When Russian architecture firm CNTEZ were commissioned to build a TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies in the heart of Moscow, the design brief called for a building based on the model of the iPhone.
Founded in Armenia in 2011 by an American entrepreneur, the TUMO concept is anchored in creating accessible learning for teens and young adults. Since then the brand has expanded globally with a mission of creating schools and education centres that specialize in technology, design, and applied arts and sciences. For the Moscow project, the iPhone design was conceived as the school’s curriculum expressed through form – minimalist, technological, and mostly, recognizable.
The architects were challenged by attempting to translate a design created for a specific product and its associated marketability to a functional built structure. To meet the challenge, they anchored their approach in following the same design principles that underpin the iPhone– connectivity, minimalist and highly functional inner workings, high efficiency and self sufficiency, and differentiation from competitors (translated here as contrasting with existing landscape and neighbouring buildings). Non-functional and superfluous elements were excluded and all elements, from interiors to furniture to façade elements and materials were selected with leading edge technologies and products available.
Interior colours, spatial layouts, and furnishings were designed in line with existing TUMO Centres in other countries and the collaboration across geographical but also cultural divides further complicated the design process but simultaneously allowed for creative solutions to be found. Both sides report many sleepless nights, but in the end the centre is a truly striking addition to the Moscow streetscape.
