cover project baikal 86
cover Project Baikal 86
No. 86 (2025)
diversity
Published: 2025-12-09

editorial

  • diversity
    Elena Grigoryeva

    Our salvation, the salvation of all mankind, lies in diversity.
    Isaac Asimov, “Lucky Starr”

    Curiouser and curiouser…
    Lewis Carroll

    The world is becoming more diverse. But the value of multicolored reality is not realized immediately, having many recurrences of the opposite tendency. Disputes of diverse opinions and styles arouse suspicion, and “eclecticism” (in ancient Greece, a method of thinking that combines the best elements of different schools) has become a pejorative label.

    Nevertheless, PB follows the trend of an increasingly complex world. In this...

community

  • International Architecture News
    Anna Grigorieva

    The news section announces the 5th edition of the Friendly and Inclusive Spaces Awards and the 20th edition of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. It also presents the results of the 7th Baku International Architecture Award.

  • XV IAA General Assembly: Reviving academism
    Andrey Kaftanov

    The article highlights the results of the XV General Assembly of the International Academy of Architecture held on September 9 in Rome. It presents the main theses of the IAA President Amedeo Schiattarella’s report, in particular, on the importance of raising awareness among international organizations about the importance of architectural culture as an integral expression of human values. It is noted that the participation of the Moscow Branch of the IAA in the Rome Biennale in 2026 will require the formation of a worthy exhibition, which, after a seven-year break, will be able to...

  • Encyclopedia of Irkutsk architects
    Marina Tkacheva

    The article gives a review of the book “Irkutsk Architects” prepared on the basis of the articles published in Project Baikal journal within 20 years of its work and several studies by the INRTU professorship. The structure of the book and its individual sections are characterized

  • A 90th anniversary of the Irkutsk Organization of the Union of Architects of Russia
    Inna Druzhinina

    The article gives a brief overview of the gala evening dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Irkutsk Organization of the Union of Architects of Russia. The holiday scenario highlights its traditions and innovations. The author shares her impressions, emotions and expresses her wishes.

  • The fifth anniversary of the Mark Meerovich Prize: the sun, the duty and the heart
    Yana Lisitsina, Vasily Lisitsin

    The article examines the significance and course of the fifth anniversary award ceremony named after Mark Grigoryevich Meerovich (1956-2018), which took place in Irkutsk on October 4, 2025. The award is positioned as a key element in the system of public and professional support for researchers and practitioners involved in the preservation of the architectural and historical heritage of the region. Attention is paid to the launch and presentation of two badges – the honorary badge “Heart of Irkutsk” as an act of official recognition of the civic position and contribution of senior...

  • in brief
    Elena Grigoryeva

    The second half of 2025 is marked by striking architectural events: Days of Architecture in Novosibirsk and Omsk and the XXV anniversary festival «ZVS» in Irkutsk (see a separate block of materials in this issue of PB).

  • The Chronicle of ZVS 2025. The art of intelligences
    Alexey Sergeev, Elena Grigoryeva, Marina Tkacheva

    The article describes the events of ZVS-25 and the events on the theme of the festival “Artificial and natural intelligence. Architecture of the future”. The innovative placement of the exposition and its advantages are noted. The article gives an overview of the excursions, a round table, workshops and discussions, and also describes the participants and the winner of the festival, as well as the award ceremony. 

  • Pavlov’s Irkutsk: Preserving the legacy of Soviet modernism
    Elena Grigoryeva, Natalia Saprykina, Sergey Timofeev, Inna Druzhinina, Milena Zolotareva, Andrey Makarov, Nikita Eremin, Konstantin Antipin, Alexander Sharygin, Ruslan Khotulev, Alexey Chertilov, Evgeny Zykov, Vladimir Stegailo

    The Architecture Department of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, the International Academy of Architecture (Moscow Branch, IAAM) and the PROJECT BAIKAL journal held a round table discussion “Pavlov’s Irkutsk: Preserving the legacy of Soviet modernism” at the XXV Interregional Festival ZODCHESTVO IN SIBERIA on September 5. In May 2025, the Russian branch of ICOMOS included the preservation of “Pavlov’s Modernism” in Irkutsk in the list of the most urgent and significant problems.

editorial

  • XXV Interregional Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia”
    Elena Grigoryeva

