Three School of Architecture faculty members David Mayernik, Ettore Mazzola, and Thomas Gordon Smith were invited to participate in the third annual Moscow Architecture Biennale, held from May 23-June 7.
According to a release, “The Biennials of architecture became an important part of cultural process in many countries. Recently, Russia has been experiencing a construction boom with remnants of Soviet traditions of low-quality construction methods and standard solutions. The demand for beautiful, high-quality, stylish and modern housing is clear in Russian cities.
“Russia needs innovation; with its vast territory and a large amount of natural resources Russia can become a new field for the development of architecture and urbanism. The Moscow Architecture Biennale is a forum for introducing and discussing questions of the development a post-Communist city.”
The Biennale discusses 21st-century architecture. The School of Architecture’s faculty members’ work was included in a section titled “Tendencies” that focuses on “historicism, complexity and simplicity.”
The Biennale includes exhibitions of Russian and international architecture, discussions on the development of architecture, and debate on how a high-quality built environment can be created.
The exhibition was organized by Russia’s Central House of Artists, International Confederation of Artist Unions and the magazine “Project Russia” with the support of Russian Government, Russian Ministry of Culture and Moscow Government. Attendance is expected to exceed 30,000 people.