"Russian architecture has a unique style that retains its identity": international guests visited "The Birth of Scale" exposition

The National Centre RUSSIA invited speakers participating in the International Festival "Intermuseum–2025" for a visit. International guests from Turkey, Mexico, Cuba, Belarus, Brazil, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, the UAE, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Senegal and Kyrgyzstan were given a guided tour of "The Birth of Scale" exposition. They shared their impressions.

Urbanist and founder of the architectural bureau Elle Architecture, Soumia Masmoudi from Senegal, noted that what impressed her most at the exposition was the craftsmanship of the architects and how well the wooden structures had been preserved.

"Wood is usually considered a short-lived material, but the shapes that craftsmen were able to create from it, and the fact that these structures have survived to this day, is both surprising and admirable," emphasised Soumia Masmoudi.

According to Ivan Bormaister, Creative Director of FP7 McCann and member of the Cannes Lions 2022 jury from the UAE, Russian architecture has a distinctive and easily recognisable style that immediately stands out. 

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"At the exposition, it is evident how this style has evolved and improved over time, while remaining true to its roots and preserving its identity. Even when comparing buildings constructed 200 years ago with modern ones, there is still something unifying about them — you can immediately tell that this is truly Russian architecture," observed Ivan Bormaister.

The architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre presents both realised project as well as those that remained only as ideas and concepts. The exposition includes both items from the National Centre RUSSIA’s own collection and those provided by museums and private collectors across the country.

Watch the series of the National Centre RUSSIA’s educational lectures on architecture with Yelizaveta Likhacheva and learn more about the Russian architecture.

Partners of "The Birth of Scale" exposition include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Research Museum of Architecture named after A. V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Yakov Chernikhov Architectural Charitable Foundation, and the HSE School of Design.