Signing the agreement. Left: Chief Specialist for Public Relations and Media of the Office of the State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects Anna Marchenkova; Head of the Department for Public Relations and Work with the Media of KGIOP Ksenia Cherepanova; chief specialist of KGIOP Anton Savchenok; Head of the Department for Preservation of the Historical Environment Ekaterina Kozyreva. In the center: Sergey Makarov; Svetlana Golovina. Right: SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Research Evgeny Korolev; Head of the SPbGASU Department of Technology of Construction Materials and Metrology Yury Pukharenko; Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Technology of Construction Materials and Metrology Aleksey Kharitonov; Head of the SPbGASU Division for Information Policy and Marketing Kseniya Egorova

Sergey Makarov and Svetlana Golovina

On 5 December, SPbGASU was visited by a delegation of the Committee for the State Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments of St Petersburg (KGIOP). Sergey Makarov, Chairman of KGIOP, and Svetlana Golovina, SPbGASU First Vice-Rector, signed an agreement to provide the university with samples of plaster mortars and other finishing materials for the house of architect Aleksandr Bryullov fr om the collection stored at KGIOP.

The results of the study will be used for the restoration of the historical building. Sergey Makarov emphasized that the Committee needs the SPbGASU scientific pool. Svetlana Golovina reported that the first stage of research is planned to be completed in February next year.

The KGIOP delegation visited the laboratory of the Department of Technology of Construction Materials and Metrology, wh ere samples will be examined. Yury Pukharenko, head of the Department, expressed confidence that the extensive instrumental base will allow to find answers to all questions.

Sergey Cherevko, senior lecturer at the SPbGASU Department of Technology of Construction Materials and Metrology, conducts a preliminary study of a sample using an optical microscope

“Studying the composition of samples of historical materials is not a new task for us. We are constantly faced with the study of the structure, mineral, and chemical composition of various building materials. At the same time, the presence of only one equipment helps little in the qualitative and quantitative description of the material composition. It requires deep knowledge of materials science, a competent approach to analyzing results, and a combination of different approaches to studying samples. Who, if not our department, should deal with such issues,” commented Aleksey Kharitonov, professor at the Department of Technology of Construction Materials and Metrology.

According to Aleksey Kharitonov, the point of any restoration is to preserve the building not only visually, but also materially. The samples provided are valuable for their historicism. The document attached to them was drawn up on 9 April, 1947, which increases the chances of not confusing the original layers with the “remake.” According to the document, six samples of facade finishing were selected from different sides of the building.

Scientists will examine them for their mineralogical, elemental, chemical, and spectral composition. The type of binder, mineral additives, and fillers will be determined. The characteristic features will be identified. All this will help choose the appropriate restoration material, as close as possible in composition and properties to the original; choose colors that fully correspond to the original plan; give recommendations to ensure maximum safety of the building.

The house of the architect A.P. Bryullov is a historical mansion on Vasilyevsky Island in St Petersburg, located at the address: 21, Kadetskaya Line. Built in 1784, rebuilt in 1845 according to the owner’s own design, architect Aleksandr Bryullov. From 1907 to 1918, the house belonged to the architect Pavel Syuzor, who created the Museum of Old Petersburg here, the collections of which became the basis of the Museum of the History of the city. In August 2023, KGIOP approved the restoration, repair and adaptation project for modern use, and in October issued a permit to carry out the work.