The project occupies an area of 60 hectares,[2] and is located just east of the Third Ring Road at the western edge of the Presnensky District in the Central Administrative Okrug.

Construction of the MIBC takes place on the Presnenskaya Embankment of the Moskva (river), approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) west of Red Square.

The Government of Moscow first conceived the project in 1992, as a mixed development of office, residential, retail and entertainment facilities.

[4] Before construction began, the area was a stone quarry and industrial zone, where most of the buildings were old factories that had been closed or abandoned.

This group, headed by Gennady Lvovich Sirota, who is officially the Chief Architect of Moskva-Citi, is in charge of overseeing the design of the complex as a whole and agreeing the details of individual projects.