The Moscow city government is asking citizens to weigh in on the fate of the Shukhov radio tower, a rusted icon of Soviet constructivist architecture that’s threatened with demolition. [...]

The vote, which began this week and runs until July 6, is being held on Active Citizen, an iOS and Android app released by the city last month. The app polls citizens on topics such as street-tree planting and changes to daylight savings time. — qz.com

How exactly did the faceless tower block become the inspiration for contemporary Russian visual culture?[...]

Large estates are like fractals, or a space created by facing mirrors. Building 8 is exactly the same as building 14, and its young inhabitants must perhaps have the same preoccupation: to someday acquire a similar cell in one of these purpose-built units around town. Can creativity come from places like that? In contemporary Russia, somehow, it does. — theguardian.com

Preserving the rich history of an iconic site while modernizing any aspect of its design is always a tricky feat. For MVRDV, one of their latest competition wins is redeveloping the urban plan of the historic Serp & Molot (Hammer & Sickle) Factory...In the two-stage competition, the winning team was chosen out of a shortlist with LDA Design (UK), Ateliers lion Associés (France), Mega Project (Russia), and De Architecten Cie. (Netherlands). — bustler.net

Grigory Revzin, a respected architecture critic, has been fired as the commissioner of the Russian pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale (7 June-23 November). Writing on Facebook on Monday, Revzin speculated that the cause was his vocal criticism of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In a statement posted on its website, the culture ministry said on Tuesday that he was fired due to his “extremely active” public positions. — theartnewspaper.com

One of the great feats of 20th-century engineering, a landmark of modernist architecture is facing demolition. Late last month, the Russian State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting agreed to the dismantling of the Shabolovka radio tower in Moscow.

This is the Eiffel Tower of Russia, a 50-story conical structure of steel latticework, shaped roughly like a collapsing telescope, designed by the engineer Vladimir Shukhov. — nytimes.com

Olympic stadiums are nothing new for Populous, the global practice known for designing some of the world's iconic sports venues. With the Sochi Winter Olympics a few days away, we'll give a little headstart with a glimpse into Fisht Olympic Stadium -- which Populous was selected to design in 2009 -- before it makes its debut at the Opening Ceremony. — bustler.net

We've been showcasing a few of the finalist Park Russia proposals all week, but things just wouldn't feel complete without a better look into the Cushman & Wakefield consortium's first-place entry.

UK-based practice Gillespies -- who served as the group's Design Team Leader, Masterplanner and Landscape Architect -- sent us more images from the group's winning proposal. — bustler.net

If you've been tracking our coverage of the Park Russia competition results, here comes another project! This time, it's from fourth-place finalist Citymakers, a masterplanning and city development company based in Moscow and Copenhagen. Citymakers entered the competition with Berlin-based studio anOtherArchitect. — bustler.net

Up next in the Park Russia proposals comes from HOSPER (Niek Roozen – Cepezed – Witteveen+Bos). At the end of the international competition, the Dutch team placed in second out of the five finalists. — bustler.net

Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield led the consortium that won first prize in the recently concluded Park Russia competition. The international consortium included Buro Happold, Populous, and Gillespies -- who led the masterplanning design team.

The Russia Geographic Society and Moscow Region Government hosted the contest to find the most suitable architectural design and financial models for the "Russia"-themed 1,600 ha. Park in the Moscow region. — bustler.net

The Strelka Institute for media, architecture and design announced on Dec. 12 the three finalists for the international competition to design the National Center for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) at the Khodynskoe Pole in Moscow. — bustler.net

Five teams were selected for the second stage of the international architectural "Russia" theme park competition. The Jury, the Expert Council, and "Russia" park representatives met this past September to begin searching for the concept and financial model for the theme park.

Twenty-six submissions out of 180 registered applicants from 41 countries made it to Stage I, which was then narrowed down to 18 after the Expert Council made further evaluations. — bustler.net

Jesse Lockhart-Krause of Lockhart Krause Architect from Australia recently sent us his competition entry for the Spartak Museum competition, where participants had to design a new museum and festival pavilion for the UNESCO city Yaroslavl, Russia. — bustler.net