to the Arts.
The V-A-C collection includes important artworks by Wassily Kandinsky, Gerhard Richter, Christopher Wool, and more.
This historic building is located on the Red October, an island in the heart of the Russian capital that has been redeveloped into an extensive cultural space. Red October already hosts a former biscuits factory turned into a container for start-ups, cafés, and restaurants, the Strelka Institute, the redeveloped historic Udarnik Theatre, and other venues.
All spaces and functions are organized into four major poles: The Civic pole consists of a combination of free access spaces and activities and is open to the outdoor piazza to catch and bring in street life.
In the center, the “indoor Piazza” acts as the entrance and the beginning of the V-A-C experience. Connected to that, to the North stand the Library and media hub, and to the South, there are a free art installation space and a restaurant.
The Welcoming pole is located in the center of the main building and is accessible from the “indoor piazza”. This space contains multiple informal activities like ticketing, information, orientation, and shop at the ground floor level.
Above that, there is an open performance area with a seating deck overlooking the “forest”, an enclosed auditorium with separate access. The area also includes amenities like a café and snack bar on a mezzanine.
The area where exhibitions take place is the Exhibition pole which is a combination of spaces of different sizes and heights, offering a multiplicity of space conditions to host any kind of artwork.
The Education pole takes a glimpse into the exhibitions; it includes the School of Art, dedicated to growing a new generation of art curators, critics, and historians, and Lifelong Learning, with classrooms and workshops oriented both to the general public and to resident artists.
An impressive part of the structure is the four 70-meter blue steel chimneys that allow natural air ventilation and reduce energy consumption.
The GES-2 opened its doors at the beginning of December and it would definitely become a cultural landmark for local and international art lovers.
Project: GES-2
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Designer Team: A. Belvedere, P. Carignano, M. Daubach, D. Maïkoff, M. Pimmel, A. Prokudina with A. Artemeva, D. Franceschin, B. Grilli di Cortona, D. Karaiskaki, V. Lucchiari, K. Malinauskaite, B. Millonzi, J. Pattinson, D. Pomponio, P. Ogonowska, V. Shabelnik, F. Tessitore, B. Billi, Ll. de Capitani; A. Bagatella, D. Tsagkaropoulos O. Aubert, C. Colson, Y. Kyrkos
Client: The V-A-C Foundation
Photographers: The V-A-C Foundation
