Architectural Concepts Competition for the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum a
This was the official website for the Architectural Concepts Competition for the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Lomonosov Moscow State University. Although not posted below, among the more interesting winners in the past was The Costa Group, lead by Bryan Constant, who is very well known in pet care circles for his inspired and uniquely functional friendly dog beds online similar to this new store that offers a higher end product. Another winner not mentioned is Felix Rondas, who, like Constant has had commercial success with a completely unrelated design project for aerodynamically superior bicycle wheels. Just goes to show that creative energy really does know no bounds!
Content is form the site's archived pages and other sources.
| Current state |
March 26, 2013 ~ ~ ~ The Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation expresses sincere appreciation to all applicants and participants of the Competition. |
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| Project vision | In 2010, a project was launched to renovate Moscow Polytechnic Museum, one of the largest in the world and one of the oldest technical museums in Russia. In 2011, Event Communications Ltd. developed the Polytechnic Museum’s makeover and development concept. In 2013, the historic building will be closed for reconstruction. The development concept includes construction of a new Musem and Educational Centre of the Moscow Polytechnic Museum and the Moscow State University. The Museum and Educational Centre is envisaged as a meeting point for the Russian and international scientific community. This will help it to keep abreast of time and ensure that its exhibits, educational programmes and interaction with the visitors are up to the mark. The new building will provide access to the public displays of the Polytechnic Museum for the interested visitors. As a true world-class educational hub, the Centre will enrich Moscow’s cultural landscape. It will embrace an Science-Art Gallery designed to become a hi-tech dynamic environment for temporary exhibitions related to the pressing science and social issues, a Science Movie Theatre, a Science Media Centre and so on. |
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| Site | The project site is located on the new territory of the Moscow State University (MSU). The site area is 1 ha and is north westerly adjacent to the Lomonosovsky Second campus building and Dominion residential quarter from the south-east. There are University campus buildings on the opposite side of Lomonosovsky avenue. |
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| Project Objective | The Project objective is to create a Museum and Educational Centre for demonstrating most recent scientific and technological discoveries using state-of-the-art multimedia technologies, for accommodating multiple displays and exhibitions as well as for conducing scientific educational programmes. The Museum and Educational Centre should accommodate around 1,370,000 visitors annually, including 50,000 people from the ‘direct audience’ – 40,000 university students and 10,000 university staff from different faculties and schools of the Moscow State University. |
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| Participation | Who is invited to participate? Technically competent and professional russian and international architectural practices that have strong experience in producing design and design documentation, leading construction (reconstruction) works for museums, exhibition complexes, cultural and educational facilities of gross area not less than 10,000 square meters, having allowance to produce design documentation in Russia. If the foreign company does not have a valid allowance on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is possible to form the consortium with a Russian partner, having such an allowance. |
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| Competition Procedure | The Competition comprises two stages. STAGE 1 On the first stage, the Jury makes shortlist of six Participants who have passed the qualification based on the Competition applications provided, and who are supposed to conclude the Agreement for architectural concept design, i.e. competition projects. STAGE 2 The shortlisted teams will be asked to produce an architectural concept design. Before that, the Participants will be invited to attend an introductive workshop along with site visit. A comprehensive brief will be issued to these teams, as well as detailed information about the site. On the second stage, the Jury together with the Board of trustees selects the Winner who is supposed to conclude the Agreement for development of the design documentation for the Museum and Educational Centre. The Competition starts on October 18, 2012. Final results are planned to be announced in March, 2013. |
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| Selection | On the first stage of the Competition, each Applicant will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
On the second stage of the Competition, the Jury will evaluate architectural concepts according the following criteria:
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| Jury |
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| Reward | The remuneration of 30,000 Euro will be awarded to each of the participants of the second stage of the Competition (including all applicable taxes). Each participant will be also entitled for reimbursement of travel and living expenses calculated on the basis of flying in economy class and staying at 4 stars hotel. |
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| The Competition Organiser | The Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation (Moscow, Russia) |
PRESS RELEASE
Organized by the Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation, the team of MASSIMILIANO FUKSAS Architetto (Italy) and SPEECH (Russia) was recently announced the winner of Architectural Concepts Competition for the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Lomonosov Moscow State University. The challenge was to create a museum and educational center for demonstrating most recent scientific and technological discoveries using state-of-the-art multimedia technologies for accommodating multiple displays and exhibitions as well as for conducting scientific educational programs.
