CLIENT
The Voentorg building on Vozdvizhenka, 10 was one of the most famous architectural objects in the centre of Moscow. The original building was built over a hundred years ago and reflected the best features of a bygone era, it was designed and built by the Russian architect Sergei Zalessky. The building consisted of two parts: a store serving the needs of the military and officers, and a tenement house.
In 2003, it was decided to rebuild Voentorg due to its dilapidated state. Despite the public outcry, the owners of the building at that time managed to get permission to demolish the old building from the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov. The newly built Voentorg became a multifunctional business centre with underground parking and opened its doors in 2008. As a result of the reconstruction, the building area was significantly increased, from 16,000 to 70,000 square meters, including the multi-level underground parking. The building housed offices, restaurants, boutiques and a supermarket, turning the building into a class “A” business centre, mainly for high-profile tenants.
In 2017, the international company Fosun Group acquired a controlling stake in Voentorg. The decision was made by Fosun to improve the design and service levels to meet the highest standards of aesthetics and functionality of the building.
The recent renovation has gracefully blended the building's historical elements into modern design, highlighting how the building has changed throughout its history and how aesthetic canons have changed with it.
PROJECT
Design Concept
The main concept of the project was to use materials, equipment and facilities that were to be the first on the Moscow market. The renovated business center pays tribute to the past through the use of materials from the Art Nouveau period (stone and metal, in addition to direct functionality, carry the artistic value). At the same time, it embodies the inclusiveness and openness that are characteristic of modern architecture.
The aesthetics of the XXI century is reflected in the Reception Area of the first floor, decorated with black and gray natural stone from Italy. The Reseption area combines austerity and elegance.
Materials
Granite floors and walls were assembled from stone slabs in Italy. The ceilings are made of anodized panels of three different tones by SAS UK. The large side rear walls are decorated with brass panels as art objects. Schindler and Boon Edam equipment and technologies were the first products of the new era for the Russian market. The engineering system of the building is fully connected to the Honeywell BMS system, including turnstiles, elevators, ventilation, heating, lighting, fire protection system, etc.
Tanya Ternavskaya / CEO, FOSUN EURASIA
It was a complex project that completely transformed an outdated building and equipment into an unrecognizable modern, attractive, optimized place. It was especially difficult that the project was carried out in a building 100% full of tenants. Individual details of this project, for example, the delivery and installation of the illuminated panel, which is the thinnest cut of natural stone, at the reception, required a high level of professionalism, flexibility and diligence on the part of the general contractor in coordination of all actions with designers and manufacturers in Italy, who could not independently deliver and install due to COVID restrictions. On a daily basis, the Altaca and Fosan teams faced new challenges that required proactive problem solving skills within the agreed budget and deadlines. We hope that the Voentog Business Center will remain timeless and will continue to be one of the iconic examples of commercial real estate in the city.
RELATED PROJECTS
We have undertaken similar Projects for the reconstruction & renovation of common areas of occupied premises for PSN Group in Novospesskiy Dvor Business Centre and for Ikea in the Mega Mall Shopping Centre in Khimki.
We have also completed the new-build fit-outs of the Reception Areas in the Demidov and Burevestnik Business Centres in Moscow and the Levent Loft Residential Complex in Istanbul, Turkiye.