Social architecture as an architecture of possibilities and a way to bring back culture in the typical residential environment of the Moscow suburbs.

The residential quarters of “New Moscow” pop up all over the site of the former fields and greenhouses of the "Moskovsky-farm". This area used to be a distant suburb without public transportation, history and culture. Nowadays it becomes a part of the historical city — Moscow. These quarters consists of typical apartment-blocks with monotone facades. For many young people the only chance to start an independent live separate from their parents is to buy an apartment in these standard houses.

Generally, residents of such quarters have no places to go in their leisure time. Public buildings become the only social facility. Therefore kindergartens and schools should act not only like educational, but also like cultural centers of the site. That’s how appeared an idea of a school as an attractive multifunctional facility: educational and entertainment center at the same time. We decided to revive the tradition of constructivists clubs that were widespread in 1930s, in design of our school.

Russian avant-garde ideas have helped us to create the social center of the residential quarter of “Moscowsky-grad”, that consists of a school for 1375 students and a kindergarten for 250 kids and to solve an urban problem of forming the inner structure of the residential area. We have used the principles of the diagonal masterplan of the “Havsko-Shabolovsky” residential complex on Lesteva str. in Moscow, which was constructed by members of the Society of architects/urbanists (ARHU) in 1929-1931.

— To create a coloristic accent of the quarter, that will be perceived in statics and dynamics from the outside and inside of a quarter driveways, dedicating space-planning solution and facades of the building to works of an outstanding artist and architect El Lissitzky;

— To return a culture and an architectural memory to the standard residential quarter in the form of the buildings appearance that send to a suprematism with its graphics and coloristic, which is now perceived as an absolute classics;

— To interpret suprematist compositions and graphics from the book, that returned creativity of this architect innovator in 1967 from Dresden to Moscow, to the architectural volume of the social building, to its interiors, furniture and equipment.

       The school was developed as a comfortable and public space for students and inhabitants, where people are not only studying, but also relax, communicate, recreate. It combines a variety of functions:

— Educational. 3 degrees of education from 1 to 11 forms – primary, secondary and high school;

— Leisure. It is possible to drink coffee in a buffet and a dining room, to do an exhibition in recreations and the foyer on all four floors, to listen to a concert in the auditorium with 825 places or lecture in a media library;

— You can practice yoga or strength trainings in small gyms, learn to dance in a choreographic hall, do gymnastics in 2 gyms, and also to take part in team competitions in big gyms.

The school is divided functionally into two blocks – educational and public. The second one remains open at all times for all, regardless of age, health and financial situation.