Magda Cichon

Magda Cichon: “We lived on this for a year and a half”

The work done by the curators of the Venice Biennale mostly remains off-screen – the numerous industry reporters that come to the event don’t seem to write much about it. The backstage of this year’s biennale is uncovered by Magda Cichon, the managing partner and the chief architect of Blank Architects, who knows firsthand how it all went along.

Lilya Aronova. ​The Rzhevsky Gate

For the competition for the best design of the new station or the Third Interchange Contour, Blank Architects came up with three proposals. Two of them were shortlisted, and one, containing the concept of the “Rzhevskaya” metro station, took the first place. Here we are to take a look at the winning project.

Natalya Muradova. Blank Architects: “No excuses apart from architecture”

Created by foreign architects in Russia, this architectural company is perceived by the outside world as “Moscow-based”. Blank Architects makes democratic decisions and sees its mission as making “responsible architecture”, even if it is sometimes at odds with the Russian construction rules and regulations. The company also values creativity, allows for no excuses, and is interested in everything that can influence its projects one way or another.