The Palace of Projects is a building devoted to the housing of sixty-five "projects" conceived by the artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. The building is constructed from a light wooden framework with semi-transparent stretched plastic fabric functioning as walls and ceilings. The Palace is lit from the inside, giving the impression of a "Chinese Lantern" from the outside. The structure is formed in the natural shape of a snail's shell, with the entry room to the palace much larger than the exit, which results in a focus achieved by the end of the your journey through it.
The projects contained within were created from 1995-1998, although several of them had been exhibited separately as completed projects beforehand. The projects within the palace are of an unfinished nature. The Kabakovs' intention for the viewer is to sit down within the Palace and examine descriptions and mock-ups of the proposed projects, in order to slow the experience of the projects and provoke thought and reflection, contrary to the typically quick pace of museum viewing.
The Palace was commissioned by Artangel and Reina Sofia of Madrid and was first exhibited in London's historic Round House, which was converted from a train turning house into a theatre and music venue in the 1960s. It has also been shown in the Crystal Palace in Madrid, Manchester, and at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York. It now resides in the former salt store of the Zollverein cooking plant in Essen, Germany, a building renowned as an example of industrial architecture.