Published on: 2026-10-06
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
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A jury meeting for the “Golden Trezzini 2026” award in the category “Best Realized Student Project” was held at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. This category appeared for the first time this year. Its initiator was the Council for Architecture and Urban Planning of the Leningrad Region and the Northwest of Russia under the Saint Petersburg Union of Architects.
The chairman of the jury became Sergey Lutchenko – Candidate of Architecture, Acting Head of the Department of Architectural Environment Design at SPbGASU, Chairman of the Council for Architecture and Urban Planning of the Leningrad Region and Northwestern Russia, who served as the Chief Architect of the Leningrad Region from 2020 to 2026. The new category features works by students and young architects from various cities in Russia, as well as from China. Among them are public spaces and small architectural forms, interiors, art installations, murals, and urban planning concepts.
The peculiarity of this nomination is that it concerns not only project ideas but also their implementation. For students, it is an opportunity to try themselves in a real professional environment – to go through the entire process from concept to the implementation of the object, interacting with teachers, architects, consultants, clients, and construction organizations.
From the burial mound culture to the modern festival
One of the works presented for the jury’s consideration was exhibition of the workshop “Oblast” at the “Architekton MMXXV” festival. The authors of the project were students from SPbGASU, ITMO University, HSE University, Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, and the Saint Petersburg State Artistic and Industrial Academy named after A. L. Stieglitz.
Workshop “Oblast”
Workshop “Field”
The exhibition is dedicated to reflecting on the space of the burial mound in the context of the burial mound culture of the Tikhvin region and southeastern Ladoga. Its composition is built on three images – the wall, the ring, and the portal – which sequentially reveal the everyday, cultural, and sacred contexts of the theme. The work uses not only visual solutions but also sound and tactile sensations, which transform the encounter with the exhibition into an independent spatial experience.
Another project – Propylaea ‘Opposition’ on the ecological trail “Galichskoe Zaozerye” in the Kostroma region. The structure marks the entrance to the archipelago park and simultaneously functions as a viewing platform, a resting place, and a navigation object. Two wooden parts, facing each other, form a kind of dialogue, and the built-in sights direct the visitor’s gaze to other objects along the route. The design incorporates a local carving motif — the “frog’s foot,” reinterpreted in a modern decorative pattern.
Propylaea “Resistance”
Architecture that engages
Implemented in China pavilion “Sky – Earth – Water – Fire”, developed by a student of the Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering By Darya Ponomaryova. The project was created for the public space of Anhui University of Architecture and is primarily designed for informal communication and joint games among students.
“Sky – earth – water – fire”
Each part of the name received its own architectural embodiment: “sky” – a flowing fabric canopy, “earth” – wooden seats in the central area, “water” – hammocks, and “fire” – a ball around which the play interaction is built. The pavilion itself becomes not just a shelter or a resting place, but a space for communication.
A completely different nature has mural for the boarding school “Krasnye Zori” in Peterhof. The author of the project is a student of SPbGASU Sofia Andreeva. The facade painting combines natural motifs, the school’s history, and the theme of human labor. The central image is a sunrise over the Gulf of Finland and the region’s forests, symbolizing the future and opportunities opening up to the students.
Mural for the “Red Dawns” school
Memory embedded in the urban environment
Large scale – at the modernization project of the memorial-landscape complex “Road of Life”. The work of the students from Saint Petersburg Mining University involves creating a unified design code for memorials, updating tourist and transport infrastructure, as well as forming a unified system of lighting and navigation.
Modernization of the memorial landscape complex “Road of Life”
The first stage has already been implemented: new bus shelters of two types have appeared along the route. Interactive shelters are installed at key points near memorials and combine navigation with information about commemorative sites. Their distinctive feature is perforated corten steel with the names of stops and a map of the Road of Life. The vandal-resistant shelters are made without glass, using metal and wood.
Among the presented projects, there is also work by SPbGASU students directly related to the historical heritage of the Leningrad region. The first stage of improvement has been carried out in Staraya Ladoga. the area near the monument to the archaeologist, professor, and honorary citizen of the Leningrad Region Anatoly Kirpichnikov.
Improvement of the area near the monument to A. N. Kirpichnikov
The project was developed by students of SPbGASU as part of their industrial internship at the Committee of Urban Planning Policy of the Leningrad Region. Wooden benches, a system of pathways, and a central circular area that unites the space around the monument appeared on the territory.
When material becomes part of an artistic statement
Also presented in the nomination exhibition “Eutectic”, held at the Catherine Assembly in St. Petersburg. The architectural design of the exhibition was developed by a student of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Ilya Konstantinov.
