In late October and early November, the second Architekton festival took place in St Petersburg. It brought together architects, urbanists, designers, artists, developers, students, and anyone interested in architecture. Organized by the Union of Architects of St Petersburg, the festival's partners included the Government of St Petersburg, the Committee for Urban Development and Architecture, the Committee for Culture of St Petersburg, the Leningrad Region Urban Development Policy Committee, the ETALON Group, Setl Group, DOM.RF, and the professional development leadership program Architects.rf.

On 2 November, Andrey Surovenkov, Acting Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture, participated in a roundtable discussion titled "What and how to teach those who want to develop cities?" as part of the "Architekton" forum, Participants discussed how changes in technology and the urban environment are influencing educational approaches and the professional training of future architects and urban planners.

Andrey Surovenkov discussed our university's experience in integrating educational engineering and professional practice, using a student-led study of modern libraries as an example. The results of this work were also presented at the Architecton exhibition, as part of the exhibit "From academic project to real-world object: the SPbGASU experience."

The study focused on library spaces as modern community centers that foster communication, knowledge exchange, and cultural integration. The university's partners in the study were the Leningrad Regional Universal Scientific Library and the organizing committee of the Golden Trezzini International Architecture and Design Award.

After exploring a number of innovative library spaces, including international ones, and analyzing their spatial organization, students prepared course projects dedicated to solutions for modern libraries.

"It's important for us that educational engineering extends beyond the classroom and becomes part of a real professional environment. This is the only way to develop competencies across the entire architectural cycle - from concept to implementation," noted Andrey Surovenkov.

According to Andrey Surovenkov, our university adheres to an educational approach that synthesizes academic knowledge, competitive practice, and real-world design experience during the course of study. This approach demonstrates that the university is not only an educational but also a research platform, where student works become part of a professional dialogue on urban development. To further develop this approach, SPbGASU plans to strengthen its interaction with the professional community and the city's cultural institutions.

Thus, the design concept for the modernization of the Central Children's Library in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region, developed by students of SPbGASU, was selected in a competition for the best interior design projects for public libraries in the region, organized by the Leningrad Regional Universal Scientific Library, SPbGASU, and the organizing committee of the Golden Trezzini International Architectural and Design Award. The student project will be implemented in 2026 as part of the federal project "Family values ​​and cultural infrastructure" of the national project "Family," with the support of the Governor and Government of the Leningrad Region and the Sosnovy Bor City Administration.