New Russia plans clash with its old problems

Projects such as an elite management school, a Moscow technology park, a nanotechnology fund and plans to turn Moscow into a global financial centre are all designed to move Russia away from dependence on energy and metals productions. How successful will they be? Elliot Wilson reports.

KIRA KIRYUKHINA IS enthusiastic about the project. “The design was the product of a British architect, David Adjaye,” she says. “We wanted a building visible from outer space, and he doodled a variation of a painting by Kazimir Malevich on the back of a napkin. In the middle is the focal point of the entire structure, designed to resemble a Roman amphitheatre. On the second floor is the creative lab, sponsored by Intel. Beyond that is the bar and grill and at the weekend the intellectual hub will be turned into an auction house and art gallery.

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