According to the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and Ensuring National Security for the Period until 2035, the development of the Arctic territories is recognized as one of the country’s priorities. Since 2019, topics devoted to the innovative typology of residential and public buildings and the creation of a comfortable environment for living, working, and tourism in the Arctic conditions have been included in the master’s program of the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design.

Tourist cluster of the Murmansk region

Over the course of four years, the program became widespread and aroused great interest among students. At the moment, more than 30 graduates of the department have defended their diplomas on the topic of Arctic architecture.

In the 2023/2024 academic year for the diploma design, complex topics were proposed for the development of tourist and recreational clusters in several Arctic regions: in the Murmansk region, on the Taimyr Peninsula, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Concept of the tourist center of Kovdor. Authors: Viktoria Ivanova, Ksenia Pletnyova (SPbGASU). Reconstruction of the Kovdor Local History Museum with the formation of a cultural and tourist center on its basis. The concept includes the addition of a new modern exhibition space to the existing building using the existing relief difference

“Currently, there is a trend in the world of a cluster approach to tourism development. Tourist centers of small towns in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are individually unable to ensure a long stay of tourists in the region. There is a need for an interconnected network of tourist centers united into a cluster, which would create a synergistic effect from the interaction of the participants included in its composition,” concludes Aleksandra Eremeeva, associate professor at the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design, whose scientific research is included in the master’s program. Master's students from the Department of Architectural Design are faced with the task of developing several tourist centers united in a cluster. Thus, solving local problems will jointly enhance the quality of the tourist environment in the Arctic zone of Russia.

Concept of the tourist center of Kovdor. Authors: Viktoria Ivanova, Ksenia Pletnyova (SPbGASU). Expansion of the building of the Kovdor Museum of Local Lore with the addition of the functions of a cultural and tourist center due to its connection with the neighboring building via an overbridge

From 16 to 27 October, specialists from the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design conducted an expedition to the Kola Peninsula under the motto “Kovdor - the capital of Hyperborea.” The project became possible thanks to the professional competition “Rediscovering Russia”, organized by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the ANO “Russia – the Land of Opportunities” and the ANO “More than a Journey”.

Concept of the tourist center of Kovdor. Authors: Artem Martynenko, Milena Sayakhutdinova (SPbGASU). This version of the project is also located on the site of the Kovdor Local History Museum. Its feature is an amphitheater, the image of which is inspired by the motifs of the Kovdor Mining and Processing Plant, and in front of it is a decorative installation with a map of Hyperborea. The image of the center is collective and reflects the iconic objects of the city and district - these are relics left over from the ancient Sami, petroglyphs, seids, industry

“Rediscovering Russia” is an all-Russian inter-university program of student project and research expeditions, as part of which students from leading Russian universities who have passed a competitive selection take part in the implementation of projects for the strategic development of regions. The expedition “Kovdor - the capital of Hyperborea” brought together students from several specialties: architects, urbanists, tourism specialists, economists, geographers - students of the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, the Higher School of Economics, the Murmansk Arctic State University, the St Petersburg State University and the Russian -Armenian University (Yerevan).

Concept of the tourist center of Kovdor. Author: Olga Naumova (SPbGASU). The cultural and tourist center is a reconstructed building of a burnt city bathhouse on the 13, Gornyakov street, connected by a gallery to the warehouse building. The center includes an exhibition space, a multifunctional hall, and rooms for master classes. The facade solution preserves and emphasizes the three central arched openings remaining from the bathhouse building

As part of the expedition “Kovdor - the capital of Hyperborea,” a team led by Aleksandra Eremeeva made scientifically based proposals for the development of a tourist subcluster in the city of Kovdor, taking into account its possible connections with neighboring subclusters of the Murmansk region (the cities of Kirovsk, Monchegorsk, Kandalaksha, Lovozersky district). The participants performed an interdisciplinary analysis of the current situation and prospects for the development of tourism infrastructure in the region, surveyed potential territories for the creation of tourist facilities, discussed current problems of tourism development with representatives of the administration and private business, urban development agencies.

Concept of the tourist center of Kovdor. Authors: Vitaly Klets, Ekaterina Lachina (SPbGASU). The building of the cultural and tourist center at the intersection of Kosica st. and Komsomolskaya st. inspired by the shape of the stone (runic granite), which is mined in the Kovdor region, as well as the legends of Hyperborea. The panels built into the facade are illuminated in the evening, creating the image of the northern lights. The space of the center can be transformed to host exhibitions and educational events

At the end of the expedition, Olga Kokorina and Igor Ivanov, associate professors at the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design, held a design seminar in Kovdor. During the seminar, master's students presented five versions of the concept for a new cultural and tourist center of this city. All of them include scenarios for tourists visiting the site and at the same time using it as a leisure space for local residents. Three of them provide for the reconstruction of the existing building of the local history museum. The expedition revealed that Kovdor has great potential, since tourism niches are not occupied here. The advantage is the proximity to the city of the Kovdor mining and processing plant, which allows the development of industrial tourism.

The results of the work were assessed by the Chairman of the Committee for Tourism of the Murmansk Region, Aleksandr Eliseev. The collected materials will form the basis for further scientific and practical activities of the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design, and master's students will use them to complete their diploma projects.