Participants of the second day

The second day of student project defenses, implemented as part of the "Project-Based Activities" elective, concluded at the SPbGASU Educational Center for Project-Based Learning. The elective brought together students, teachers, and representatives of industry companies, providing a platform for professional dialogue, expert evaluation, and discussion of practice-oriented solutions.

The second day proved the effectiveness of the project-based learning format, focused on solving real problems based on industry partners' requests. Participant teams presented seven projects reflecting current developments in architecture, construction, digital modeling, and integrated design.

The projects were evaluated by an expert committee, which included representatives of leading companies in the construction and IT industries, as well as members of SPbGASU:

• Head of the training and service center in St Petersburg, Ridan Trade LLC, Petr Kolyada;
• Head of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Department of Metropolis LLC Sergey Bryuzgin;
• Leading Engineer of the Architectural and Engineering Department of Gazprom Design LLC Nikolay Mishurenko;
• Chief Engineer of the Setl Group architectural bureau (OOO Setl Stroy) Dmitry Sergeev;
• General Director of Renga Softwear LLC Evgeny Shuvalov;
• SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Continuing Education Viktoria Vinogradova;
• Acting Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Architecture Andrey Surovenkov;
• Deputy Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Civil Engineering for Academic Affairs Maria Lazurina;
• Director of the SPbGASU Educational Center for Digital Competence Denis Nizhegorodtsev;
• Director of the SPbGASU Educational Center for Project-Based Learning Inna Sukhanova

The experts noted the high level of preparation of the teams, the elaboration of the solutions, and the practical focus of the presented projects, as well as the active involvement of students in interdisciplinary teamwork.

Opening the event, the defense moderator, Associate Professor at the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Utility Infrastructure Aleksandr Skidan noted that the Educational Center for Project-Based Learning has become not only a platform for defenses, but also a space for student teamwork and discussion of project solutions.

Viktoria Vinogradova addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. "Today, we can see the first results of our work within the project-based initiative. This is important not only for the university but also for the students: project-based work allows them to gain practical experience in a safe educational environment and work with real clients," she noted.

Viktoria Vinogradova emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the projects. According to the Vice Rector, through teamwork, architects, engineers, and designers learn to collaborate, understand the specifics of different professions, and develop skills that will be useful in the real world.

"Project work combines personal and team responsibility: each student is responsible for his/her own portion of the work, but the project's success depends on the coordinated efforts of the entire team," noted Viktoria Vitalievna. She emphasized the importance of engaging with industry partners, thanked the companies for their involvement and support of the initiative, and expressed gratitude to the teachers faculty and mentors for their active participation, often outside of class time.

In closing, the Vice-Rector addressed the students: "Thank you for your trust and interest in our work. The experience you gain here will be useful not only in completing your elective course but also in your future professional careers. We are confident that this project-based experience will be an important part of your professional journey."

The second day of the defense presented projects covering a wide range of architectural, construction, and digital challenges. Student teams worked on concepts for a multifunctional sports complex with an ice rink, a museum of contemporary art, and the creation of a digital information model for the SPbGASU sports and educational building.

Considerable attention was given to information modeling technologies for capital construction projects. Among the projects presented were the creation of an information model for a boiler room, the design of a high-rise residential building in St Petersburg according to the requirements of the Setl Group holding company, and the development of an information model for a production and energy unit with a service center.

A separate project was dedicated to the "Project Bureau" competitive educational program—the second phase of the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky Island (a dormitory), which emphasized the scale and interregional nature of the tasks that SPbGASU students are working on.

In their closing remarks, participants and organizers noted that project-based learning serves as an effective tool for acquiring practical skills, building professional portfolios, and preparing students for work in real-world industry settings. The experts expressed their willingness to continue collaborating with the university and participating in subsequent stages of project-based learning.

All participants in the elective, including partners, highly appreciated the support of the curators, who led the teams throughout the semester and helped organize complex interdisciplinary work.

"The project-based learning format is fundamentally different from the traditional educational approach, as it develops interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork skills, bringing students as close as possible to real-life professional conditions. Furthermore, initiatives like these directly support the construction industry's transition to using domestic software and the development of digital information modeling in Russia. I thank the organizers for inviting us to this event. I believe that project-based learning at the university provides students with an excellent opportunity to develop in their field and, in the future, take the construction industry to the next level. I would like to point out that among the people in this room today are future employers and software developers who would be delighted to hire talented professionals," said Evgeny Shuvalov, sharing his impressions. He added that interaction with universities and participation in project-based learning are an important part of the industry's development and personnel training.

For productive interaction and effective joint work, the SPbGASU ECPBL received letters of gratitude from Glavstroy SPb LLC, wishing for further fruitful cooperation and ambitious projects, as well as from Gazprom Proektirovanie LLC expressing appreciation for organizing and hosting the event.

Work on all projects presented at the defense will continue in the spring semester, after which students will present them for their final qualifying work in the form of a comprehensive TIM project.