International competition of architectural concepts of the Polytechnic Museum Educational Center and Moscow State University building was held within the framework of the project of modernization of the Polytechnic Museum, launched in 2010. The Institute of Media, Architecture and Design Strelka took part as a contest consultant. The jury consisted of representatives of public authorities, the leadership of the Polytechnic Museum and the Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov, as well as foreign and Russian experts in the field of architecture and town planning. Among them are the chief architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov, the president of the Union of Russian Architects Andrei Bokov, the architectural critic Grigory Revzin, the deputy director of the Polytechnic Museum Yuliya Shakhnovskaya, the deputy minister of culture of the Russian Federation Andrey Busygin, the president of the International Association of Scientific and Technical Museums Ecsite Robert Fiarmhofer, the founder of the German architectural bureau “The Kleihues + Kleihues” Yan Kleijuis and others.

By the time registration was completed on November 19, 2012, about 50 applications were received. Six participants were selected: PROJECT MEGANOM (Russia) and JOHN MCASLAN + PARTNERS (UK), MECANOO International B.V. (Russia), Fisherman Moussavi Architecture (UK) and the architectural bureau CHRISTMAS (Russia), MASSIMILIANO FUKSAS Architetto (Italy) and SPEECH (Russia), 3XN A / S (Denmark) and Asadova Architectural Studio Russia), LEESER Architecture (USA) and ABD Architects (Russia).

Participants of the second stage of the contest will have to develop architectural concepts for the new building of the Museum and Educational Center by early February 2013, which, after passing the technical expertise, will be submitted for consideration by the jury. The final decision on the selection of the winner will be made in late March 2013 at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Development Fund of the Polytechnic Museum.