Archiloft Event Space in Moscow by Geometrix Design.

Archiloft is an intriguing adaptive reuse project which saw Geometrix Design transform a Moscow power station built in the first half of the 20th century into a multipurpose event space. The 450sqm interior celebrates the original brick shell, providing a backdrop with loads of character for public gatherings.

The project took ten months to complete, and most of this time was spent cleaning up the site from defunct equipment and what the designers refer to as “historical garbage”. Cute. The team discovered that the original structure was formed from two separate buildings, so the façade wall of one building became the interior wall of the other, and the overall volume was then divided into two distinct zones.

Expansive brick walls, tall ceilings, high set windows and a monumental concrete support beam are reminiscent of a medieval church, yet what unfolds within is all about contemporary innovation. The large open terrace allows visitors to enjoy Archiloft from the outside. White polygonal walls introduce a dynamic geometry within the interior, providing a base for regular 3D-mapping projections.

The four large black screen circles placed on one of the walls refer to Parade of Planets, providing a sharp contrast between the rough brick and smooth LED-illuminated spherical objects lit from behind. The biggest of the four screens is also a TV that can be used during the events as required.

The outside fence is treated as a work of art, cut out from fibre cement sheets undulating in complex 3D patterns.

[Photography by Ilya Ivanov & Daniel Annenkov.]