A solid foundation for a successful life

Evgeny Zhuzhakov is the head of the building design department at the St Petersburg Engineering Center of the NIPIGAZ company. In 2005, he graduated from the SPbGASU Faculty of Civil Engineering. We asked him to talk about his studies and future career.

– I've undertaken the program "Industrial and civil engineering". I studied building materials, theoretical and building mechanics, architecture, technology and organization of building production. I liked the subjects connected with the organization of construction, with the technology of engineering buildings and structures. Therefore, as the graduating department I chose the department of construction technology, where I studied with professors Vladimir Vladimirovich Verstov and Antonina Fedorovna Yudina, – he says.

– Evgeny Vladimirovich, please share your most vivid memory of your studies.

– There were many moments that I enjoy remembering. Engineering chemistry was taught by Professor Vsevolod Vladimirovich Inchik, head of the St Petersburg brick history museum. To get credit, students often searched the city for old bricks. Me too, but it turned out that the brick I found was already in the collection, so in the end I had to take the test... Professor Vladimir Vladimirovich Babanov read structural mechanics – at the time of my studies the number of hours allotted for lectures was reduced, and he conducted classes very intensively to compensate. Students did not always manage to write down the material, they asked the lecturer to speak more slowly or to repeat. But he was relentless and moved forward at his own pace. We must note that the material that he gave us was very informative, which helped to better understand the subject. 

– How did your future career turn out? 

– After graduating from the university, I worked in several small construction organizations, gaining experience, expanding my knowledge. At the same time, I dreamed of working in a large company and sought to reach the level of chief engineer. In 2006, I was invited to work at the Promstroyproekt Institute. At that time, I did not consider design as the main direction of my professional activity, however, having gained experience as a designer, I changed my mind. Then I worked at the LENNIIHIMMASH company, where I was involved in the projects development (design, preparation of materials for purchase, field supervision during construction) of gas processing enterprises, including the Vyngapurovsky gas processing plant (a branch of SiburTyumenGaz JSC), participated in the reconstruction of Permneftegazpererabotka LLC (part of LUKOIL), etc. Then I designed the facilities for the pulp and paper industry.

In 2020, I moved to work at NIPIGAZ, where I am preparing projects for gas and petrochemical facilities, and managing the construction design department. The department is complex, it includes the directions "Architecture", "Building structures", "Organization of construction". Architects, designers, specialists who develop projects for the organization of construction (POC) and dismantling (POD) work here. My responsibilities include organizing and monitoring the implementation of the production plan of the department, distribution of work with detailed planning, coordination of the distribution of specialists, development of disciplines, communications with customers, government agencies, representatives of field supervision, related departments on the production activities of the department, work with third-party contractors organizations.

– What is the main task of your work?

–To form and develop a team of professionals who are ready to quickly and efficiently solve problems of high complexity, including those with changing initial terms.

– What is the most valuable thing that the university has given you?

– Knowledge, the ability to use a large amount of regulatory and technical literature, the ability to organize my work. If I could go back to the past, I would again enter SPbGASU.

– What would you advise students? 

– Use your student years for all-round development - professional, cultural, spiritual. Try to lay a solid foundation for a future successful life!

Text: Tatiana Petrova
Photo: presented by Evgeny Zhuzhakov