From 3 to 14 July, SPbGASU conducted the international summer school "Ecocamp: Architecture of Ecotourism Complexes". This year, 30 students from Samara State Technical University (Samara), Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk), Moscow Architectural Institute (Moscow), KazGASA (Almaty) took part in the educational program.

The program included lectures, excursions and practical classes. The participants designed projects for the development of the tourist environment in the western part of Kotlin Island. Kotlin Island is known primarily for the city of Kronstadt located on it. The western part of the island is now less visited, although it has a unique combination of historical, cultural and natural landscape. The participants of the summer school were here to conduct pre-project studies, visited the nature reserve and the Rif and Shanets forts. When developing the concept of a tourist complex, students took into account the peculiarities of working with cultural heritage sites and specially protected natural areas.

Coordinator of the International Summer School "Ecocamp: Architecture of Ecotourism Complexes", Associate Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design Aleksandra Eremeeva with participants of the educational program

During practical classes, the participants of the summer school were divided into three teams, which were supervised by Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Design Aleksandra Eremeeva and senior lecturers Aleksandra Kuzmina and Daria Boytsova. The experts of the summer school were Yulia Lebedeva, specialist of the ANO Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Construction, Dmitry Kolosov, director of environmental protection and sustainable development of the Rosa Khutor ski resort, and Fedor Perov, Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Design. They gave lectures on sustainable solutions in architecture and construction, the peculiarities of identifying the historical environment, and then evaluated the work of students.

Aleksandra Eremeeva's team

Aleksandra Eremeeva's team focused on the development of coastal infrastructure, proposing the creation of a system of glampings (hotel rooms) on the water, a bath complex, a family recreation complex and a restaurant with a pier. Thus, the farthest tip of the island will be connected with the center of Kronstadt by a water route. The team's project involves the development of an existing eco-trail in the form of a "trail of sensations", on which platforms are formed for contemplating the waters of the Gulf of Finland. The existing structures change only their internal function: a hotel will be located on Fort Shanets, an existing museum complex on Fort Rif will become a cultural platform.

Aleksandra Kuzmina's team

Aleksandra Kuzmina's team formed an eco-route, offering a minimal impact on the environment of the reserve and concentrating the flow of visitors mainly in the areas of cultural heritage sites. The eco-route consists of a hiking and sports trail, heating points and educational rest stops - a total of four modules have been developed. In an effort to delicately fit into the complex environment of Fort Schanets, the team designed a visitor center hidden in an artificially created landscape. There, the authors of the project placed spaces with additional functionality - a children's area, a lecture and recreation area, a kayak and sup board rental area. The team envisions Fort Rif to have an open display of military equipment, yoga and petanque areas, a main multifunctional space that can be used as an ice rink in winter, and a museum.

Daria Boytsova's team

Daria Boitsova's team paid special attention to cultural heritage sites and the search for elements of the historical identity of the place. To attract tourists to Western Kotlin in winter, students have developed a system of heating points. The redevelopment will transform an abandoned two-story building on the southwest coast into an interdisciplinary research center. The building is supplemented with a greenhouse for the needs of the reserve and the cultivation of protected crops. During non-working hours, the northwestern facade of the building functions as a media screen, opposite which there is an amphitheater equipped with a wind barrier.

Ekaterina Krylasova, a PhD student of the Moscow Architectural Institute, a participant in the summer school, believes that design solutions should be humane, legal and modern. They should not ignore the norms and restrictions in force on the territory, otherwise the historical and cultural environment and ecosystem will be lost. “A well-organized architectural and urban planning environment will make it possible to create a popular public space on the forts and attract large flows of tourists,” Ekaterina Krylasova is convinced.

The experts noted the deep level of analysis and elaboration of projects. Some solutions are recommended for discussion with the administration of the Kronstadt district of St Petersburg and the directorate of the Western Kotlin reserve for the purpose of subsequent implementation.