The group of SPbGASU teachers and students by the stele "66 parallel" (Arctic Circle) in Salekhard

A seminar "The Future of Arctic Architecture" was held in Salekhard, the administrative center of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. At the seminar projects were presented by students from leading architectural universities, including fifth-year SPbGASU bachelor students Olga Kucher, Anushik Marabyan, Lidia Antonova and Ksenia Pletneva.

The group of teachers and students of the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design on the bank of the Ob river. From left to right: associate professors Olga Kokorina, Maria Yakunenkova, Aleksandra Eremeeva, students Ksenia Pletneva, Lidia Antonova, Olga Kucher, Anushik Marabyan

The SPbGASU delegation also included supervisors of graduation projects, teachers of the Department of Architectural Design: Associate Professor Aleksandra Eremeeva, Associate Professor Maria Yakunenkova, Deputy Dean for discipline of the Faculty of Architecture Associate Professor Igor Ivanov and Associate Professor Olga Kokorina.

The seminar was held within the framework of the scientific and educational consortium "The Future of the Arctic Architecture and Climate Dynamics". SPbGASU joined it in the fall of 2022. The consortium unites universities, scientific organizations, enterprises that implement training programs for the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in their activities.

The participants of the seminar considered the influence of natural and climatic conditions on the architecture and landscaping of the Yamal cities, studied the sites for possible diploma design projects, visited the Day of the Reindeer Breeder - the national holiday of the indigenous peoples of the Far North and the natural and ethnographic complex in the village of Gornoknyazevsk.

“The trip greatly influenced my perception of the Arctic. Now I want to apply the new knowledge in my thesis project. Most of all I remember the day of arrival - we got into a snowstorm and felt the very atmosphere that we read about in books. It was unforgettable! Then we found out that for local residents it was just a breeze,” Olga Kucher shared her impressions.

In her thesis, Olga is designing a residential crypto-climatic complex - a multifunctional complex considering the climatic features of the Arctic region. Residents of such a complex can saturate their lives with leisure without leaving the building. In addition, Olga Kucher, together with Anushik Marabyan, is designing a 150-hectare leaving quarter.

“The trip left a very vivid impression. It will definitely affect the graduation project, especially the constructive part, since Salekhard has its own well-established standards for the design of buildings that differ from ours, and this should be taken into account,” said Anushik Marabyan.

In 2022, Olga and Anushik participated in the Summer School on northern architecture "Ecocamp: Architecture of Ecotourism in Cold Climate Area", and became laureates of the All-Russian open architectural creative competition "ArchCONCEPT". Currently, Olga is organizing the 1st Arctic Youth Forum "Arctic: New Generation", which will be held on 21 April in the historical park "Russia - My History". The forum is organized by the Committee for Arctic Affairs of the St Petersburg Government with the participation of students from St Petersburg universities.

Aleksandra Eremeeva spoke about the possibilities of forming tourist clusters in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Today, Arctic tourism is becoming more and more popular. For its development, high-quality infrastructure is needed - tourist clusters, wh ere tourists could receive all the necessary services for a comfortable stay in the Arctic. The development of tourism clusters will also help make life in the Arctic better for local residents.

Igor Ivanov and Maria Yakunenkova reported on the results of the master's program "Development of cities in the Far North and the Arctic", which has been open at the Department of Architectural Design since 2019. Further plans include continued cooperation with Salekhard, as well as the development of projects for Norilsk and Yakutsk.

The trip gave students the opportunity to see with their own eyes the place for which they are developing diploma projects, to study its features. According to Aleksandra Eremeeva, it is important that within the framework of the seminar a dialogue took place between representatives of the academic community and employees of the Department for Construction, Architecture and Land Relations of Salekhard. The knowledge gained by students during the trip will help them complete projects at a better level.