Strelka Institute

Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture, and Design was founded in 2009 by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Alexander Mamut, with a mission to change physical and cultural landscapes of Russian cities. The Institute promotes positive changes and creates new ideas through its educational activities.

Strelka is situated on the former premises of the Krasny Oktyabr confectionery factory on the Bolotny island in Moscow. The Institute was created as a very public space and has become a significant center for the local design community. The Institute’s Strelka Bar, the social heart of Strelka with a terrace overlooking the Moskva river is famous for its atmosphere and unique events.

The Institute runs a range of educational and public outreach programs including The Terraforming experimental postgraduate research program and think-tank, Architects.rf leadership program & online courses for urban professionals in Russia, Strelka Summer & Strelka Weeks vibrant public programs in Moscow and other cities in Russia, Strelka Press publishing program and Strelka Mag online media platform. In addition, the Institute regularly programs professional events and forums and develops partnership programs. The Institute’s CEO is Varvara Melnikova.

Our work can be explained through the range of projects better than with a single definition. Over this past decade, the Institute has been growing organically and in this sense, Strelka is a place driven by curiosity. Rather than claim and disseminate a given expertise, we explore and investigate new territories in dialogue with a network of curated experts, other people, and spread this approach to learning.