Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM)

Founded in 1991 on the basis of two economics faculties from the State University of Moldova, the Academy of Economic Studies (ASEM) occupies a late-Soviet modernist block on one of Chișinău's main thoroughfares. The building is a rectilinear multi-storey slab clad in pale precast panels, with a regular grid of windows framed in teal-coloured surrounds across its upper floors. A lower podium volume, finished in brown cladding, contains the main entrance, which is set behind a wide flight of steps and marked by a full-width glazed band bearing the institution's name.