Garage Museum of Contemporary Art to expand into Gorky Park's historic Hexagon pavilion via SANAA redesign

Moscow's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art will expand by taking over the neighboring Hexagon pavilion in Gorky Park, with a redesign by Japanese architects SANAA. The pavilion, originally designed by Ivan Zholtovsky in 1923 for the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Industries Exhibition, has served various uses including a canteen, disco, and lemonade factory before being damaged by fire. SANAA's overhaul will preserve original columns and a fountain basin while adding an energy-efficient geothermal system and high-performance glass, providing an additional 9,500 square meters for three galleries, a bookshop, library, and cafe. Founded in 2008 by Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich, the museum currently occupies a former restaurant redesigned by OMA. Zhukova stated that the revival by SANAA will allow Garage to connect with Russian history while engaging in global discourse, reflecting the museum's inquiry into the modern museum's function and responsibility. The Hexagon is the sole remaining structure from the 1923 exhibition.