Hidden Urbanism: Architecture and Design of the Moscow Metro 1935-2015

by Sergey Kuznetsov, Alexander Zmeul, Erken Kagarov

The Moscow metro comprises a route network with a total length of 320 km and is the most fascinating underground transport system in the world. Each year more than 2.4 billion passengers use almost 200 stations which are rich in architectural design. The aim is for a further 80 km that is a quarter of the current network to be connected by 2017. The metro of the Russian capital is thus on the threshold of an enlargement which will be the largest in its history. This elaborately designed illustrated book focuses on the architecture and its associated design from the signage, to the logo branding, to the many printed materials. Three text contributions consider the underground world of traffic engineering in terms of construction history, from the point of view of the Chief Architect of Moscow, architectural history and the design bureau which lent the metro its unmistakable character. This book continues the academic studies pursued by DOMpublishers with regard to Soviet and Russian history of art and technology, encompassing the widespread fascination with cosmonautics, prefabricated mass housing and underground mass transportation."

Genres: Russia

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2016

About the author

[RU: Сергей Кузнецов]

Sergey Yurievich Kuznetsov (Russian: Сергей Юрьевич Кузнецов; born 14 June 1966) is a contemporary Russian writer, journalist and entrepreneur.

Butterfly Skin was translated into English, German, French, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Dutch, and other languages. The publishers called it a Russian take on Silence of the Lambs, but critics pointed out that Kuznetsov "aims for more than smug nihilism. He delivers a gratifying conclusion to a sometimes overburdened and sickening journey through sadism and alienation."

His most recent novel, Kaleidoscope, received praise from both readers and critics. Lisa Hayden, a recognized literary translator, wrote: ‘What I enjoy is reading about upheaval and how it affects and even connects characters that pop in and out of the chapters like pieces in a kaleidoscope".

Member of PEN Club and Russian Union of Cinematographers.