Russian practice Kleinewelt Architekten have designed a mixed-use housing block for Moscow that features a carved stone-relief facade. Inspired by historic Russian chambers and Italian palazzos, the project combines a residential building with cultural spaces and social care functions. Called Allegoria Mosca, the design draws upon the site's history and features an open-air art space, conference and lecture halls, as well as a transformable exhibition hall.
Located in the historical center of Moscow, Allegoria Mosca is sited at the intersection of Prechistenka, Ostozhenka and Prechistensky Gate. In the past, the two streets were ravines that framed the Chertorii creek that flowed there, which, in turn, flowed into the Moscow River. A characteristic feature of the area is an open layout with extensive gardens and stone chambers in the depths of the courtyards. Playing off this organization, the new apartment building and museum space will be built with unrefined, natural materials like brass and stone.
The project will also include a center for the study and future development of Moscow alongside a range of apartments types and configurations. The square between the White, Red Chambers and the new Palazzo is a piazzetta - a small town square. Such areas, common in Italian cities, were previously characteristic of old Moscow, but later were lost. The project returns the lost format of the small area, the piazzetta, and allows the courtyard between the chambers and the buildings to adapt for different programs and events.
