Third-year student of the Faculty of Architecture Sofia Andreeva is the author of the mural "Dawn of Hope", which was created on the facade of the boarding school "Krasnye Zori" (red dawns) in the Petrodvortsov district.

To recall, earlier the Council for Architecture and Urban Development of the Leningrad Region and North-West of the Russian Federation, the companies "BaltInvest-Project" and "Fridlender paints" announced an architectural competition for the development of a sketch mural for the boarding school "Krasnye Zori". The jury included the President of the Union of Architects of Russia Nikolay Shumakov and the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee - Chief Architect of the Leningrad Region Sergey Lutchenko. More than 80 applications from students from different universities were submitted to the competition. The work of Sofia Andreeva was recognized as the best and recommended for implementation.

"Sofia's sketch stood out, first of all, for the composition of the mural. It is made in the shape of a heart and thus does not repeat the rigid orthogonal grid of the pylons of the boarding school, as was the case in most of the works submitted to the competition. The winner carefully studied the history of the school and each element displayed in the mural - ears of corn, a river, domestic animals, conifers, mountains, the sun and so on - are not accidental in the drawing. These elements have a hidden meaning and show the history of the life of this unique place and building. The colors used in the mural attract the gaze of a person entering the school and at the same time organically fit into the environment around the building," noted Sergey Lutchenko.

Sofia Andreeva admits that murals as a type of monumental painting attract with their scale and, unlike the construction of buildings, fast and direct interaction with surroundings. The decision to take part in the competition was made spontaneously, and inspiration came while working on the plot.

"The plot arose from the idea to show the unity and work of the children who studied here at different times, which is very important for a boarding school. The mural used the symbols of the school itself, and the main emphasis was born from the name "Red Dawns". I was a second-year student and had no experience in creating such a work. But I have been doing design for a long time, since it is indirectly related to my future profession, so it was easier. While working on this project, I learned to work with a certain color palette, which was new to me. Murals are far from just a student activity. This is an experience of creativity and communication, which complements the understanding of space and environment, and therefore is useful in the profession of an architect. I will use this experience in the future, perhaps combining architecture with contemporary art in public spaces," said Sofia.