From 7 to 8 November, 2024, the Ural State University of Architecture and Arts hosted the VII International Scientific and Practical Conference "New Information Technologies in Architecture and Construction" (NITAC-2024). Every year, this conference brings together specialists in the field of architecture and construction and allows them to share the results of their research in the field of using information technologies in solving problems in the architectural and construction profile.

The event featured two reports prepared by the SPbGASU Educational Center for Digital Competency (ECDC). The report by Director Inna Sukhanova and specialist Yury Zgoda was devoted to issues of organizing user interaction when visualizing information models of buildings and structures using virtual reality (VR) technology. This work included a comparative analysis of different methods for implementing key components of interactive VR visualization, such as moving in a virtual environment, building a user interface using virtual monitors and interactive objects, and an assessment of the impact of each element of VR visualization on the productivity of specialists. The features of using virtual reality in the context of training specialists in the architectural and construction profile were considered.

Another presentation by Yury Zgoda was devoted to the issues of practical application of high-performance neural network models for modeling the stress-strain state of thin-walled shell structures. The presentation considered current research areas in the field of neural network application, proposed a classification of neural network models for shell calculations, and described an original method for displaying modeling results using multidimensional data visualization techniques.

The NITAC conference annually enables specialists from different cities and countries to exchange experience in applying a wide variety of scientific and practical results in the architectural and construction profile. Participants in the conference  from our university could not only present original research results to the scientific community, but also take an active part in the scientific discussion. In addition, the conference allowed us to gain a deep understanding of the current trends in digitalization in architecture and construction, which is extremely important for conducting new research.