Tatyana Chernyaeva (NP "Russian Association of Restorers"), Aleksey Mikhailov (Chairman of the KGIOP St Petersburg), Evgeny Rybnov, Oleg Egorychev (Nanosoft Development LLC), Vladimir Podolyansky (Wizardsoft JSC)
On 24 March, the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering held a ceremonial signing of an agreement to establish the "Preservation of Architectural Heritage" consortium.
The event brought together representatives of the academic community, government agencies, and industry partners: SPbGASU, the Committee for State Control, Use, and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Government of St Petersburg (KGIOP), the Russian Association of Restorers, Nanosoft Development LLC, and Wizardsoft JSC.
The initiative aims to consolidate efforts in the field of restoration and preservation of historical buildings, as well as to develop scientific research, educational programs, and the introduction of innovative technologies into the industry.
SPbGASU Rector Evgeny Rybnov addressed the ceremony participants with a welcoming speech. He emphasized the importance of creating the consortium for the university and the professional community:
"Today, we are creating a unified platform for interaction between government, science, and business. This will allow us to build a sustainable system for preserving architectural heritage as a vital foundation of society's sociocultural identity."
According to the rector, the consortium will become a center for the development and implementation of advanced restoration solutions, promote scientific research, train in-demand personnel, and digitally transform the industry.
During the ceremony, participants noted the key role of SPbGASU in training specialists for the restoration industry. It was emphasized that the university had long been a key hub for developing the industry's human resources, actively responding to modern challenges and introducing new educational approaches.
Special attention was paid to digitalization. Industry representatives noted the university's significant achievements in integrating digital technologies into the educational process, including in the areas of modeling and restoration, which opens up new opportunities for solving practical problems.
The creation of the consortium is seen as an important step toward establishing an effective mechanism for interaction between all industry participants. In the near future, it is planned to determine the consortium's governance structure and develop a plan for joint activities, including holding federal-level scientific and practical conferences.
Participants expressed confidence that combining efforts will not only preserve the unique architectural heritage of St Petersburg and other regions of Russia, but also develop the restoration industry to a qualitatively new level.
The ceremony concluded with the signing of an agreement and a discussion of further steps to implement joint initiatives.