SHCA to design 480,000 s/f Moscow mixed-use complex.

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) is designing a 480,000 s/f mixed-use complex in downtown Moscow.

Called SLAVA Multi-use Complex, the project is being developed by Stolny Grad, Russia.

Located on Leningradsky Prospect, a major artery linking Red Square to the city outskirts, it is being built in a sector of the city currently zoned for industrial use which is being converted to residential and commercial functions. The three city block site is adjacent to the Belorouskii train station, one of the major transportation hubs for the city.

The development will entail six separate A+ class office buildings varying in height from nine to 22 stories. They will all share a common retail podium on the first, second, and third floors, spanning over existing and planned new streets. The total office space is 167,000 square meters with approximately 76,000 square meters of retail space planned. The complex will also include an underground parking facility for in excess of 4,000 cars on four cellar levels.

According to Roger Klein, design principal for SHCA, the facilities are being designed to the highest global standards. "The tallest of the six office buildings is designed as the signature piece of the complex," he explained, "intended to become a new symbol in the Moscow skyline."

The 22 office floors of the building are organized in nods of three, each with its own atrium overlooking the Winter Garden, a large enclosed public space that can be used year round.

The vertically stacked atria form an uninterrupted green link for the Winter Garden up to the sky. The south facade is developed using a double facade system, minimizing the heat gain through the use of shading devices within the double wall cavity and maximizing the resulting comfort for the users. The atria act as a thermal buffer for the building. One the top floor, is the Sky Lounge, a restaurant offering uninterrupted 360 degrees panoramic views to the city.

The complex's retail podium includes large surface retail, boutiques, restaurants and cafes. The heart of the complex is the Winter Garden.

Spanning over 45 meters with an interior clear height of 30 meters, this grand space becomes the focal point of the project and is used as the organizational element for the retail experience.

The main retail experience is developed in a "piano nobile" scheme with the retail loop on the second floor. Six retail lobbies are located throughout the complex but the main access point and therefore the main address of the overall development is on Leningradsky Prospect. There, a six-story atrium space acts as a gateway to the complex and carries the visitor from Leningradsky Prospect up to the Winter Garden on the second floor.

On the third and fourth floor of the building is a 6,500 square meter event and conference center with a double height ballroom that opens up to the atrium.

Construction on SLAVA will commence in late 2007, with completion slated for 2010.