NUACA Faculty of Design
On 21-26 October the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia (NUACA) in Yerevan hosted the international week "Borderless Design". The event was held jointly with the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and the Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design and was intended to unite specialists and students in the field of design.
In his greeting speech at the opening of the week, Dean of the NUACA Faculty of Design Artashes Melikyan noted that he was glad to welcome everyone to the university and expressed hope for successful cooperation.
NUACA Vice-Rector for International Relations Vardges Yedoyan also gave a welcoming speech. He noted that an interesting working week full of lectures, discussions, and excursions was ahead, and wished all participants good luck.
The delegation of SPbGASU included representatives of the Faculty of Architecture: Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Design Elena Voytsekhovskaya, Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Design Zoya Aksenova, Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Environment Design Pavel Loshakov, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Drawing Konstantin Tarasov, Associate Professor at the Department of Landscape Architecture Ksenia Yakovleva and students Anna Kotova, Laura Nanieva, Ekaterina Kondratovich, Bogdan Lobanov and Daniil Sinyakov.
The week included lectures and workshops on current design trends, technological innovations, the effects of artificial intelligence, creating experiences, and more. 20 leading industry experts presented their experience and shared their knowledge, and students had the opportunity to improve their skills in practice. In addition, the program included study visits to historical and cultural sites and museums in Armenia.
SPbGASU representatives spoke about current trends and achievements in the academic and extracurricular work of the Faculty of Architecture. The reports aroused great interest, became a reason for questions from colleagues and led to serious discussions.
The participants proved the high level of SPbGASU and, in a broad sense, the prestige of St Petersburg as a world cultural center.
Our participants got acquainted with the organization of the educational process at the NUACA Faculty of Design, the content, methodology and material base of training, saw samples of coursework and graduation papers in various fields of study, visited classrooms, fine art studios, model and geodetic workshops, discussed key topics today, in particular, the use of artificial intelligence methods in design and training. The parties considered the prospects for further cooperation: summer schools, conferences, internships, scientific work and the possibility of joint publications.
Students of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture performed well as speakers: NUACA teachers noted their high motivation, cultural level and professional outlook.
Ksenia Yakovleva shared her impressions of the trip: "The exchange of professional experience in educational, work and cultural aspects was useful for students and teaching staff. Many topics related to trends in education were discussed at the round tables. In addition, the topics of preserving cultural heritage, opportunities and the degree of involvement of architects in the improvement of the urban environment were touched upon.
Our students actively participated in master classes and gave presentations, where they confidently demonstrated not only their projects, but also motivational and professional qualities, once again confirming the high level of training at SPbGASU.
Formal and informal meetings, acquaintance with culture and history, excellent organization made this trip rich and unforgettable. The contacts established during the working trip to Yerevan will be used for further exchange of experience and expansion of international relations."
Third-year student of the Department of Landscape Architecture Bogdan Lobanov noted: "Thanks to this trip, I realized how important it is to communicate and be part of a large student architectural community. I would like to maintain and deepen such ties."
