SPbGASU holds defenses of final qualifying works

At the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, a very exciting time for students is in full swing – the defense of final qualifying works.

Graduates of our university traditionally choose the most relevant issues for the industry as topics for their FQWs. Let's talk about some of the most interesting projects. 

Road Operations and Safety Diagnostics

This year, 226 students are graduating from the Faculty of automobile and road building, 60 of them claim for a diploma with honors.

“Compared to 2021, graduation increased by 8%: last year we had 210 graduates,” says Andrey Zazykin, dean of the faculty.

During the year, the current graduates of the faculty of automobile and road building took part in significant industry events, including the III International Transport Festival "SPbTransportFest", and became laureates of professional competitions, including the international competition for young automotive industry specialists "AutoEvolution".

Elena Sorokina, a master student in the field of study "Land transport and technological complexes", devoted her work to the modernization of the mobile diagnostic complex of the road laboratory as part of the fleet of land transport and technological machines (supervisor – associate professor at the department of LTTM Aleksandr Belyaev).

“Transport infrastructure cannot do without roads,” says Elena, “and the efficiency of functioning of both various areas of production and the country's economy as a whole depends on their condition, and traffic safety is directly related to the level of road maintenance.”

The graduate studied the influence of the technical level and operational state of roads on the accident rate, determined how the risk of an accident varies depending on the evenness of the road surface and the speed of traffic, and proposed an improved design of a universal mobile diagnostic complex for a road laboratory. The complex will collect spatial data using 3D laser scanning technology based on an M category vehicle. In addition, Elena has developed special software – a decision support system for managing traffic safety activities. These results will help improve road management.

The benefits of an innovative approach to construction and economic development

212 people are graduating from the Faculty of economics and management this year. 30 of them claim for a diploma with honors.

Graduates of 2022 demonstrated outstanding achievements: they became diploma winners of the international student Olympiad "Economics and Management" and the "Student of the Year" competition.

The work of Master's degree graduate Ekaterina Baranetskaya affects the mechanism of state regulation of innovative activities in the construction industry, which needs to be improved. The scientific supervisor of the project is Viktoria Vinogradova, associate professor at the department of construction economics and housing and utility infrastructure.

“Construction is one of the economic-forming spheres, therefore, by increasing the innovative activity of construction organizations, we will positively influence the general state of the country's economy,” Ekaterina is sure. According to her, now it is important to create conditions under which companies will apply innovations in their activities, and this is impossible without the formation of a state support mechanism.

The graduate student proposes to create a new regional committee for innovative development in construction. The structure will provide tax benefits, reduce contributions to insurance funds for construction organizations using innovative technologies. According to estimates, this measure will increase the net profit of organizations by almost a quarter and reduce the economic backlog of the regions.

Tourism potential of the North and economic growth

The Faculty of environmental engineering and municipal services has 261 graduates, 74 of them claim for a diploma with honors. Over the past academic year, they became laureates of major competitions, including the Youth Global Energy Development Forecast contest, winners and prize-holders of subject Olympiads and the SPbGASU All-Russian BIM Championship.

In his FQW, bachelor's graduate Nikita Smirnov designed heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for an underwater hotel in the village of Teriberka, Murmansk region. The work supervisor was Andrey Kolosnitsyn, senior lecturer at the department of heat and gas supply and ventilation and CEO of MM-Technologies LLC (partner company of the BIM-ICE project).

“The Barents Sea is clean and transparent, rich in flora and fauna. Therefore, it is very popular among diving enthusiasts. However, the construction of capital buildings in its coastal zone is prohibited due to the threat of flooding,” says the author of the work. Therefore, the construction is a unique project of its kind, and it is very important to think over how its infrastructure will operate. It is expected that such a hotel will contribute to the economic and tourist development of the region. 

Legislative framework and development of megacities

150 students graduate from the Faculty of forensics and law in construction and transportation, 24 of them claim for diplomas with honors.

Graduates of 2022 were actively engaged in scientific work in the field of legal regulation, participated and won grant competitions and spoke at conferences.

Graduate student Anastasia Zagnitko devoted her work to the problems of urban development of large cities (supervisor – head of the department of legal regulation of urban-planning activities Professor Nikolay Zhilsky).

