Central House of Cinema, Moscow, Russia tower

Central House of Cinema Moscow tower buildings, Russian architecture images

Central House of Cinema in Moscow

11 May 2026

Architecture: Kleinewelt architekten

Location: Moscow, Russia

Images: Kleinewelt architekten

Central House of Cinema, Moscow, Russia

The Central House of Cinema project proposes the construction of the cultural and leisure centre of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, titled the Central House of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, together with an underground car park and attached residential and non-residential premises at 13 Vasilyevskaya Street, building 1, Moscow. The site is located in the Presnensky District in the Central Administrative Okrug. The project was developed by Kleinewelt Architekten, with Sergey Pereslegin, Nikolay Pereslegin, and Georgy Trofimov as authors. The complex includes a cultural and leisure component, a residential component, and underground parking. A preserved heritage building within the site is shown separately in the project axonometric drawings.

The scheme is conceived as a mixed-use complex in which public and residential programmes are brought together within a single composition. The lower part of the building is given over to the cultural and leisure centre associated with the activities of the Central House of Cinema. The residential programme is placed above it. Beneath the entire complex is a four-level underground car park with technical rooms and related infrastructure. The functional layout clearly separates the public, residential, and underground parts of the building, while providing independent entrances and a separate vehicular access to the car park.

In urban terms, the project is based on the relationship between a new volume and the existing context of Vasilyevskaya Street. The low-rise public building continues the street frontage and relates to the surrounding development through its cornice line and pedestrian-scale presence. Above it rises a residential tower that takes on the vertical emphasis of the block. This division allows the complex to be read in parts: a public urban frontage at street level and an independent residential tower above. It makes it possible to accommodate a substantial programme within one building while preserving the legibility of the street.

The architecture is built on the contrast between its two main parts. The lower volume is designed as a transparent public building with large-format glazing. It appears open, light, and strongly oriented toward the city. Visually, it is not a closed podium but a fully public part of the building: the internal life of the spaces is visible through the glazed envelope, the entrance is marked by a tall glazed opening, and the evening views suggest that this part becomes the project’s main urban display at street level.

The residential tower has a softly rounded silhouette and a gently tapering vertical form. Its outline is composed as a single continuous volume with softened corners and a restrained curvature in the façade surface. This gives the tower a slender profile without excessive monumentality, which is especially important for a height of 135 metres within the dense fabric of central Moscow.

The façade of the residential part is based on a repeating vertical module with a pronounced relief. According to the project materials, the external finishes include glass-fibre-reinforced concrete panels in a pink marble tone, insulated glazing units in aluminium frames, opaque glazed fragments with anodised aluminium and Black quartz coating, metal cassettes, and steel railings. This gives the façade depth and makes it responsive to light. The surface is not flat; it is built from vertical elements with projecting parts and recessed glazed areas. This gives the building rhythm, shadow, and texture without overloading it with detail.

An important part of the project is its relationship to the historic surroundings of the street and the continuity of the site’s function. In this proposal, the House of Cinema is renewed while retaining its cultural purpose. The architects do not attempt to dissolve the tower into its context, yet they avoid turning it into a visual conflict. To achieve this, the base is calmer and more neutral in material and colour, while the main expressive emphasis is shifted upward into the residential volume. From the street, the public building is perceived first, in proportion with the neighbouring development, while the tower reveals itself further back and above. This makes the composition clear and coherent in perception.

The landscape design is also carefully developed. The project materials show granite paving, timber decking, planted retaining walls, custom-made benches, integrated seating areas, ornamental planting, and a sculptural element. In its choice of materials and site furniture, the courtyard and adjoining outdoor space are conceived as an intimate and well-finished urban environment connected to the architecture of the lower floors and intended for everyday use.

Central House of Cinema in Moscow, Russia – Building Information

Architecture: Kleinewelt architekten – https://kleinewelt.ru/

Location: 13 Vasilyevskaya Street, building 1, Moscow, Russia
District: Presnensky District, Central Administrative Okrug
Typology: mixed-use complex / cultural and leisure centre with residential programme
Site area: 0.3970 ha
Total floor area: 32,116 sq m
Above-ground area: 22,750 sq m
Residential area: 14,530 sq m
Cultural and leisure / administrative / technical / support spaces: 8,220 sq m
Underground area: 9,366 sq m
Above-ground non-residential area / cultural and leisure function: 7,363 sq m
Apartment area excluding balconies, terraces, and summer spaces: 10,835 sq m
Number of apartments: 79
Parking spaces: 84
Building height: 135 m
Storeys: 6 to 28
Underground levels: 4
Architects: Kleinewelt Architekten
Developer: First Developer LLC