# Moscow City Hall Competition

Pattern 01: Paradox

The city, the site and the human activities concerned by the project are
environments in mutation. Building a project is dropping a mark in the
city which will be a photo of the human landscape we are in today. The
Moscow City Administrative Complex is driven by this paradox. We need to
freeze something that can not be frozen. This paradox will appear in
every aspect of the project. The complex breaks physical links with
immediate surrounding, but grows from Moscow's mother, the Moskva
river.

Pattern 02: Simplicity

The incertitude of the future, human as well as physical leads to think
the structure and space as flexible, to host activities of today and
tomorrow. 3 blocks in free-floor plan, supported by a logical array of
columns and beams. Each block has its services and circulation strip in
the centre. Spaces are open and any configuration is possible, being
horizontal, vertical or even diagonal.

Pattern 03: Complexity

The Moscow City Administrative Complex is a mini-city, which
auto-organizes. Activities change, departments move, building extents,
connections open and close. The blood inputs of this growing organism
are variated, can be closed, moved, bridged. There is no front, no back.
All sides are the main facade. The visitor, helped by color-coded
movable signalization, orient himself by constantly being able to
understand his tridimensional coordinates in the complex, as the open
spaces and facades permit large views of the structure.

Pattern 04: Organism

The building behaves as a living being, using the construction as marine
life develops on coralian structure. High-density working zones follow
open greenhouses and decompression spaces. Views from one part on
another, on the city, are numerous and always different. The
communication, the people, the technics flow. Open green spaces
distribute air and light to inner spaces. Seasons rule the life of the
project and the people inside, as the sun angle changes, plants cycle,
water freezes...

Pattern 05: Technics

The complex is a northern organism and therefore centralized on
sunlight. Its outer skin is almost completely made of glass. "Crystals"
inserted into the concrete structure diffuse light in deeper parts and
gather used air. A natural circulation occurs. Technics, fluids and
human circulations use the center strips as a radiator, and glass spaces
to communicate with other parts of the complex. The open space on the
expocentre side gives an opening in the density of a busy part of the
city and is ready to support future extensions of the complex.

Pattern 06: Rendering

![](../../images/2011/moscou01.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou02.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou03.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou04.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou05.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou06.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou07.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou08.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou09.jpg)

![](../../images/2011/moscou10.jpg)