The New Moscow Map aiming to preserve architectural avant-garde heritage of Moscow

Dizaino Studija Baklazanas (Lithuania, Vilnius) has created the map of Constructivist Moscow as a part of a social responsibility campaign against demolition of the architectural avant-garde heritage Moscow (Russia).

The New Moscow map celebrates Moscow architectural avant-garde heritage including workers' clubs, schools, factory kitchens, garages, communal housing, factories, bathhouses and even the first soviet crematorium and columbarium. It features 180 most stunning examples of Constructivist architecture in Moscow, both world-famous buildings (from Melnikov House and the Narkomfin Building to Shukhov Tower and Lenin's Mausoleum) and less known residential buildings and constructivist quarters and settlements within the limits of Moscow Ring Road (MKAD).

Although the Constructivist movement produced many pioneering and unique projects and had a great impact on contemporary architecture during the Soviet period since late 1930s the Constructivist buildings were neglected and people nowadays don't appreciate this unique heritage, while it's one of the very few things Russians should be actually proud of. With this map we wanted to attract attention to the problem of demolition of the Constructivist architecture in Moscow and to show it's pure exceptional beauty.

The main reason why we created this map and also the main challenge was to focus on the problem of demolition of the Constructivist buildings in Moscow. Many Constructivist architectural masterpieces are either in ruins or under threat of demolition nowadays so the land could be sold to developers. Despite all the public protests and numerous petitions Russia's unique architectural heritage is destroyed by the authorities.

Besides these 180 leading examples of Constructivist architecture in Moscow we included into the map some remarkable elements of Russian industrial art from the 1920s and 1930s. The four roundels refer to Soviet textile and porcelain design of 1920-1930 and their propaganda capacities celebrating industrialization, electrification, collective farming and aeronautics, announcing an era of a new type of human, trained by the overall mechanization of everyday life. Some of the patterns we used celebrate the work of Russian designers Lyubov Popova and Varvara Stepanova who helped pave the way for all modern day graphic designers as they created art with a purpose in hopes of bettering the society in which they lived.

The map features fonts created by famous Russian type designer Yuri Gordon, texts of one the most outstanding proletarian poets of early post-revolutionary Russia Alexei Gastev from the book of poems A Pack of Orders (1921) and two fabric designs: The New Village by R. Vasileva and Factory by S. Burylin from the collection of Ivanovo Regional Art Museum.

Baklazanas is a nomadic design studio from Lithuania focusing on visual branding and communication design for cultural, educational and governmental institutions. "For us, design is a continuous communication. Our art direction aims to engage our clients in the process that not only communicates what they want but clarifies what they are." One of their latest project ‘Save My Speech Forever’ has won European Design Award (Silver) and their 'Save Shukhov Tower!' poster campaign has won a Red Dot Design Award.

Year 2016

Work started in 2016

Work finished in 2016

Status Current works

Type Graphic Design / Advertising / Monuments / Recovery/Restoration of Historic Buildings / Restoration of Works of Art / Product design / self-production design / Building Recovery and Renewal