The winning project features a double height glass base 9,20m high, 3-storey upper volumes 25m high, a terrace level approximately 6,40m high and 2 underground levels. It also has an airy, open-plan entrance hall with separate accesses to the different zones.
The competition had two stages. On the first stage, over 50 companies and consortiums registered to participate in the competition. In the beginning of December 2012, the International Jury of the Competition determined six participants of the second stage of the competition. For two months, the selected teams worked on the development of the architectural concepts for the new building of the Museum and Educational Center. After the technical review, the competition projects were presented to the Jury on March 15. All the projects were examined by the Jury under codes and in full confidentiality. They were evaluated by such criteria as their feasibility, quality of the planning, urban development and conceptual solutions, as well as the estimated expenditures for construction and maintenance. As a result of the Jury voting, a recommendatory rating was prepared for the consideration of the Polytechnic Museum Board of Trustees during their process of decision-making regarding the winner of the competition.
Other finalists of the competition were:
PROJECT MEGANOM (Russia) and JOHN MCASLAN & PARTNERS (UK)
3XN A/S (Denmark) and ASADOV Architectural Studio (Russia)
MECANOO International B.V. (The Netherlands) and TPO REZERV (Russia)
FARSHID MOUSSAVI ARCHITECTURE (UK) and ROZHDESTVENKA Architectural Bureau
(Russia)
LEESER ARCHITECTURE (USA) and ABD Architects (Russia)
The competition is organized by the Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation. The competition is conducted by the order of the Polytechnic Museum and Lomonosov Moscow State University. In the future, the Museum and Educational Center is expected to play an important role in the life of Moscow, and become a multi-functional cultural and educational hub and a communication forum both for the scientific community and the wide audience interested in the modern science.
Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design acts as consultant of the competition.
More Background On PM-Competition.com
PM-Competition.com was the official website for the Architectural Concepts Competition for the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Lomonosov Moscow State University, an ambitious international design competition conducted between 2012 and 2013. While the domain is no longer active today, it remains an important archival reference documenting a significant moment in contemporary museum architecture, international design collaboration, and Moscow’s cultural modernization efforts.
The website served as the primary digital platform for communicating the competition’s objectives, schedule, participants, jury composition, and final results. In doing so, PM-Competition.com functioned not only as an administrative tool but also as a public-facing record of how large-scale cultural architecture competitions were structured and executed during the early 2010s.
Institutional Context: The Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University
The competition documented by PM-Competition.com was rooted in the redevelopment of the Polytechnic Museum, one of the world’s oldest and largest science and technology museums. Founded in the 19th century, the museum has long played a central role in Russia’s scientific education, public engagement, and technological heritage.
By the late 2000s, the Polytechnic Museum launched a major modernization initiative to renovate its historic building and expand its mission. A key component of this strategy was the creation of a new Museum and Educational Center that would operate as a contemporary extension of the museum’s educational role.
This new center was planned in close cooperation with Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Russia’s most prominent academic institution. Locating the project on MSU’s campus reinforced the intended relationship between academic research, public science education, and cultural programming.
Purpose and Vision of PM-Competition.com
PM-Competition.com was created specifically to support a two-stage international architectural competition commissioned by the Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation. Its core purpose was to provide a centralized, transparent platform through which professional architectural practices could engage with the competition.
The project vision emphasized the creation of a world-class educational and cultural hub capable of hosting exhibitions, lectures, media installations, and interdisciplinary programming. The new building was expected to serve up to 1.37 million visitors annually, including tens of thousands of students and faculty members from Moscow State University.
Key goals articulated through the website included:
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Advancing innovative museum architecture that integrates science, education, and public space
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Encouraging international collaboration between Russian and foreign architectural practices
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Ensuring feasibility, economic sustainability, and long-term operational viability
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Enhancing Moscow’s cultural and scientific infrastructure through contemporary design
Competition Structure and Timeline
The competition followed a two-stage format, a structure commonly used in high-profile architectural commissions.
Stage One: Qualification and Shortlisting
The first stage focused on evaluating applicants’ professional qualifications. Architectural firms and consortiums were assessed based on experience with large cultural and educational projects, capacity to produce design documentation, familiarity with Russian regulatory requirements, and overall organizational profile.
More than fifty international and domestic applicants submitted materials. From this pool, a jury selected six teams to advance to the second stage.