Exhibition “Eutectic”
The project is based on the study of the interaction between humans, material, and the environment. The main focus here is metal: its plasticity, ability to conduct electricity, and change state under the influence of temperature, pressure, and physical force are used as part of the artistic concept. Each piece becomes the result of the interaction between the author’s idea and the physical properties of the material.
In Rostov-on-Don, at the Botanical Garden of the Southern Federal University, implemented gazebo “Metamorphoses”. Its architectural image is associated with lilac blooming: the authors saw in the transition from the strict form of a bud to the free composition of a blossomed inflorescence a metaphor for the coexistence of order and chaos.
“Metamorphoses”
The composition of the object evolves from a compact and concise form to a more dynamic and free one. At the same time, the gazebo remains a full-fledged public space—a place for relaxation and meetings, as well as a prominent environmental feature.
A space that reminds you of home
Another project presented in the nomination is branded REDMOND waiting area at Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg. The space of 48 square meters was designed by a student of the Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design Alexandra Saveleva.
“REDMOND Zone” at Pulkovo Airport
The project is based on the idea that “We think most about home when we are on the road.” The creators aimed to create a comfortable waiting area for passengers that is perceived not as an ordinary advertising space but as a small home environment. The signature red-gray chairs, a modular sofa with outlets, and potted plants form a cozy yet functional rest area.
The central element of the space is an art object in the form of a stylized house, consisting of three sections. Each is dedicated to a separate product category of REDMOND: kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The installation simultaneously serves as a full-fledged showcase with real products, and a QR code allows passengers to immediately proceed to purchase the displayed equipment.
Spaces with their own character
Another project takes the viewer to the famous art park Nikola-Lenivets in the Kaluga region. It is “Unremarkable Trouble” – the work of the !VATAGA team from the State University of Land Management. The project’s theme was folk beliefs.
“Unremarkable Mischief”
From the outside, the object resembles a simple tent, but inside it deliberately breaks customary taboos dictated by superstitions: visitors are invited to walk under a ladder, look into a cracked mirror, or wear clothes inside out. The space includes a central area for events and small “superstition workshops” where guests can create amulets. The climax is a performance in which the structure transforms into the image of a living creature.
In Novosibirsk, students of the creative association KUB+ have implemented “Transformation. In the Forests” project. His image is associated with the city’s architectural heritage – the towers designed by architect Andrey Kryachkov.
“Transformation. In the forests”
The central tower of the site is housed in a structure reminiscent of scaffolding. This image simultaneously references the natural landscape in which the city was formed and the ongoing process of construction and transformation of the urban environment. The 45-degree rotation of the tower makes the object more noticeable, and the wooden structure functions both as a small architectural form, a resting place, and a visual sign.
Completes the selection “Art Cluster” project in Novoselye, Leningrad Region, developed by postgraduate students of SPbGASU By Nikita Zarytov and Alina Muchanko. The concept unites recreational spaces, parks and squares, pedestrian and bicycle routes, as well as art spaces.
Art cluster
Art cluster
Art cluster
The authors propose to build an environment around two themes – the flora and fauna of the Leningrad region and the surrealism of Salvador Dalí. The objects along the routes should not only perform functional tasks, but also form a recognizable image of the territory: sculptural elements are intended to evoke an emotional response, and the artistic design of children’s spaces is to help children become familiar with form and color.
“It is important to show that the student is capable of completing the journey to implementation.”
According to Sergey Lutchenko, the introduction of the new category is related to the need to support practice-oriented training of young architects. Today, specialized universities participate in real projects of landscaping, urban planning concepts, master plans, and the creation of interiors and public spaces.
“It is necessary to additionally motivate young architects through encouragement and awards. The ‘Golden Trezzini’ Prize is an international format and the highest level of professional projects and completed constructions,” noted Sergey Lutchenko.
The jury chairman emphasized that the quality of the completed student project depends not only on the talent and diligence of the authors themselves. The process involves teachers, professional mentors, architectural studios, and construction organizations. That is why, in the new category, the author team can include all participants who contributed to the implementation of the project.
“The level of skill showed the jury members that the work accomplished depends not only on the talent and diligence of the students, but also on the professionalism of the consulting teachers, mentors from architectural workshops, and construction organizations,” noted Sergey Lutchenko.
The winners of the “Golden Trezzini 2026” award will be announced in November at the Hermitage Theatre.
The international architectural and design award “Golden Trezzini” was established in 2018. The award jury is an international expert community that unites representatives of authorities, academia, cultural and art figures, including professionals in architecture, design, scenography, and museology. The honorary chairman of the International Council of the “Golden Trezzini” award is the General Director of the State Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky.
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