The results of a large-scale study on architecture were presented at the National Centre RUSSIA

The presentation of the findings of a study dedicated to the issues of the architecture of the future took place at the National Centre RUSSIA on 8 April as part of the expert programme on architecture and urban planning "Looking into the Future." The study was conducted by the National Centre RUSSIA and the CITY Centre of the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in March 2025.

Its key themes included the correlation between national characteristics and global trends in architecture and urban development, as well as the concept of future architecture. The survey involved representatives of the professional community, who were invited to reflect on the trends that architects will need to follow.

The results of the study formed the basis for the panel discussion "Architecture of Tomorrow: The Role of the National and the Global" within the "Looking into the Future" programme. Representatives from various fields working on shaping the cities of the future took part in the discussion.

The survey results were presented to the participants of the expert programme by Kirill Puzanov, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

"The sociological expert survey involved around 140 participants. These were practicing architects. In addition, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with experts in the field, who answered a wide range of questions. Respondents noted that national architecture cannot be isolated. The concept of dialogue between global, Russian, and regional architecture is essential. Experts believe that modern Russian architecture provides a comfortable environment for residents, which has already become a national feature. According to the results of the study, the key concept was the dialogue within the architectural community — not only internally, but also with clients, citizens, Moscow, and the regions. The notion of a 'client' is also expanding. For example, the client may be not only the authorities, but also nature itself, when we must understand what valuable elements we need to preserve," said Kirill Puzanov.

The trend towards international dialogue and integration will also become a key element in the architecture of the future, noted architect and designer Vladimir Kuzmin, head of the project group Pole-Design and lecturer at MArchI, MARCH, HSE, and RANEPA.

"Young members of the architectural community envision a future with a living urban planning system — self-developing, programming social processes, and shaping social rituals. A system scaled to the human being. Both children and adults clearly strive for a different sense of scale. We need to reflect on what we’ve built over the past hundred years, because the architecture of the future is our architecture — the architecture of our time. We are creating the new concept of future architecture right now," emphasised Vladimir Kuzmin. 

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Speaking about how the study explores the theme of national and global in architecture, Andrei Chernikhov — Professor at the International Academy of Architecture (IAA), Head of the "Architecture" programme at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, President of the Yakov Chernikhov Foundation, and Chief Curator of the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" — shared his thoughts during the panel discussion.

"I was the one who proposed this topic: the national and the global. I’m truly interested in hearing others speak on it. Architecture is the only way we can learn what people of the past dreamed about, thought about, and how they lived. It’s time to revere architecture. Nations change, styles evolve, and contemporary styles have little in common with Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece. Yet architecture continues to speak of long-gone eras. When you travel today, you can still find examples — in Havana, for instance, you’ll come across Russian functionalism built in the post-war years. The future cannot be predicted — it can only be invented. The exposition ‘The Birth of Scale’, which we created in just two and a half months and which has now opened here, at the National Centre RUSSIA, tells the story of how in Russia, the authorities, architects, and urban planners weren’t so much trying to foresee the future as to invent it," said Andrei Chernikhov.

The expert programme on architecture and urban planning "Looking into the Future" brings together architects, builders, urbanists, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, representatives of state and municipal authorities, public figures, and media professionals. Members of the professional community are discussing the architecture of the future and the system of state visual communications at the National Centre RUSSIA.

The programme is divided into two thematic tracks: architectural and urban.

Within the architectural track, in addition to the presentation of the research results, panel discussions titled "Architecture of the Future" and "Revival of Historical Territories" are taking place.

The urban track "The City People Love" includes panel discussions such as the "Visual Code of Russia", "Visual Style of Regions: Opportunities and Prospects", "Discussion of Growth Points", and "A City for Everyone: From Theory to Practice".

The initiative "Looking into the Future" highlights the role of the National Centre RUSSIA as a driver of systemic work in the field of state visual communications.

The National Centre is creating a platform for developing a unified visual language for the country — one that preserves the cultural diversity of the regions and conveys values and meaning through contemporary design solutions.