Head of the ETU "LETI" Department for the Property Complex Development Vladimir Pavlovskikh; Anna Sidorova; Daria Fedulova; Honored Architect of Russia, Professor of the International Academy of Architecture, Member of the Urban Planning Council of St Petersburg Vladimir Linov

SPbGASU students were among the winners of the international competition "LETI Campus Design".

The competitors created architectural and design projects for the transformation of four spaces on the campus of the St Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI".

Project “FO(u)R” in the “LETI DNA” nomination (authors: Natalia Sarkisova, Daria Fedulova, Maksim Antipov and Anna Sidorova)

The project “FO(u)R” (authors: Natalia Sarkisova, Daria Fedulova, Maksim Antipov and Anna Sidorova) became the best in the “DNA LETI” nomination. As Daria Boytsova, senior lecturer at the SPbGASU Department of Architectural Design explained, in this nomination they developed a new design for the entrance hall of the fifth building of the university.

Project “FO(u)R” in the nomination “The Road to LETI” (authors: Natalia Sarkisova, Daria Fedulova, Maksim Antipov and Anna Sidorova)

In the “Road to LETI” nomination, where the space in front of the entrance to the campus and the areas between the fifth building and building D were redesigned, the project “FO(u)R” reached the final.

“Our teachers offered to take part in this competition as a course project. The key factors for the decision to participate were the scale of the project and the prospects for its implementation. We independently took measurements of the premises, compiled a model, and carried out full preparation for the design. We tried to imagine the day of a LETI student, find problem areas and understand what solutions could simplify and improve student life,” said Natalia Sarkisova.

According to Natalia, work on the project lasted two months. The thought of the possibility of implementing the project and doing good work in the portfolio was inspiring. Maksim Antipov worked on the exterior, the rest - on the interior. We consulted and found common conceptual solutions. There was no division of responsibilities in the interior - thus, during the work there was no “blurring of eyes”, there was an opportunity to always get advice from a colleague who was also involved in the project. Teachers' advices also changed the project for the better.

• The project was based on three concepts. The first of them is discreteness, that is, a property opposite to continuity and closely related to electrical engineering. The authors created a single, integral solution, assembled from individual interior elements, where the theme of discreteness is revealed with the help of lighting and furniture. The second concept is materials. The authors used metal, which is associated with manufacturability, modernity, and electricity. Artificial wood makes the space visually more cozy. Concrete, plaster, and tiles were used as background materials. The third concept is color scheme. The interior is made in neutral colors, it does not overload the space, but at the same time refers to the history of the university.

The “Archvhod” project was awarded a special diploma for the best architectural and design solutions (authors: Anastasia Yakovleva, Anastasia Urdasheva and Angelina Telpis).

“This competition became a challenge for us: previously we had practically never worked with interior spaces, especially with the transformation of existing interiors. Working with a cultural heritage site certainly added its own difficulties, but this only fueled our interest in this competition,” said Anastasia Yakovleva.

According to Anastasia, the team participates in many competitions, so the work mechanism is well-established. Each competition begins with the selection of ideas that seem most suitable. Next, team members discuss them and develop a common concept.

The project for the interior of the fifth building lobby involves increasing the number of places for classes, meetings and relaxation by moving the wardrobe. The project uses the university’s signature colors, which will become the main accents in the interior design of the lobby.

Its authors consider the strengths of the project to be the increased space of the lobby, the organization of new places for a comfortable pastime in the university.

Another special diploma for the best architectural and design solutions went to the Sealevel project (authors: Lobu Mariamo da Silva and Xu Yiping).

“I think the context in which we live has had a very profound impact on the project. We are from China and Mozambique, both living in sunny cities. We had a strong desire to bring light and color into interior design,” said Xu Yiping.

• Based on the results of the student survey, the authors identified the tasks and made appropriate decisions. So, they suggested using the university colors - blue and bright orange. These two colors are present alone or in combination with each other to add visual interest, enhance spatial awareness and create a bright, youthful and energetic environment.

The students added functional areas: a copy center, an exhibition area, a canteen, a vending machine, and an ATM. And some of the already existing ones were expanded - a cafe, a training area. Seating places, tables and desks are added throughout the plan in a manner that does not interfere with movement. The authors opened up the space and demolished temporary buildings to make movement more flexible. They proposed lighting design solutions and created a free lecture and exhibition space. To diversify the methods of holding exhibitions, they created a display system - a moving frame with exhibition panels. These panels can move to suit the user's needs.

The finalist of the competition in the “LETI DNA” nomination was the project SUP1797 (authors: Aliya Zlobina, Veronika Ratnikova, Ksenia Fedina).

Veronika Ratnikova learned about this site from the book “Leningrad. Architecture of Soviet modernism. 1955–1991” and since then I’ve been eager to visit there.

“Our project is a combination of functionality, manufacturability and organic space. Due to proper zoning, flexible space allows the coexistence of different types of activities: training and open communication, recreation and nutrition, campaigning and recruiting. We tried not only to emphasize the advantages of the interior conceived by Viktor Leviash, but also to reflect the spirit of modernity with the help of light, plants, materials and bas-relief, which reflects the specifics of the university,” shared Veronika Ratnikova.

Aliya Zlobina was interested in working in a new team and with such an attractive and historically valuable site as LETI. They worked on the project for quite a long time, for several months. They tried to distribute technical responsibilities according to the desires and strengths of each participant. And creating the concept was a joint effort.

“The main leitmotif of our project was a careful attitude to the heritage of the architects Leviash and Matusevich. We proposed to clear and restore the existing surviving finishing and selected other materials to combine with it. Secondly, we thought through competent functional zoning. A lot of work was done to analyze the current situation, we communicated with students. I believe that we managed to make the most effective use of the lobby interior for different aspects of student life. This may include the addition of a transformable partition, a multiple increase in the number of seats for work and rest, the transfer of the buffet area, and a transformable amphitheater. In addition, we paid a lot of attention to natural light and artificial lighting. We thought about how to use and emphasize the light from numerous light wells with a finishing solution for the walls of the conference hall. We distributed the types of different lighting into different zones in accordance with the purposes.”

“LETI Campus Design” is the second competition organized by St Petersburg ETU “LETI”. Its winners have the opportunity to realize their architectural and design ideas as part of the renovation and improvement of the ETU “LETI” campus. The predecessor of this competition is the International Architectural Competition “LETI – Academic Environment of the Future”, which took place in 2021. It was won by SPbGASU students Marina Luchnikova and Anna Sorokina. Based on their project, a public space was created at St Petersburg ETU "LETI".