From May 27 through June 22, the First Moscow Architecture Biennale will be held under the patronage of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Board of Experts at the Council at the President of the Russian Federation on realization of priority national projects and the demographic policy, and the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning (Moskomarkhitektura). The First Biennale is going to reveal and evaluate general tendencies in contemporary urban planning. The Biennale will include exhibitions of the best Russian and international architecture, discussions on the perspective development of architecture, professional debate on the principles on which a quality built environment can be created. The Biennials of architecture became an important part of cultural process in many countries. Architecture is a complex cultural product that is why the cities like Venice, London, Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, Istanbul and Gwangju started to show their architectural biennial exhibitions not so long ago. The most authoritative exhibition, the Venice Architecture Biennale will celebrate its 28th birthday in 2008. The reason for Moscow to organize the Biennale lies within the logic of development of built environment. Since recently, Russia has been experiencing a construction boom with remnants of Soviet traditions of low quality construction methods and standard solutions. The demand for beautiful, high-quality, stylish and modern housing is clear in Russian cities. Russia needs innovation; with its vast territory and a large amount of natural resources Russia can become a new field for the development of architecture and urbanism. The Moscow Architecture Biennale is a forum for introducing and discussing questions of the development a post-Communist city. Mirax Group, an international investment and development corporation, is the official sponsor of the Moscow Biennale. ‘The First Moscow Architecture Biennale is an international even. It will gather best professionals in the field of architecture, the creators of the largest cities in the world. It will be a nice playground for an exchange in experience, and mostly in ideas that wait for their realization in the nearest future,’ says Dmirty Lutsenko, Board Director of Mirax Group. The theme of the First Moscow Architecture Biennale is ‘Ways of Living’// ‘The housing problem is still one of most critical issues in today’s Russia. Although a small part of the inhabitants can solve this problem privately, the problem of mass housing remains largely unsolved. Unfortunately, even with today’s price rise the situation does not turn around neither in the quantity, nor in the quality of built housing projects.’ Bart Goldhoorn, Biennale Curator The First Moscow Architecture Biennale invites architects and urbanists ready to show their solutions to housing construction in Russia. The program of the First Moscow Biennale will include lectures and master classes by 15 leading internationally-known architects and designers; national exhibitions will show projects from 27 countries. A public program of the Biennale will take place from May 27 though June 1; main exhibitions will be open until June 22. Exhibition venues// During the Biennale, its main venue – the Central House of Artist – will for the first time add an area under the colonnade (30.000 sq. m) to its exhibition spaces. It will house the International Pavilion. The Russian Pavilion will occupy all three buildings of M.V. Shchusev Museum of Architecture on Vozdvizhenka Street (‘Aptekarsky Prikaz’ Annex, ‘Ruin’ Annex and Main Buiding’s Enfilade). Best works by Russian architects will be presented within the ARCHCATALOG Project in the Central House of Artist. The State Tretyakov Gallery on Krymski val will be the most prestigious Biennale’s venue. There, in the Moscow Pavilion, the Plan of Moscow City Development for the Period up to 2025 will be shown. The events of the parallel program will take place in different venues of the city centre such as the Federation Tower in Moscow City, interior boutiques on Frunzenskaya Embankment and Komsomolsky Prospekt and ‘Pavloskaya Sloboda’ country complex. For further information visit: www.moscowarchbiennale.ru