    Founded at the very beginning of the millennium, “Zodchestvo in Siberia” (ZVS) has been held in Irkutsk for many years. Following the model of the Moscow Festival “Zodchestvo”, rules were laid down for review competitions, stars of Russian architecture were invited, sometimes foreign architects also participated, and hot topics were discussed at the round table of the House of Architects. The author’s guided tours presented new objects to the guests and Irkutsk residents. A trip to Lake Baikal traditionally concluded the program. In 2014, ZVS venue moved to Krasnoyarsk for the first...

refereed articles

  • In memory of Alexander Gerbertovich Rappaport, philosopher. Architect, painter, poet
    Elena Bagina
    1. G. Rappaport is a unique figure in the modern intellectual space. A man with an unusually wide range of knowledge and interests, an original, unique philosopher of culture, who spent his entire life developing and improving his cognitive experience, his understanding of the world, combining the most diverse objects of comprehension into a common ontological discourse. The theoretical work of A. G. Rappaport is multifaceted and extensive, but it has an internal organization and composure, which make it clear in its direction, in its value orientation.
  • Rappaport as speaker and demiurge
    Mikhail Belov

    The article features the talent of A. G. Rappaport as a well-educated speaker. The author refers to the history of his family. He also emphasizes Rappaport’s nontrivial approach to architectural theory.

  • “Everything should be in its place”
    Leonid Salmin

    Rappaport’s universalism is defined as a childishly open view of the world. The article describes in detail his understanding of thinking as mental freedom, of architecture in the context of civilization and culture, of time and space, and of education as a joint mental activity.

  • Rappaport’s triads
    Petr Kapustin

    The article presents history and description of the triadic system of vision organization. The author emphasizes the importance of the triad principle for Rappaport’s thinking. He characterizes the triads in his theory of architecture.

  • Cultural heritage in the design of sustainable cities
    Mwfeq Al Haddad

    Modeling cities is becoming an increasingly urgent task. The prevailing trend today is the construction of multifactor models using the capabilities of machine processing of big data. Modeling using heuristic algorithms that rely on a human-machine dialogue looks the most promising. The article presents the results of an experiment on the application of the “Great Wall Construction Algorithm” (GWCA) heuristic to simultaneously take into account extremely heterogeneous parameters – energy efficiency of buildings and their cultural and historical value. It is shown that the use of the GWCA...

  • Conceptual design: A search space
    Alexander Gushchin, Marina Divakova

    The authors show that project and scientific activities have an antinomic relationship. The project requires going deeper into the singular, and the result of the project is unique. The scientific activity requires generalization of particular (single) results, and the result is universal. This paradigm allows us to formalize the concept of the “search space for design solutions”. The authors formalize the structure of the search space for conceptual solutions using the concept of constructs introduced by the Soviet philosopher and logician S. P. Nikanorov. Constructs are a universal...

  • Metaphors and creativity in architectural design
    Saeed Hussein Alhmoud, Husam Hussein Alhmoud, Anas Mohammad Bataineh

    The article is devoted to the study of the relationship between metaphorical thinking and creativity in the field of architectural design. Based on the definition of metaphor as the transfer of an element to another context, the authors list the main types of contexts, the elements of which are most actively used in architecture. Several examples of metaphorical thinking in specific architectural projects are considered. It is concluded that a high degree of creativity is achieved through the informal, archetypal use of metaphors based on deep layers of collective cultural and historical...

  • On the peculiarities of architectural thinking
    Baizhan Balykbaev, Kamilya Sultanova, Gulnara Maulenova, Niyaz Sarzhanov

    The article examines the specifics of architectural creativity. It shows the mechanisms of interaction between the architectural and spatial environment and the human factor, as well as the psychological features of the architect’s activity. The article highlights the importance of the figurative component in the system of factors influencing the architectural design process. The principles of national and regional understanding of form in architecture are studied at two levels: the ideological and value foundations of the cultural tradition of the people are determined, and the formal...

  • On the diversity of intelligence
    Konstantin Lidin, Svetlana Golovnya

    Intelligence as one of the ways of understanding the world can manifest itself in a wide range of diverse forms. Nevertheless, there is a steady tendency to reduce various forms of intelligence to a certain generalized, average value. Using the example of two periods of accelerated scientific and technological development (the sixties and eighties of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries), it is shown that the predominance of the trend towards uniformity gives progress an inhumane and pathogenic character. On the contrary, encouraging diversity in the manifestations of intelligence...

