Architecture as a quest: a new format of interactive family tours launched at the exposition "The Birth of Scale"

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For the first time, the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre RUSSIA hosted a family tour with quiz elements titled "Architecture – the world we live in." Participants immersed themselves in the traditions of wooden architecture in Ancient Rus’, admired modern masterpieces of Russian architectural thought, and even tried on the roles of ancient craftsmen.

"The main feature of the tour is that participants discover the world of architecture in a playful way. Children happily estimate the length of objects by eye, compare the weight of different woods, guess 3D shapes from photographs, and so on. This kind of interactivity is, of course, very engaging – even adults actively join in: they suggest answers, debate what’s correct. And genuine emotions are remembered much better than dry facts. For example, one boy, like a professional guide, repeated almost word-for-word my story about the ‘Belyana’ barge to a family that arrived late," said Svetlana Sorokina, a tour guide at the National Centre RUSSIA. 

Tour participants found answers to many questions: how to tell a tree’s age, why people stopped using old units of measurement, how bricks differ from each other, and why Moscow is known as the city of rings. The interactive journey is designed for children aged 7 and up and their parents, and will be held daily until July 31.

"A very interesting, informative and, just as importantly, non-boring tour. When we signed up, I didn’t expect the programme to be so interactive, engaging, and easy to follow. As someone from the older generation, I also learned a lot here. My son and I are absolutely delighted, honestly! It’s one thing to study the history of architecture, and quite another to understand how everything was built and whose ideas it all was," shared Alina, mother of young tour participant Nikolai from Moscow. 

The architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" opened at the National Centre RUSSIA in March and showcases the grandeur of Russia through its architectural legacy. The display features items from the Centre’s own collection as well as artefacts provided by museums and private collectors across the country. These include tools used by architects of different eras, drawings and models of buildings — both successfully constructed and those that remained as innovative concepts. One section is dedicated to the future of Russian architecture — with children’s creative studios, student workshops and works by young architects. 

Watch the series of educational lectures by the National Centre RUSSIA featuring art historian Yelizaveta Likhacheva to learn more about Russian architecture.

Partners of "The Birth of Scale" exposition include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Research Museum of Architecture named after A. V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Yakov Chernikhov Architectural Charity Foundation, and the HSE Art and Design School.

You can take part in the tour of the exposition "The Birth of Scale" and attend workshops under the educational programme "Children's Architectural Workshops" free of charge by registering in advance on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA at russia.ru. Up-to-date information about the workshops is available in the "Events" section.