Restoration project

In the light of this rapid disintegration, the Narkomfin Foundation aims to commence conservation and preservation work as soon as possible. The Foundation is aiming for maximum conservation of the original building (including its original appearance, internal structure, original materials, building technologies, immediate environment and functions). An important aim of the project is the complex's subtle adaptation to contemporary use.

The investigations and surveys that were conducted on Narkomfin in the 1990s for a truncated restoration project were fragmentary. In order to create a fully-fledged working project it is necessary to study the extent to which original elements have survived in the building. Some of these elements will be in a good enough condition to be restored. There will be other elements usuitable for restoration, which will be copied. The working project will aim to use as many of the same materials originally used in Narkomfin as possible.

This work will be conducted according to accepted international norms of scientific restoration. To meet these, the following work and principles will be undertaken:

1. Historical research of the site
2. A detailed survey of the construction and material substance of the building
3. The production and expert discussion of the restoration project

The restoration concept for Narkomfin involves:

1. The removal of architectural additions to the building that have built up during its existence
2. Consultation with foreign experts with experience of restoring modernist buildings as well as Russian experts
3. The study of high quality restorations of modernist buildings, for example the Bauhaus buildings in Dessau and the Einstein Tower in Potsdam which were in an advanced state of deterioration before restoration.