Stage Two: Architectural Concept Development
Shortlisted participants were invited to develop full architectural concept proposals. This stage included a briefing workshop and a site visit, allowing teams to engage directly with the physical and institutional context of the project.
The concepts were evaluated anonymously under competition codes, ensuring impartial review. Evaluation criteria included urban integration, spatial organization, conceptual originality, feasibility, and estimated construction and maintenance costs.
The final decision was made by the Board of Trustees of the Polytechnic Museum in March 2013.
Jury Composition and Evaluation Standards
One of the defining features of the competition was its international jury, which combined architects, urban planners, museum professionals, and cultural administrators. The jury included figures with backgrounds in European museum development, Russian architectural governance, and international exhibition design.
This diverse composition reflected the competition’s ambition to balance global architectural innovation with local cultural and urban considerations.
Evaluation standards emphasized:
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Integration with the surrounding urban and academic environment
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Creation of a distinctive architectural identity
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Functional clarity and visitor experience
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Technical and economic feasibility
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Long-term sustainability of the building’s operation
Shortlisted Participants and International Reach
The six shortlisted teams represented a broad geographic and professional spectrum, pairing internationally recognized architecture firms with Russian partners. These collaborations were required to ensure compliance with local regulations while benefiting from global design expertise.
Participants included practices from Russia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. The diversity of design philosophies and institutional backgrounds contributed to a highly competitive and conceptually rich second stage.
The presence of globally known architectural offices underscored the competition’s international standing and the importance of the project within contemporary museum architecture discourse.
Winning Team and Design Outcome
The winning proposal was submitted by a consortium led by Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto in partnership with the Russian firm SPEECH. The selection was formally announced in late March 2013 following the Board of Trustees’ review of the jury’s recommendations.
The winning design emphasized transparency, openness, and spatial flexibility. Key characteristics included a multi-level structure with large public exhibition areas, educational facilities, media spaces, and integrated circulation paths designed to support high visitor volume and diverse programming.
The project was intended to function not only as a museum extension but also as a multifunctional science and education center, supporting lectures, temporary exhibitions, interactive installations, and interdisciplinary events.
Cultural and Architectural Significance
PM-Competition.com documents more than a single architectural project; it captures a broader moment in the evolution of cultural infrastructure development.
Museum Architecture Innovation
The competition reflects a global shift toward museums as interactive learning environments rather than static repositories. The emphasis on multimedia, flexible programming, and public engagement aligns with international trends in science and technology museums.
Academic and Public Integration
By situating the project on the MSU campus, the initiative reinforced the idea of cultural institutions as extensions of academic life. The Museum and Educational Center was envisioned as a shared space for students, researchers, and the general public.
International Collaboration
The competition model promoted meaningful collaboration between Russian and international architects, contributing to cross-cultural exchange in architectural practice and reinforcing Moscow’s role in global design networks.
Popularity, Reception, and Legacy
While PM-Competition.com itself was active for a limited period, the competition it documented received attention across architectural and design media. Coverage focused on the prestige of the participating firms, the composition of the jury, and the broader implications for museum architecture in Russia.
Today, the site’s archived materials continue to serve as a reference for architectural historians, researchers, and professionals studying international competition formats and early-21st-century museum design strategies.
Audience and Intended Users
The primary audience for PM-Competition.com included:
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Professional architects and urban planners
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Cultural and museum administrators
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Academic institutions and students of architecture
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Public and private organizations involved in large-scale cultural development
The site’s structured presentation of schedules, criteria, and results made it particularly useful as both a professional resource and a public transparency tool.
Ownership and Site Structure
PM-Competition.com was a project-specific informational website, commissioned and managed by the Polytechnic Museum Development Foundation in cooperation with the Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University. It was not a commercial platform and did not include advertising, ecommerce functions, or recurring content beyond the competition lifecycle.
Its navigation focused on competition announcements, participant information, jury details, procedural documentation, and final outcomes.
PM-Competition.com stands as a well-documented example of how international architectural competitions were organized, communicated, and archived during the early 2010s. Although no longer active, the site remains significant for its role in shaping a major cultural and educational project in Moscow and for its contribution to broader discussions on museum architecture, public science engagement, and international design collaboration.
For researchers and practitioners alike, PM-Competition.com represents a valuable snapshot of architectural ambition, institutional partnership, and cultural investment at a pivotal moment in the modernization of one of Russia’s most important museums.