On the Staroe Rublyovo Highway, next to the entrance to Barvikha, the road makes a sharp turn and goes down. At the crossroads of the terrain drop between the high and the low riverbank, there is an L-shaped land site, allotted for the construction of the future complex. “This place is really beautiful; it is like a pivotal point. Back in the old days, they used to build churches at such places” – says the architect Ilia Mashkov. This will be the first public building on the way from Moscow, it must set a certain standard, at the same time fitting in with the surrounding context.

The Rublyovo Highway area is essentially a mix of private residences built in the Soviet and post-Soviet times, which can hardly be considered to be a well-balanced kind of environment. To a certain extent, the architects were facing mutually exclusive tasks. “The so-called “Rublyovka” is a fashionable district. It’s important to remember here that you are dealing with a consumer group that is hard to impress: these people saw it all. Plus, this area is pretty special in terms of rules and regulations: you’ve got private mansions all over the place, and you need to comply with the height restrictions. That is, you need to be reserved but at the same time find some hook to attract the attention of the local residents and the motorists driving down the highway as well”.