In this article we talk with project architect Ashot Karapetyan about how the exhibition of the «Buran» Exhibition Center in the Museum Complex in Verkhnyaya Pyshma is organized — a space built around the only surviving in Russia flight-ready orbiter of the «Energia–Buran» program.

Different gravity

In the first discussions, the idea of a «temple of space» really did come up. But it quickly became clear that if we went for direct quotes and literal analogies—it would turn out to be mere scenery. And we didn’t need that.

At the same time, the logic of temple space itself proved useful. Not «religion» and not «stylistics», but how such places work on the level of sensations: they gather attention, provide a clear center, structure movement, and make a person hold themselves slightly differently in the space. You seem to step out of everyday mode—because the space itself is designed that way.

Space has a similar story, only instead of symbolism, the physics of perception is more important. That’s why we translated the space into concrete rules: less contact with the floor, more air under the objects, shadow as a sign of detachment, suspensions, supports that are almost imperceptible. So that a person feels like there’s a different gravity here—slightly unusual for earthly architecture.

We applied several techniques. In some stands, we used the principle of minimal floor contact—for example, the first welcoming stand or the Mission Control stand on the first staircase. There was the principle of suspended structures: the lightboxes at the entrance literally hang in space, followed by semi-transparent curved graphic planes—we suspended those too. And those stands that closely adjoin the ground everywhere got a shadow plinth. It creates the sensation that they are slightly lifted and floating above floor level.

The weightlessness technique had no impact on safety decisions. These are two parallel systems that worked independently. In any point of the hall, when you look at the main giant object, it gives a sense of weightlessness. This is especially felt when descending the stairs.

This is what gave rise to weightlessness—as a working principle that keeps the entire exhibition in a single language.

Weightlessness as a method

V-shaped structures

The V-shaped form appeared because it perfectly solves the problem of weightlessness. Minimal contact point with the floor — and at the same time the structure looks as if it is «not supposed» to be standing in Earth’s gravity.

The idea first came up on a team call, and we latched onto it: a rare hit where the solution is simultaneously spectacular, honest in engineering terms, and fits the concept exactly.

This is an example where concept, building engineering, function, and aesthetics came together in one precise solution.

Stairs

Technically the most complex story is the stairs. At first the two staircases had completely different lines — each with its own geometry. The engineers — Artyom and Nikolai — said frankly: this way we would drown in unique joints. We optimized the form down to 1–2 modules that could be repeated, and that greatly simplified the task.

After that they came up with a modular, demountable system: some elements are assembled at the factory, everything is connected on site, and, if necessary, fragments can be dismantled to let large equipment pass through.

The visibility of «Buran» from the façade side of the building had to be preserved. Equipment must be able to drive through the gates and under the stairs. People must be able to exit the building under the stairs through the turnstiles. At the same time it is forbidden to touch the «Buran» itself or the pavilion structure. Plus, we needed to provide a comfortable path for a person along the stairs with the unfolding of important viewpoints on the spacecraft.

These were the constraints that we had to take into account when designing the form of the staircase.

Three-quarter views from the front and from the rear at the height of the stairs are, in my opinion, the most valuable. It is precisely for these viewpoints that these staircases were built. But the form of «Buran» is striking from any side. And everyone will find their own favorite angle in the pavilion.

Functionally everything is simple: these structures are not «for the atmosphere», they are exactly about providing the right viewpoints and maintaining the route around «Buran».

And yes — we had to give up one thing: initially we wanted to make the front staircase the same clean arc as the rear one, without a balcony. But then we made it more complex — so that additional stops and powerful views would appear.

First the staircase was a copy of the rear one, and what we ended up with was born in agony — it was the fourth iteration. Two or three intermediate variants met the project constraints, but did not satisfy us in terms of form. They were either overloaded with excess metal or less aesthetic.

Orbital logic of movement

Center of attraction

I explain it simply: «Buran» is the main object and the center of attraction. Not in the sense of gravity in physics, but in the sense of the gravity of attention. The entire exhibition works as a system around a center: people, stands, light, structures — everything «orbits» the spacecraft.

We set movement clockwise, but it is not a strict trajectory. The route is free. To see the entire exhibition, you need to make at least two laps around «Buran». The space is three-dimensional: you move in a circle not only along the floor, but also across height levels — stairs and platforms.

Unfoldings

The culmination of the space is like on a roller coaster: you rise, and then an unfolding happens. After climbing, new views appear, and the spacecraft suddenly opens up from unexpected angles.

We deliberately made the scale variable: sometimes you come as close as possible, almost to touching distance; sometimes you move away and catch the overall silhouette. The connection with the object is not lost — on the way you constantly encounter details, fragments, stands that highlight the right pieces of the overall puzzle.

«Buran» as a given

The main feature is that this is not a «large exhibit» that you can move and adjust. It is a huge real object that immediately sets the whole stage.

It was placed in the center of the hangar, we fixed its position, measured the situation, and then designed around this given. Moving it, even virtually, made no sense. We wanted the architecture not to overpower the object, but to help reveal it more effectively.

By the way, this is why all structures are painted in shades of gray — so that they reflect incoming light slightly less than the main exhibit and simply blend into the overall space. There was no conflict of «we wanted one thing, and “Buran” would not allow it». On the contrary: its scale and form immediately set the right frame.

Dialogue with the pavilion

The main constraint of the site is the triangular arched trusses of the pavilion. They immediately set the character: hence the V-shaped supports and the more streamlined oval forms of the stands — so as not to argue with the trusses, but to rhyme with them.

We consciously did not hide the building’s technical elements. One of the project principles is engineering aesthetics as a normal, complete kind of beauty. In a space-themed project this is especially appropriate: there everything is about structure and functionality.

What was born out of constraints and became a plus? Precisely the modularity and prefabrication of the stairs, the optimization of forms — we did not «cut back», but brought in discipline and made the system cleaner.

Light, graphics, navigation

From the architectural side, light works for us not only for illumination, but also to «lift the objects off the floor» and to maintain the drama of the route. Shadows, lighting of horizontal planes, accents on the unfoldings after ascents — all of this is also about weightlessness.

For graphics and floor navigation the principle was simple: to help a person move. It is like an additional infographic layer where we highlight the optimal route. But at the same time we tried not to allow visual «noise» so as not to break the feeling of a clean space environment.

Scenario of experience

The key thing I want a person to take away is the feeling that for a moment they found themselves in a space with a different gravity. As if they stepped out of familiar terrestrial architecture.

But it is not only about emotion. A person should leave with an understanding of what this program is, what these artifacts are, why they are important, what engineering lies behind them, and what scale of ambition is involved. The «Energia–Buran» program united the work of about 2.5 million specialists at more than a thousand enterprises.

The moment of «forgetting that you are at an exhibition» — I hope it happens in the unfoldings: when you go up, see the spacecraft from a new angle, and for a second catch the sensation that this is not an object in a hangar, but a real giant space thing in front of you.

We made the route and the information universal: a child will walk it in a way that interests them, and a specialist will also find their own layer of immersion.

Reflection

As for the Soviet space program, my admiration has only grown stronger. There was a very big bet on an interplanetary future and a very serious scale of thought.

If I could add one gesture that is missing, I would make the ceiling completely black. For the effect of a space without an upper boundary. The simplest formulation: so that above your head there would not be a «hall», but a «cosmic void».