Economic School in Moscow by David Adjaye

Moscow School of Management, located on the outskirts of the ten-million-strong metropolis, resembles the constructive projects of the Russian avant-garde in its shape. However, the building was designed by the studio of London architect David Adjaye. The school, which was handed over for use in mid-September, creates a new center for the Skolkovo university campus. Adjaye's design, covering an area of 45,000 m², consists of a low glass cylinder on which four differently sized blocks are positioned. The chosen shape elegantly evokes the openness and cohesion of the institution, while simultaneously reducing excessive hierarchy. The circular floor plan of the ground floor serves as a connecting element between individual classrooms and lecture rooms, as well as the conference center on the upper floors. On the roof of the cylinder is a semi-public park, whose greenery defines zones between the blocks of the lecture buildings. The upper volumes feature windows that disappear into an irregular pattern of colorful cladding. Due to this grid, the windows are almost invisible. The abstract facade surely evokes paintings by the Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, from which David Adjaye drew inspiration.