Crystal Island in MOSCOW

The building’s spiralling form
emerges majestically from a
newly landscaped park, rising
 in converse directions to form
a diagonal grid.





This distinctive geometry extends throughout the project into the park, resulting in a scheme seamlessly integrated into the new park landscape that will provide a range of activities throughout the year, including cross country skiing and ice skating in the winter.
The internal built volumes of over one million square metres (more than 10 million square feet) assume a staggered formation within the triangulated steel mega frame, extending flush against the sloping faceted glazed outer skin.
This terracing creates a series of wintergardens which form a breathable second layer and thermal buffer for the main building while shielding the interior spaces from Moscow’s extreme summer and winter climates. A vertical louvre system sheaths the internal façades to ensure privacy for the individual apartments.
Enclosure panels on a dynamic geometry are slotted into the structural framing to allow daylight to penetrate deep into the heart of the structure and can be controlled to modify the internal environment – closed in winter for extra warmth and opened in summer to allow natural ventilation.
 Energy management is at the heart of the design with strategies to include on-site renewable and low-carbon
energy generation.
Crystal Island will offer cultural, exhibition and performance facilities, approximately 3,000 hotel rooms and 900 serviced apartments as well as offices and shops designed to maintain a dynamic and animated public realm throughout the day.
Residents will be able to work and live within a densely planned area where every amenity is within easy walking distance, including an international school for 500 students. Mixed-use also presents a strong
case for energy balance with individual components using energy at different times while reinforcing the breadth of economic and social activity of the area.