Published on: 2026-10-02
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
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At the library opening
In September, the renovated Central Children’s Library “Lotsman” opened in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region. The new space is based on a concept developed by architects and students of the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering as part of the annual “Library Interior Spaces” competition.
The library modernization project in 2025 was developed by a first-year master’s student of SPbGASU Irina Ivashkina (currently a second-year master’s student). The competition combines the educational process and real tasks in the field of public interior design and is held with the participation of the Committee for Culture and Tourism of the Leningrad Region, the Leningrad Regional Universal Scientific Library, and the International Architectural and Design Award “Golden Trezzini”.
“For students, it is especially important to see that their project work can have a continuation in real life. In this case, the idea developed within the educational process became the basis for creating a new public space, which is already used by children and their parents. Such projects allow going through the entire path from concept formation to implementation and gaining experience working with a real object,” noted the dean of the Faculty of Architecture at SPbGASU, Andrey Surovenkov.
The concept of “Pilot” is based on a maritime theme related to the history of Sosnovy Bor. It begins with the village of Ustye, whose inhabitants were engaged in fishing and seafaring, and continues into the modern life of the city – in particular, in the activities of the Navy Training Center and the A. P. Alexandrov Research and Technology Institute.
The maritime idea continued in the library’s interior. Here appeared shelves shaped like boats, mobile transformable furniture, capsules for secluded reading, and cozy spaces for socializing. Panoramic windows offer views of pine trees and a temple, connecting the interior with the surrounding environment. The very name “Pilot” reflects the main idea of the institution – to be a navigator for children and teenagers in the world of literature, knowledge, and modern technologies.
After the modernization, the library received new equipment: an interactive mobile floor, a digital piano, a mobile virtual reality classroom, and an interactive sandbox. The collection was supplemented with two thousand new editions, and the furniture for the updated space was made by the St. Petersburg factory “Egri”.
The first visitors were able to get acquainted with the new library on the opening day. Children looked through and read books, explored the renovated space, and socialized with guests. For young readers, the librarians of the Leningrad Regional Children’s Library held a literary game, and there was also a meeting with the writer Olga Serova. Representatives from the Committee on Culture and Tourism of the Leningrad Region, the Leningrad Regional Universal Scientific Library, the administration of Sosnovy Bor, and other organizations came to congratulate the team of “Lotsman.”
The modernization of the Central Children’s Library became possible thanks to Sosnovy Bor’s participation in the national project “Family,” as well as the support from the region and the city administration. “Lotsman” became the second model library in Sosnovy Bor.
The implementation of the project is an example of how the work of SPbGASU students can go beyond the classroom and materialize in a real public space.
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