Conversion of Moscow’s former Bolshevik Factory presented a complex design challenge: how to transform a vast, derelict industrial facility into a contemporary mixed-use quarter without erasing the architectural character that once made it a place of public fascination. The six-hectare site on Leningradsky Prospekt contained 17 historic buildings in advanced states of decay, many of them protected, yet it was expected to accommodate around 63,000m2 of offices and housing alongside cultural and public amenities. The objective was not simply commercial redevelopment, but the reinvention of an inward-looking factory as an open, enjoyable part of the city.
Client: 01 Properties and The Tactics Group
Dates: 2012—2016
Architect and Landscape Architect:
John McAslan + Partners
Consultants
Buro Happold
Equation
Assembly Studios
ETC Polska Sp
Spectrum
General Contractor:
Swarga
Awards
Winner
Runner-up
Established in the 1880s, the confectionery and perfume factory was celebrated for its decorative architecture and for being Moscow’s first industrial complex with electric lighting; large crowds came to see illuminations on the ornate red and yellow brickwork, intended by architect Oscar Didio to resemble fancy biscuits. After decades of intensive use, however, production eventually moved away and the complex deteriorated. Roofs collapsed, masonry was crumbling and steel frames were heavily corroded.
The design strategy therefore began with conservation. Using original drawings and detailed surveys, structurally and architecturally significant elements were identified and prioritised for retention. These included ornamental brick facades, cast-iron columns, vaulted ceilings, a ceremonial entrance stair and a tall chimney that marks the street frontage. Restoring these elements gave a unique identity to the new development while reducing material waste and embodied carbon.
Within the retained industrial buildings, generous floor-to-ceiling heights and large windows allowed the creation of flexible, loft-style office spaces with good daylight, natural ventilation and long views across the site. Thermal performance was upgraded discreetly, ensuring the historic fabric could meet contemporary comfort standards without visual compromise. Where additional floor area was required, unobtrusive new volumes were inserted between and above existing structures with the approval of conservation authorities. These are clad in dark grey aluminium, referencing the metal roofs of the old factory while clearly reading as a product of a different era.
New residential buildings occupy the north-west edge of the site, set around courtyards and away from the main road to create a calmer environment. Patterned facades of brick and stone echo the historic architecture.
Connective landscape
A key design concern was connectivity within the mixed-use campus. The original factory had grown incrementally, resulting in a fragmented layout. Landscape design and the location of new public amenities aid orientation and contribute to a new sense of cohesion.
Offices, housing and other amenities are linked by a series of car-free planted courtyards, and by covered ‘streets’ that weave through the complex. The interconnected routes are a variant of the semi-climatised, inside-outside spaces that JMP has used in projects such as the Yapi Kredi Operations Centre to create an ‘internal urbanism’: circulation routes that provide protection against the climate and chances for social encounter.
Five-storey-high glazed roofs are carried on inclined, tree-like steel columns, making a memorable experience of arrival and progress through the complex, and providing shelter from the heavy snows of a Moscow winter. Environmentally, the routes act as thermal buffers, incorporating heat-recovery systems that help reduce overall energy demand.
Outdoor courts are also designed for social activity. Within the main courtyard, the podium landscape is composed of a series of blocks and planes, creating opportunities for seating within lawn and planted areas, but also acting as a visual metaphor for the juxtaposition of crates and palettes that would have crammed the space in its industrial heyday.
Re-presenting history
Promoting public access and enjoyment of the city’s heritage were central ambitions of the developer, and of the masterplan. A significant contribution is made by a new cultural institution, the Museum of Russian Impressionism. Located deep inside the complex, on the site of a former sugar store, the purpose-built art gallery helps to draw visitors through the public areas, and acts as a landmark to aid orientation.
From a new entrance courtyard on Leningradsky Prospekt, visitors move through a long, landscaped courtyard framed by restored facades. Smaller, quieter gardens that branch off this main route are also open to all. The museum is positioned at the intersection of two large courtyards, and wrapped in a perforated metal skin that responds visibly to changing daylight and seasonal conditions. Inside, carefully controlled illumination shapes a choreographed visitor route, from a double-height foyer to spiralling stairs and flexible galleries above, with high-level views back across the factory.
The business community, residents and visiting public act collectively to restore life to the former factory – a district that remains active beyond office hours. Each benefits from the presence of the others in a development that secured high-profile tenants and widespread public approval: an Active Citizen poll of more than 225,000 Muscovites judged the conversion good or excellent.