  • Innovative biomimetic parametric timber structures
    Kachana Kasulu, Olga Volichenko, Philipp Abramyan, Beisen Kariev

    This article examines the integration of biomimetic principles and parametric methods with engineered timber in architectural design. Analysing Metropol Parasol, Pompidou-Metz, Pulp Pavilion, ITECH, and Bowooss pavilions shows how biological analogues inspire innovative timber forms. Parametric tools mediate biomimetic logic into efficient, responsive designs. Digital fabrication enhances the versatility, sustainability, and complexity of timber. The study establishes a validated taxonomy that links theory and practice, promoting biomimetic-parametric synergy and interdisciplinary,...

  • The possibilities of decarbonization in wooden housing construction
    Vera Pechenkina, Lyudmila Fatkulina- Yaskova, Sergey Medvedev

    The article discusses the use of the “Green” standard for individual housing construction for the design of a wooden house-transformer using double-beam technology to improve the energy efficiency of the house and the assessment of savings in investment and operating costs, including through energy savings during operation, as well as the calculation of the potential for reducing CO2 emissions, including the use of alternative energy sources and tools for motivating their use in Siberia.

  • Housing as an urban development object (1920s–1950s)
    Anna Vasilieva, Yulia Kosenkova

    Approaches to housing design were determined by the contradictory requirements of Soviet urban planning. In the 1920s, there was a transition from the idea of the dominance of low-rise settlements to the construction of large multi-story residential complexes. In the 1930s, the need to demonstrate the successes of the Soviet government required the inclusion of housing in ensembles. At the same time, the realities of Soviet urban planning were determined by the industrial-departmental system, which viewed the city as something secondary in relation to industry. In the post-war period,...

  • Architectural lighting of modern palliative care facilities
    Asmik Klochko

    The article considers an integrated approach to creating expressive images of the internal and external spaces of palliative institutions in two forms – with natural and artificial lighting. The priority of natural lighting that meets regional standards is indicated. The article proposes division into public and functional areas and gives special recommendations for their artificial lighting. The attention is focused on artificial night lighting of the palliative care facility building and the lighting design of its territory. The negative physiological, economic, and energy consequences...

  • Monumental art: Visual and cultural analysis
    Issam Ali Salman Aldwairi, Osamah Abdel Qader Suliman Bani Milhem, Saleem Mohammad Ali Ayesh, Manal Hasan Jamil Barqawi

    Human societies naturally give rise to memorial art, which reflects regional geography and values. This study examines the role of memorials in enhancing environmental aesthetics and increasing public awareness, with a focus on sculptures that incorporate Arabic script. Its importance comes from highlighting the memorial's design, materials, and artistic impact on viewers' intellectual and emotional perception to create captivating outdoor spaces and go beyond traditional indoor murals.

  • Urban agglomeration: integrity or discreteness?
    Igor Bondarenko

    A critical examination of the concept of “agglomeration”, which was borrowed by urban planning from the field of metallurgy, calls for its rethinking and filling with more adequate professional content that meets the interests of forming a community of independent cities that preserve their borders, natural surroundings, architectural face, historical and cultural identity. The thesis is substantiated that, unlike individual cities, agglomerations should not strive to achieve organic integrity. They should remain discrete, based on the principle of “additive” summation of the elements of...

  • Cybernotopics and lineaments
    Zlata Gaevskaya

    It is necessary to turn from the planar chain characteristics of the surface and the static a priori placement of people and objects in space to cybernotopic codes for constructing space as a cast of the hidden stress-strain state of the Earth. Landscape possibilities of space should be considered through the prism of the unity of spatial bodies, forms, functions and meanings based on the patterns of spatial self-organization. The cybernotopic vision of space implies understanding that it has grown naturally out of the past and reflects the perception of the Earth as a complex organism....

  • Rural tourism in the Tyumen region: potential of the Yarkovsky district
    Oleg Poroshin, Maria Gaiduk, Elena Sitnikova

    The Tyumen region rivals historical regions of central Russia in its diversity of cultural heritage sites. Within Siberia, it can be considered one of the most interesting historical and cultural areas. In the Yarkovsky district of the Tyumen region, along with a wide variety of historical, cultural, and natural resources, there are unique sites associated with the lives of Saints Hermogenes, Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia, Saint Andronicus, the New Martyr Father Feodor Raspopov, the family of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas Romanov, the birthplace of Grigory Rasputin, and others. These...

refereed articles - heritage

  • The legacy of industrial Khabarovsk in the early 20th century
    Tatiana Smolianinova

    The article is devoted to industrial objects of the historical part of the city of Khabarovsk of the early 20th century. The work presents the interim results of a scientific study conducted within the framework of the project entitled “Methods of integration of historical development zones and preservation of cultural heritage sites in the context of development of a large city”. The locations of preserved historical industrial objects are analyzed. Three key objects are considered, these are the complex of buildings of Tifontai, the Khlebnikov distillery and the refrigerator building....

