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Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave’ Takes Over Facades of Residential Towers in Moscow

By Jessica Stewart on December 17, 2018

Since it was first created, Hokusai's The Great Wave has been admired by artists and designers everywhere. Inspiring everything from origami paper to art history accessories, it's one of the world's most iconic Japanese woodblock prints. Now, The Great Wave is getting even bigger thanks to a project in Russia.

Moscow's new Etalon City development is bringing a little unique flair to its architecture. Six of the nine buildings will have Hokusai's iconic image splashed across their facades. With front facades totaling nearly 72,000 square yards (60,000 square meters), the six towers providing the canvas for The Great Wave are the development's most visible, as they face the highway. Recently released renderings, which have also been tweeted by Moscow's mayor Sergey Sobyanin, show how the imagery will be impressively laid out across the space.

Etalon City is located in the South Butovo region of southwest Moscow and includes residential buildings with space for commercial and social infrastructure. The remaining building facades will be decorated with imagery representing famous international cities like Barcelona, New York, Monaco, and Chicago.

The entire development, which spills over 35 acres (14.2 hectares), is nestled into the natural surroundings and is easily accessible thanks to a nearby metro station and several bus stops. The project is under construction, but the mayor has already heralded the towers as “a landmark in the area.”

A new development in Moscow will feature six towers emblazoned with Hokusai's The Great Wave.

Рисунок повторяет знаменитую гравюру Кацусики Хокусая. Ее наложили на виртуальный проект фасада и разбили на элементы по размеру кассет. Их около 6 тысяч на каждой башне. Здания уже стали достопримечательностью района. pic.twitter.com/fkbJgUzFHI

— Сергей Собянин (@MosSobyanin) December 10, 2018