SPbGASU Students Took Part in the «Moscow Design Fest 2020»

On November 18, the «Moscow Design Fest 2020» forum for young designers took place online. The event was organized by «ArchDialog” Communications Agency and the informational and educational project «Open Design Workshop». The competition organizers received over 300 applications, including projects of SPbGASU students.

The Moscow Design Fest 2020 brought together interior designers and students from all over Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Victoria Ivanova, a third-year student of the Faculty of Architecture of Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, became the winner in the category «Interior of the Future with Miele» and received the main prize provided by this company. She developed an interior design project for a country house in the Leningrad Region. Olga Kokorina, Associate Professor of the Department of Architectural Design, was the project supervisor.

Working on the country home interior, Victoria tried to take into account the newest design trends that appeared under the influence of the pandemic (refusing open-plan layouts; possibility to organize a comfortable workplace in any room; large glazing areas) and create a space in which it would be comfortable to stay for a long time. «For me, participation in the competition is, first of all, gaining new experience. In addition to the opportunity to see the level of other students and try my hand in design, I could enlarge my portfolio with a very interesting project. I think that such contests allow developing professional skills and discovering new things. The contest categories for the next year have already been announced, and I will try to participate again», Victoria shared her impressions.

Evgeniya Litvinova, a fifth-year student of the Faculty of Architecture, was a finalist in the category «Art Object». Under the guidance of Victoria Schefer, Associate Professor of the Department of Architectural Environment and Landscape Design, she created the project titled «Outflow Channel». The artwork was designed to be located on the territory of the «Taurida» art cluster and aimed to draw attention to the environmental situation in the world associated with global warming and problems of waste management.

«Outflow channels are the elements of the Martian surface that appeared as a result of severe erosion caused by natural disasters. It is likely that Mars once had water, and therefore life existed there. No one knows what happened to the civilization of the Red Planet, but for several thousand years it has been a desert burned by the sun.

Recycled materials used in the installation draw the viewer’s attention to the history of the place as well as to current environmental issues. Shiny metal plates sparkle in the bright sun, their rustling resembles the sound of a river and carries us far, far away. The Earth is on the verge of the climate crisis. Humanity is on the brink of a technogenic disaster. And it's up to us to decide what future awaits us», told Evgeniya.

Fifth-year student of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture Victoria Malikhova became a finalist in the category «Public Space Interior Design». Her project was supervised by Denis Romanov and Irina Shkolnikova, Associate Professors of the Department of Architectural Environment and Landscape Design.

The land lot chosen for designing is located in the St. Petersburg suburb of Pushkin (4 Gusarskaya St.). The concept of the territory development is formulated as «Urban Living Room». It is designed as an area for meetings and communication, a place to relax, work, meet with friends, read or play. Like in a real family living room, everyone can be busy with their own activities. And the open central space will be able to host performances with an audience of up to 500 people.

«The multifunctional space is designed according to the principle of “house within a house”, that is, a new volume is built into the building’s main (existing) volume. There was a reason behind that decision: I wanted to emphasize the historic exterior of the building, not covering it with anything, just leaving the external view as it is. The volume inside serves to form the space and offers a lot of functions: cafes, shops, creative workshops, classrooms for group studies, computer classes, a lecture hall, offices, and coworking space. Every resident will be able to find something to their liking», Victoria noted.

Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the competition and wishing the students good luck in all future endeavors!

Text: Anastasia Blinova
Photos provided by Victoria Ivanova,
Evgeniya Litvinova and Victoria Malikhova

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