The National Centre RUSSIA congratulates architects on their professional holiday

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On 6 July 2026, Russia celebrates Architect's Day. The holiday was established by a resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation in 2025 and has since been observed annually on the first Monday of July. It was initiated by the Union of Architects of Russia and the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation with the support of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Architect's Day highlights the strategic role of the profession in the country's development — from creating comfortable and safe urban environments to shaping the image of Russian cities around the world. The holiday serves both as a sign of state recognition and as a platform for professional dialogue, discussions of new technologies, educational initiatives and exposition projects. It is symbolic that the date refers to Catherine the Great's 1763 decree ordering the development of dedicated urban plans for every province — a document that marked the beginning of Russia's systematic urban planning.

Architecture is a particularly important theme for the National Centre RUSSIA. In 2025, the National Centre hosted the major exposition "The Birth of Scale", which presented the history of Russian architecture as a continuous journey from traditional wooden architecture to the bold projects of the 20th and 21st centuries. Models of lost churches and towers, designs of the Russian avant-garde, experiments with high-rise construction and architecture for extreme climatic conditions, as well as influential yet unrealised concepts such as the Palace of the Soviets and the Monument to the Third International, allowed visitors to see how Russian architects have worked with scale, space and new technologies for centuries.

Today, the National Centre RUSSIA itself is becoming part of this history. Construction of its new building is underway on Presnenskaya Embankment, where it is set to become an architectural landmark of global significance.

The new complex has been conceived as a multifunctional public space rather than simply an exposition venue. Its total area will exceed 205,000 square metres, including approximately 50,000 square metres dedicated to permanent and temporary expositions. The project also includes a transformable congress and concert hall with seating for 3,500 people, media and press centres, the world's largest panoramic atrium with capacity for around 7,000 visitors, and a landscaped park covering approximately four hectares.

One of the defining features of the building will be the "Pokrov" (protective veil) concept — a flowing roof that appears to gently shelter the space beneath it, creating a sense of both protection and openness. Its biomorphic form contrasts with the strict vertical lines of the surrounding business district and introduces a much-needed civic public space into the skyline of Moscow City. The façades will function as dynamic media surfaces capable of changing in response to events and transforming into a large-scale screen for multimedia content.

The engineering aspects of the project are equally ambitious. Construction is taking place above six operational tunnels serving three metro lines, while the excavation reaches a depth of 15 metres. The complex roof structure and unique façade elements are being realised through algorithmic design, digital modelling technologies and advanced materials. The objective is to combine distinctive architectural plasticity with efficiency and reliability, creating a landmark comparable in cost to conventional buildings of a similar scale.

A model of the new National Centre RUSSIA has already been presented at leading Russian and international events, including the ARCH Moscow exposition and forum, the Russia–China EXPO in Harbin and INNOPROM in Tashkent. The immersive pavilion dedicated to the project received the award for Best Exposition in the Architecture category at ARCH Moscow, an important recognition from the professional community.

On Architect's Day, the National Centre RUSSIA extends its gratitude to architects, engineers, urban planners and everyone involved in creating new spaces for living, working and inspiration. The new National Centre RUSSIA complex has been envisioned as a place where architecture finds its voice and tells the story of the country through contemporary forms and innovative technologies.