FIRST MOSCOW ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE (original) (raw)

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Arch Moscow 2008 / FIRST MOSCOW ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE

In the last years, Russia is experiencing a construction boom against the backdrop of a building tradition that was largely established in the Soviet period, characterized by low quality and uniform designs. Contemporary Russian society demands for an enhancement of diversity and quality. With its need for innovation, its enormous territory and its natural resources, Russia has the potential of becoming a new frontier for the development of architecture and urban design. The Moscow Architecture Biennale is a forum to expose and discuss the development and the architecture of the city after communism.

WAYS OF LIVING: CURATORS MANIFEST

The question of mass housing has been one of the most urgent problems for Russia in the last decades. Although the rich part of Russia�s population can now solve its housing problem on a private scale, the living conditions of the majority of the population are still far from comfortable. Currently, prices for housing are skyrocketing, but this demand is not followed by a rise in quality. At the first Moscow Architecture Biennale, architects and urban designers from various countries will be invited to show how they approach the problem of mass housing. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see and form an opinion on a great variety of housing environments. The local professional community will be challenged to look beyond everyday practice. For foreign participants, the Biennale will be an invitation to participate in the design of a way of living for a new Russia.