On 5 November, Acting Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture, PhD of Architecture Andrey Surovenkov, took part in the thematic section "Education and mentoring in architecture: transfer of experience and new horizons" as part of the "Zodchestvo 2025" festival.

In his presentation, he discussed the current development trends of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture, where the traditions of the St Petersburg school of architecture are combined with digital technologies and practice-oriented education. According to Andrey Viktorovich, the faculty's main goal is to maintain the continuity of generations while simultaneously responding to the challenges of the 21st century. Today, architects are becoming integrators of solutions, uniting people, the city, technology, and culture.

The presentation placed particular emphasis on mentoring as a key element of the educational environment. The faculty is actively developing student workshops, where teachers, practicing architects, and real-life clients - municipalities, cultural institutions, and businesses - collaborate on academic assignments. This format allows students to gain experience with responsibility, dialogue with clients, and interaction with the urban community.

Examples of successfully implemented projects developed in student workshops include the Central Children's Library in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region, and the improvement of the grounds near the Youth Theater in St Petersburg. They demonstrate how the university contributes to real positive changes in the urban environment.

Andrey Surovenkov presented the faculty as an ecosystem where education, practice, and the city form a unified development structure. Students, teachers, alumni, and the professional community unite to work on projects, research, and urban initiatives.

The faculty's collaboration with SPbGASU's educational centers for project-based learning and digital competence, where students actively develop digital skills and project-based activities, was particularly noted. This approach supports the university's strategy for training personnel for the construction industry in the context of digital transformation: from TIM classes and electives to complex graduation projects with real clients.

Thus, the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture is becoming a platform where the traditions of the St Petersburg architectural school are combined with modern technologies and the city's demands, and each project is a step toward developing a new generation of professionals.