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Watch Moscow Golden Island Competition - Steven Holl Architects

Steven Holl Architects has announced that the studio won 2nd place in the Moscow Golden Island competition. The 1st winner of the competition selected as Sergei Skuratov Architects, which has also been announced on Steven Holl Architects' website with single image. After the announcement of results of the competition, Steven Holl Architects has published their proposal with details of the project. 

Steven Holl Architects explain that on this uniquely important historical site we envision new housing as “Spatial Ribbons” shaping public and semi-public space. For good light and air these ribbons are all 15 meters wide but they contain a rich typological variety. Many of the apartments have two full exposures and all have natural light & good views.

Moscow Polychromy

These “ribbons” are a special malleable architecture – a plastic composition of space shaping architecture between historical buildings. We propose a pedestrian bridge linking the project to a music pavilion floating in the Moscow River. This music pavilion connects to the history of the sites former Mariinsky School, where Sergei Rachmaninoff taught for many years.

Public spaces formed by private residences

The hybrid buildings for living, working and recreation have four seasons of activity. The pools at the central public space are designed to freeze in winter offering ice skating. A historical link to Moscow polychromy – such as in the rainbow of colors in St. Basil’s– is developed in ceramics which line the sculptural openings in the white facades. 

initial sketch of Steven Holl that shows functions of the mass

Roofs are verdigris green copper, with roof integrated photovoltaic power supplying 30% of the electrical needs. Among the state of the art ecology aspects are radiant heat and cooling is provided by a geothermal well system.

model of the buildings

ribbons diagram

Project Facts

Architect: Steven Holl Architects 

Team: Steven Holl (design architect), Dimitra Tsachrelia (associate in charge), Carolina Freue, Ivan Grekov, Michael Haddy, Elise Riley, Yun Shi (project team)

Associate architects: WOWHAUS 

Sustainability engineer: Transsolar KlimaEngineering

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