hokusai's 'great wave' emerges as a giant mural on building facade

iconic japenese artwork ‘the great wave off kanagawa’ by katsushika hokusai’s has made its way onto the facades of five high-rise apartment buildings in moscow. the buildings make up part of a new development in the city inspired by the silhouettes of several other destinations including new york, chicago, barcelona, and monaco.

images courtesy of etalon group

the architects behind the development are trying to use new solutions in the design of facades of objects. they took the decision to include katsushika hokusai’s ‘the great wave off kanagawa’ on the 6 square-shaped towers that are situated along the highway and most visible. the total area of the facade is almost 60,000 square meters with the picture repeating the famous engraving by katsushiki hokusai divided into elements by the size of each volume. 

etalon city is located in the south butovo region in south-west moscow, a well-developed residential area that benefits from natural surroundings. the complex includes nine comfort-class residential buildings, commercial premises, and other social infrastructure.

one special aspect of this complex is its architectural concept. each house is planned to have a facade that symbolises a different city. the first planned facades will reproduce the silhouettes of new york, chicago, barcelona, and monaco. in addition to the facade design, the themes will be developed through the decoration of public areas and landscape design.

project info

project name: etalon city

architects: etalon group

location: moscow

source: spoon & tamago