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.
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.
On April 27, a children's workshop titled "Sugar City" was held in the art class of the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre RUSSIA.
The exposition "The Birth of Scale" features several of his projects, including the National Bathhouse hammam.
Event photobank
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More than one hundred representatives from 48 countries gathered in Moscow, at the National Centre RUSSIA, for the Open Dialogue "The Future of the World.
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