Exclusive from the National Centre RUSSIA: expert Sergei Georgievskiy believes that anticipating the future is essential in architecture

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The expert programme on architecture and urbanism titled "Looking into the Future" will take place on 8 April at the National Centre RUSSIA. Urban development will be discussed by leading Russian and international architects, urbanists, designers, government representatives, and figures from the creative industries.

The programme will begin with a session titled "The Architecture of Tomorrow: The Role of National and Global Components." Industry experts will debate the concept of total city design, explore the needs of architects, and discuss the living environment of urban residents. According to urbanist and Director General of the Strategic Development Agency "CENTRE", Sergei Georgievskiy, it is important for urban planners today to anticipate the future.

"The pace of life changes in the 21st century is so rapid that by designing according to today's standards, we are essentially designing for 'yesterday', since construction follows the design phase, and only after 2–3 years will users experience the finished architectural object. It is crucial to anticipate the future — its demands, technologies, and risks. And to understand how to live in an accelerating world, we must speak now about architecture that shapes the living environment of the urban citizen," emphasises Sergei Georgievskiy.

A separate track on 8 April will be dedicated to the formation of future city spaces, as well as the trends currently being followed by architects.

"Perhaps the main trend is individualisation. It’s not new, but the creative individual’s desire for self-expression hasn’t gone anywhere. The key trends in architecture and urban planning follow the global trends of modern life: environmental efficiency, a healthy lifestyle, comfort in everything, and time saving. These principles guide architects in green 'architecture', energy efficiency, and in the design of non-residential ground floors," says Sergei Georgievskiy.

Today, the city is a complexly organised social organism, an architectural-construction and economic system, the programme speaker notes.

"This inevitably gives rise to internal conflicts — between the individual and society, technology and nature, the old and the young. The rapid growth and increasing complexity of urban structures demand constant improvement of the mechanisms for their creation and operation, and the consolidation of efforts by specialists from various fields. Due to differences in natural conditions, social characteristics, and technological levels, cities, regions, and countries focus on solving their own pressing issues and create unique solutions that can be applied by other cities," the expert shares.

Today, Moscow’s experience in developing modern public programmes has extended to Russian cities with over a million residents and was later adapted for smaller towns, says Sergei Georgievskiy. As a result, public spaces of high quality — comparable to those in major metropolitan areas — have appeared in various corners of the country. At the same time, Russia is adopting technological developments from other countries to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings, improve modern public transportation systems, and in many other fields.

Among the projects that reflect the architecture of the future, Sergei Georgievskiy also named:

– Zaryadye Park in Moscow;

– Galitsky Park in Krasnodar;

– Park of Future Generations in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia);

– The new building of the Tatar State Academic Theatre named after Galiaskar Kamal in Kazan;

– The new campus of Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Moscow;

– The National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow.

"Russia is a vast multinational country, whose geographical space does not always allow regions to actively interact with one another, even in the age of advanced information technologies. That is why dialogue platforms that offer the opportunity to form a unified intellectual environment and information space are extremely important. They make it possible to jointly develop effective mechanisms for growth," emphasized Sergei Georgievskiy.

You can register for the expert programme on architecture and urbanism "Looking into the Future" on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA in the "Events" section.