The historical building housing the power station, GES-2 on Bolotnaya Embankment, was designed by architect Vasily Bashkirov. Completed in 1907, it is one of the oldest power stations in Moscow. In 2009, the facility was awarded the status of an architectural heritage site.
V-A-C Foundation for Contemporary Art, founded by Leonid Mikhelson, acquired the building in 2014. The Foundation hired Renzo Piano Building Workshop to transform the power plant, which supplied energy to Moscow city infrastructure for almost 100 years, into a new cultural space that will house exhibition grounds, artists’ workshops, and an artist residency block.