The graduate analyzed a number of issues related to the life of the city: aspects of its territorial planning and urban zoning, building density, energy and utility infrastructure, its transport and environmental problems, the problem of unauthorized buildings, as well as imperfections in land, civil and urban planning legislation.

“I proposed options for solving these problems at the legislative level, which could have a beneficial effect on the overall urban development of megacities,” Anastasia said.

Modern solutions for regional air traffic

The Faculty of civil engineering graduates 655 students, 179 of whome will receive a diploma with honors. During the years of study, graduates-2022 became winners of Russian and international subject Olympiads, extracurricular competitions and participated in the WorldSkills standards championship.

Bachelor's graduate Polina Khristoforova, under the guidance of associate professor at the department of reinforced concrete and masonry constructions Aleksey Shekhovtsov, developed a concept of the airport building in Tomsk.

According to statistics, more than half of the passenger traffic falls on the regions, and the emergence of new terminals solves, first of all, transport problems: it contributes to the creation of new logistics routes and helps passengers reduce the time for transfers.

“The whole point of my project was the construction of a long, thin-walled coating shell,” says Polina. Such a shell helps to use the material more efficiently, significantly reduces the weight of the structure and has a special architectural expressiveness. In addition, due to its strength, its use is especially useful in the northern regions, where a lot of snow falls.

“Choosing this topic was a challenge for me. Solving practical problems during the project implementation expanded my horizons in the field of design, and also consolidated the skills and knowledge gained during learning,” Polina sums up.

Comfortable environment and care for the older generation

This time, 460 people will leave the walls of the Faculty of architecture. 75 of them claim for a diploma with honors. During the year, they became winners and prize-holders of student and professional competitions, participated in conferences and seminars on topical issues of modern architecture and acted as co-organizers of the international forum "Architectural Seasons at SPbGASU".

Graduate student Daria Shumilova, under the guidance of associate professor at the department of architectural design Aleksandr Veshnyakov, developed a project for a gerontological center in Zelenogorsk near St Petersburg.

“The elderly are one of the least protected groups in the population. They need special care and attention, which younger relatives cannot always provide,” Daria explains the relevance of the topic. The tasks of the gerontological center conceived by her are to ensure a decent old age, create a comfortable atmosphere for the elderly and provide the necessary medical care.

The design was based on the principles of reminiscence therapy, that is, the therapy of memories. With regard to architecture, this approach is reflected in the urban planning solution, functional content and images of the environment.

“In order to maintain the ability to lively perception, an elderly person needs a periodic change of impressions. Based on the generalized experience of potential users, namely the current and future generations of the elderly, I proposed a model of a space similar to a real urban and rural environment, with their inherent characteristic features,” says the author of the work.

The “urban” part is full of utilitarian functions and embodies the dynamic interaction of people (here guests can engage in practices familiar to a city dweller). "Derevenskaya" ("Village") is a residential area with layouts determined by the landscape features of the territory.

Thanks to zoning, guests have the opportunity to choose a leisure scenario to their liking: to stay in a secluded backyard space or satisfy the need for socialization in an “urban” environment conducive to this. This creates favorable conditions for reminiscence therapy and a comfortable environment.

An effective approach to "children's" infrastructure

At the Institute of Part-time Studies, the main part of the FQWs defenses took place in the winter, when the unit released 79 students. The summer graduation is more modest – 28 students. It is expected that three of them will receive diplomas with honors.

Yana Shinkovich (training profile "Industrial and civil construction") completed a project called "Establishment of a kindergarten" under the guidance of professor at the department of construction technology Yury Kazakov.

The design was carried out taking into account the requirements for buildings for educational purposes. The graduate suggested the use of innovative materials that can provide sufficient thermal insulation, energy efficiency and sufficiently transmit sunlight. In addition, she developed technological maps that ensure the construction of the building in a short time. “Despite modernity, technology will not lead to a significant increase in the cost of work,” says Yana. The graduate also built a construction schedule and optimized construction work for a more even development of resources.

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Text: Aleksandra Podolnikova
Photo: presented by Elena Sorokina, Ekaterina Baranetskaya, Nikita Smirnov, Anastasia Zagnitko, Polina Khristoforova, Daria Shumilova and Yana Shinkovich