Published on: 2026-08-11
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
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Nadezhda Akulova (in the center) and participants of the summer school
On August 6, the International Scientific and Educational Summer School of Restoration “Heritage of Vyborg and Rostov-on-Don” commenced at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The first day of the program was dedicated to familiarizing the participants with the historical environment of Vyborg and the site for which the students are to develop concepts for preservation and contemporary use.
The school’s work involves students from various years of Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Rostov State University of Civil Engineering. The educational program also includes an assistant from the Department of Architectural and Urban Heritage of SPbSACE. Alyona Turpak, representative of the Association of Restorers Ksenia Samarina and a specialist in international cooperation and academic mobility at SPbGASU Antonia Angelova.
The school participants visited Vyborg, where they learned about the city’s development history and the features of its architectural appearance formation. The tour was conducted by the chief architect of the Vyborg municipal district Grigory Svetnik.
During a walk through the Old Town, participants saw key architectural and urban planning monuments, traced the development of Vyborg from a medieval fortress to modern districts, and also discussed the principles of preserving the historical environment. Grigory Svetnik paid special attention to the fact that the value of Vyborg lies not only in individual architectural monuments but also in the integrity of the historic urban fabric. “The main feature of Vyborg is the continuity of architectural and urban planning solutions. Despite the city’s centuries-old history, different eras and states that ruled this territory, the unified historical environment has been preserved here, which forms a unique urban landscape,” noted the chief architect.
According to him, preserving the historical context becomes one of the most important tasks of modern restoration. Architectural solutions must take into account the scale of the development, historical materials, features of the planning structure, and existing visual connections between urban spaces.
After getting acquainted with the historical center, the participants visited the design object – the complex of the former stearin factory on Krivonosova Street. This historically valuable city-forming object includes three brick industrial buildings constructed between 1876 and 1896.
Today, the complex is in unsatisfactory condition: some buildings have been lost, but the main elements of the historical layout of the block and the architectural appearance of the industrial buildings have been preserved. It is for this territory that student teams will develop concepts for adapting the site for modern use.
The chief architect emphasized that it is important for the participants not only to propose a new function for the territory, but also to justify every decision made.
“Context matters. The same object, located in different parts of the city, will require completely different architectural solutions. Therefore, every idea must take into account the historical environment, the surrounding buildings, and the needs of the district,” noted Grigory Svetnik.
Throughout the entire summer school, the students are accompanied by the acting head of the Department of Architectural and Urban Heritage of SPbGASU, Candidate of Architecture, Associate Professor Nadezhda Akulova. As a practicing restoration architect and heritage conservation specialist, she helped participants gain a deeper understanding of the historical and architectural significance of Vyborg, the specifics of monument research, and modern approaches to their preservation.
Participants of the summer school are to determine possible scenarios for the development of the block: to propose options for preserving the historic buildings, improving the territory, and filling it with public functions. At the same time, the main principle of the design remains a respectful attitude towards the historical heritage and the search for modern solutions capable of breathing new life into it.
Work on the projects will continue in the workshops of SPbGASU, and the students will present the final concepts on August 13 in Vyborg.
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