Arctic Territorial Development: ARCTD 2021 International Conference took place at SPbGASU
International Conference “Arctic Territorial Development: Challenges & Solutions” (ARCTD 2021) took place at SPbGASU on 29-30 September. In addition to Russian specialists, the event brought together participants from Norway, Finland, Japan and the USA. The conference was organized in a hybrid format: some speakers attended the event in person, while others joined online.
Opening of the ARCTD 2021 Conference. Presidium members: Maria Averina, Richard Nygaard Scarborough, Evgeny Korolev
Richard Nygaard Scarborough, Consul General of Norway in St. Petersburg, and Evgeny Korolev, SPbGASU Vice Rector for Science
The event started with the opening speech of the SPbGASU Vice Rector for Science Evgeny Korolev, then Richard Nygaard Scarborough, Consul General of Norway in St. Petersburg, greeted the participants. Maria Averina, Head of SPbGASU Division for Science and Research, Associate Professor at the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Utility Infrastructure, read out a welcoming message from Anna Bulatova, Deputy Head of the St. Petersburg Committee on Arctic Affairs, which stressed the importance of holding the conference and its connection with the state strategy for development of the Arctic zone, approved by the President of Russia.
The participants were welcomed by Marat Eseev, Vice Rector for Innovations at Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Scientific Supervisor of Centre of Excellence “Russian Arctic: New Materials, Technologies and Research Methods”; Ole Gustavsen, Rector of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (Norway); and Oksana Skotarenko, Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Murmansk Arctic State University. Yulia Zaostrovskaya, Head of International Relations at Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, read out a welcome address from the Rector, Professor Sergey Baryshnikov.
Tsuyoshi Setoguchi, Dean of the Faculty, Graduate School and School of Engineering at Hokkaido University (Japan), spoke about Hokkaido University’s activities. In his speech, President of LAB University of Applied Sciences (Finland) Turo Kilpeläinen emphasized the importance of cooperation and exchange of experience between Russia and Finland, and Kirsi Taivalantti, Dean of the Faculty of Technology, informed about joint projects of LAB University and SPbGASU: over 100 graduates have been trained under the Double Degree programme in Civil and Construction Engineering carried out by the two universities since 2009, and two important joint projects – SAFECON and BIM-ICE – are being implemented as part of the South-East Finland – Russia Cross-Border Cooperation 2014-2020 Programme.
Plenary meeting reports covered a wide range of issues related to the Arctic development. Head of the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design, Associate Professor Fedor Perov spoke about the history of Arctic exploration and proposed a new strategy, which entails preserving and modernizing what has been created in previous stages. He also informed about the Master's programme dedicated to the problems of construction in the Far North, which is offered at the Faculty of Architecture.{gallery name="АРКТИК10"}
Igor Sakharov, Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Geotechnics, focused on the problems of operating facilities in the Arctic zone under conditions of global warming. Aleksandr Pushkarev, Professor at the Department of Land Transport and Technological Machines, spoke about the integrated approach to ensuring reliability and durability of land transport and technological machinery in Arctic conditions. Head of the Arctic Project Office at Saint Petersburg State University Natalia Mikhalchenkova considered the issue of partnership as the basis for a holistic solution to Arctic problems. Ole Gustavsen in his presentation called for knowledge exchange between Russia and Norway.
The conference also included session meetings entitled “Development and Application of Energy-Saving Materials and Technologies for Construction, Fuel and Energy Complex and Utility Services in the Arctic Territory”, 'Architecture and Urban Development in the Far North: Challenges and Prospects”, and “Engineering, Construction and Operation of Buildings, Utility and Transport Infrastructure in the Arctic Territory”.
"It is no accident that the ARCTD conference is held at Saint Petersburg State University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Our university has approved key research areas for the development, study and exploration of the Arctic. Young researchers are showing great interest in this promising topic, working on it as part of their Master's theses. In July of this year, SPbGASU held an international summer school on Arctic architecture," noted SPbGASU Rector Evgeny Rybnov.
For more information on the conference, visit the ARCTD-2021 website. The proceedings of the conference will be published shortly and made available on the SPbGASU website.
The next international summer school on architecture in the Arctic will be organized in 2022.
Text: Tatyana Petrova
Photo: Anastasia Klochko
✔ Find out more about international activities at SPbGASU