  • Historical context in the preservation of Khabarovsk architecture
    Tatiana Smolianinova

    The article examines the history of the formation of the architecture of Khabarovsk, one of the key historical cities of the Far East. It presents the periodization of the development of the city’s architecture in the context of economic and political processes. The article notes the features of historical development and modern problems associated with its preservation and integration into the urban landscape. It also emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach that covers both architectural and historical aspects. This approach allows us to develop effective strategies for...

  • Architectural landscape of Yimianpo
    Mikhail Bazilevich, Dmitry Tceluiko

    The article presents the materials and results of the study conducted by the authors with the support of the grant of the Russian Science Foundation “Methods for integrating historical building zones and preserving cultural heritage sites in the context of the development of modern cities in northeast China”. This article provides a brief historical overview of the development of the planning structure and architectural landscape of the village of Yimianpo founded along the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). Zones of historically significant development are identified, and individual...

  • Russian architectural heritage in Changchun
    Dmitry Tceluiko, Mikhail Bazilevich

    The article is devoted to the study of Russian architecture in the territory of the modern city of Changchun (People’s Republic of China). In total, two large centers were identified: the Kuanchenzi station and the “Trade Port” area, a complex of buildings of the Russian-Chinese bank and two sidings. Most of the work is devoted to the formation of the architectural and planning image of the Kuanchenzi station and the factors that influenced the development process. The phenomenon of this station itself is unique within the framework of both the South Manchurian Railway and the CER....

  • Russian architectural heritage in China: Yimanpo Station
    Ekaterina Glatolenkova, Mikhail Bazilevich

    This article examines the historical development of the railway station area at Yimanpo Station, which emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries during the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway. Previously unknown archival station plans are published, and the current state and use of the surviving buildings are analyzed in the context of urban development.

  • Under-dome transitions in the churches of the Bagratid era, 9th–11th centuries
    Armen Kazaryan

    The article traces the preferences of the architects of Ani and the regions of the Christian East closest to the Armenian Bagratid kingdom in relation to the choice of the type of under-dome transition, as well as the ability of the craftsmen to interpret their forms in a variety of ways, which were generally established in the Armenian architecture of the 7th century. Using examples of outstanding works of the epoch, the transitions of three types and intermediate variants are consistently analyzed.

  • Museumification of Ani: historical experience and perspectives
    Olga Baeva, Armen Kazaryan, Arev Samuelyan

    The article analyzes the problems of museumification of the ruins of the medieval city of Ani. It considers key issues and threats and proposes an integrated approach that combines modern conservation methods, digital technologies, and the development of tourism infrastructure. The necessity of international cooperation for the preservation of Ani as a World Heritage site is substantiated.

  • Leonidov in the Crimea, 1936–1938. Part 4
    Petr Zavadovsky

    The fourth article of the cycle devoted to I. I. Leonidov’s projects for the southern coast of the Crimea continues to consider the architecture of the buildings of the central Yalta embankment, in particular, the resort hotels and park pavilions. An attempt is being made to reconstruct them on the basis of preserved materials.

  • Modernist architecture of Kazakhstan: Preservation strategies
    Manar Kustaubayeva, Ardak Nigmetova, Aleksandra Kostsova, Zhanerke Imanbayeva

    This article examines the renovation practices applied to selected examples of modernist architecture in Almaty – outstanding specimens of Soviet modernism that have significantly contributed to shaping the city’s unique architectural identity. A substantial portion of these structures is currently undergoing reconstruction, which often distorts the original architectural intent and results in the loss of authentic design elements. The primary aim of this research is to develop a comprehensive preservation strategy for Kazakhstan’s modernist architectural heritage, using the city of...

  • Typology of the residential structures of medieval Ani
    Olga Baeva

    Drawing on archaeological data and field research, this article proposes a typology for the residential structures of medieval Ani (10th–15th centuries). It investigates diverse dwelling types, from palaces and urban houses to mixed-use buildings and later adapted residences. The examination of their plans, materials and decoration reveals how architecture mirrored the city’s flourishing and eventual decline.

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