Design-Zavod

Design-Zavod, originally known as Design-Zavod Flacon, is a trade, exhibition and office complex in the Butyrsky District of Moscow, created on the site of the former Kalinin Crystal Factory. It opened in 2009 and comprises roughly 25,000 square metres of exhibition, retail and office space. The project was founded by Russian entrepreneur Nikolay Matushevsky, who had built a business buying up stalled industrial enterprises in Moscow and converting them into office centres. He purchased the halted Kalinin Crystal Factory from French owners in 2005. After the 2008 financial crisis forced him to abandon a planned full redevelopment into a business centre, he simplified the concept and repositioned the site as a creative cluster targeting advertising agencies and design studios. Around USD 10 million was invested in replacing engineering networks, removing obsolete production equipment and cleaning up the territory. Tenants were given the freedom to fit out raw spaces according to their own designs. The complex became a well-known Moscow creative and cultural venue. By the mid-2010s its tenants included the TV channel Dozhd, Seasons Project, Electra Bicycle Company, Respublika, Chiptrip, Kangol, G-Shock and GoPro. It hosts three dedicated event venues — The Cube, Kafedra and a smaller space — as well as two coworking spaces, Flacon Coworking and Start Hub, the latter positioning itself as a business accelerator or incubator. Since 2010 the site has housed craft workshops including blacksmithing, sewing, letterpress and woodworking (DIY Academy), plus a product design and prototyping studio. In 2015 the cluster launched its own radio station, Radio Flacon. It regularly hosts city festivals, including the Seasons of Life spring festival Design-Subbotnik, a themed France Day from 2015, a city design festival in 2015 and a conference on urban culture in 2016. In 2011 Forbes Russia included it among 14 projects that had changed Moscow for the better over the preceding 20 years. In April 2019 Flacon was merged with the neighbouring Khlebozavod No. 9 complex, created in 2015, but the two were separated again in December. In 2021 Matushevsky sold Design-Zavod Flacon while retaining the Flacon brand, after which the complex became known simply as Design-Zavod. The official website flacon.ru presents Flacon as a living ecosystem where ideas, people, capital, expertise and infrastructure come together to create new large-scale projects.

Design-Zavod, originally Design-Zavod Flacon, was founded by Russian entrepreneur Nikolay Matushevsky, who specialised in buying up industrial enterprises in Moscow and repurposing them as office centres. Among his acquisitions were the Elektroluch factory on Bolshaya Pirogovskaya Street, the Manometr factory on Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya Street and the Research Institute of Chemical Engineering on Bolshaya Novodmitrovskaya Street. In 2005 Matushevsky bought the halted Kalinin Crystal Factory from French owners. He was the owner and general director of the management company Realogic. Initially a full redevelopment of the factory territory into a business centre was planned, and the agency Knight Frank was engaged to assess the project. However, with the onset of the 2008 crisis, Matushevsky abandoned the project, which would have required USD 56 million, and simplified the concept. In 2009, USD 10 million was invested in replacing engineering networks and building infrastructure, removing outdated production equipment and cleaning up the territory. Advertising agencies and design studios were chosen as target tenants, and future tenants were given the opportunity to organise unimproved premises according to their own design projects. The complex opened in 2009 with 25,000 square metres of exhibition, retail and office space. According to the magazine Sekret Firmy, by 2013 Flacon's income from long-term lease was about 200 million rubles per year, and from short-term rental of event spaces about 20 million rubles. The return on the USD 10 million invested was planned for the eighth or ninth year after opening (2017–2018). In April 2019 Flacon was merged with the neighbouring Khlebozavod No. 9 complex, created in 2015, but in December they were separated again. In 2021 Matushevsky sold Design-Zavod Flacon while retaining the Flacon brand, after which the complex became known simply as Design-Zavod. The complex has been described as offering 'Class F' offices, by analogy with the conventional A, B, C and D classification. By the mid-2010s tenants included the socio-political TV channel Dozhd, Seasons Project (comprising the magazine of the same name, a design studio, creative courses and a children's club), and separate buildings housed exhibition halls and designer clothing stores. Space was also rented by Electra Bicycle Company, Respublika, Chiptrip, Kangol, G-Shock and GoPro. The territory contains three specialised event venues: The Cube (occupying the space of one of the workshops and including an exhibition and conference hall), the two-level Kafedra space with a stage in a separate building (oriented towards educational and cultural events), and a third venue used for smaller events. Two coworking spaces operate on site: Flacon Coworking and Start Hub, the latter additionally offering an educational programme, meetings with entrepreneurs and venture investors, and positioning itself as a 'business accelerator' or 'business incubator'. Since 2010 the complex has hosted craft workshops, an idea proposed by participants of the first Moscow 'City of the Future' game: blacksmithing, sewing, letterpress and woodworking (DIY Academy), a product design and prototyping studio. In 2015 the design factory's radio station, Radio Flacon, began operating. The complex annually hosts City Day celebrations and the spring festival of Seasons of Life magazine, Design-Subbotnik; since 2015 a themed France Day has been held on the territory; in 2015 a city design festival was held, and a year later a conference on urban culture and initiatives. In 2011, in the Russian version of Forbes, the enterprise was included in a list of 14 projects that had changed the face of Moscow for the better over the preceding 20 years.

• 2021

  Matushevsky sells Design-Zavod Flacon but retains the Flacon brand; complex renamed Design-Zavod.

• 2019

  Flacon merged with Khlebozavod No. 9 in April, then separated again in December.

• 2015

  Radio Flacon begins broadcasting; Khlebozavod No. 9 complex created nearby; first themed France Day held.

• 2011

  Forbes Russia includes Flacon among 14 projects that changed Moscow for the better.

• 2010

  Craft workshops (blacksmithing, sewing, letterpress, woodworking) begin operating.

• 2009

  Design-Zavod Flacon opens after USD 10 million investment in infrastructure and cleanup.

• 2005

  Nikolay Matushevsky buys the halted Kalinin Crystal Factory from French owners.

Creative cluster and office/retail complex in Moscow, offering 'Class F' offices and cultural event spaces.

• The Cube

  Event venue occupying one of the workshops, including an exhibition and conference hall.

• Kafedra

  Two-level event space with a stage in a separate building, oriented towards educational and cultural events.

• Flacon Coworking

  Coworking space on the territory.

• Start Hub

  Coworking space and business accelerator/incubator offering educational programmes and meetings with entrepreneurs and venture investors.

• Radio Flacon

  Radio station of the design factory, launched in 2015.

1. 1Экосистема ФЛАКОН | Строим и развиваем проектыflacon.ru
2. 2Design-Zavod - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Дизайн-завод — Википедияru.wikipedia.org