The proposed exhibition project is devoted to the use of the extant industrial housing system of the past in the contemporary Russian conditions. The economic crisis urges to search for new, more cost-efficient development options and most feasible ways of using the existing resources. Meanwhile, the industrial housing, though functionally obsolete, has a great potential for the future use and represents a valuable material resource thanks to the brilliant construction solutions and impressive (for the most part) architectural layout with proven strength and durability properties. Apart from cost cutting and avoidance of labor and energy costs pertaining to demolition and new construction, redesigning of the existing buildings and facilities vests a virtually new project with additional cultural value. These buildings have the history and give a sense of stability and rootedness, and association with a certain tradition. Moreover, they accommodate unique spaces, which may fulfill almost any new function, and possess sound structures designed for extreme industrial loads. Furthermore, due to the rapid urban growth of the 20th century many historic industrial facilities are nowadays located not at the periphery but in the historic center. While the adaptation of such structures in the West has become a matter of convention, in Russia this concept is still in infant state. Still, the contemporary Russian practice includes not only negative examples of demolishing the existing industrial structures to give place to the new construction. The goal of the exhibition is not only to show the current state of well-preserved industrial facilities of the period between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, highlighting their advantages and preservation benefits, but also to demonstrate the existing examples of redesign, namely “Vinzavod”, “Garazh” created by Horus Capital group, “Fabrika Stanislavskogo”, “LeFort”, “Burevestnik”, “Luch” - architectural projects of industrial structures redesign that have been developed but not yet implemented, and examples of urban restoration that integrate the new structures and redesign the old ones.
The exposition solution creates a peculiar spatial maze that makes the viewer encounter different visual layers and exhibits fascinating temporal and architectural strata through the shift of viewpoints and approach angles. It is envisaged that the four walls to confine the space of the exposed pavilion should be made of panoramic photographs featuring the extant industrial facilities.
The photographs of restored structures in semi-transparent canvases are projected on the historical photo, demonstrating the continuance of architectural solutions.

Executed by the studio of the project planning team "Mosprojekt 2" under the direction of Vladimir Ostapenko and Elena Nikulina has been a comprehensive architecture-historical and urban planning investigation. This project elaborated a variety of historic sedimentations and superimpositions, prepared a list of salvageable original architectural substance, and identified potential locations for new development. On the basis of these results, the architects Sergei Tchoban, Sergey Kuznetsov, and Pavel Schaburov (SPeeCH) have prepared a masterplan for the reconstruction of the district and for the former site of the New Sukharev Market. The objective is the revitalization of this historic quarter and its conversion into a lively, attractive, urban option for lifestyle, residence, and work. Individual measures include: the densification and reconstruction of the still existing historic architectural substance; development of the potential of constructive gaps; improvement of the infrastructure; the provision of a clearly legible spatial configuration for the district as a whole, one based on a sequence of precisely-defined public and private spaces, squares, and routes; and the creation of high-quality amenities for both residents and visitors. The programmatic and spatial core of the revitalized district will be Melnikov’s administrative building, the surviving element of the New Sukharev Market. Recruited for the implementation of the master plan – which overcame political hurdles in April of this year, and is to be realized between 2010 and 2014 – are leading Moscow architects such as Vladimir Plotkin (TPO Reserve) and Olga Fridland (Architectural Center of the Society of Moscow Architects).

Featured in the exhibition alongside a historical overview of the area and the masterplan are designs by the above-named architects, as well as contributions by Sergei Tchoban, Sergey Kuznetsov, and Pavel Schaburov, each of which will shape the future appearance of this urban district. Each individual project is conceived as a tessera in the mosaic represented by the overall configuration of the master plan.