‘We fell in love with your city!’: Kazan wins the heart of future architects from Krasnoyarsk

“It's easier to break down the old and rebuild a new and beautiful one than to keep what's already there”

Olesya Baltusova, the aide to the rais of Tatarstan, said that lately she has increasingly heard the phrase: “It is easier to break down the old and build a new and beautiful one than to preserve what already exists.”

She supports her thoughts with personal experience and observations. As a member of the Council of the Tatarstan regional branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, she has seen many Russian cities. According to her, all major cities have been experiencing a turning point in recent years. Kazan went through this before others, which is why it has learned to find a way out of this situation faster.

“Some large Russian cities are losing their historical appearance, their connection with the past disappears. Somewhere the story is forgotten, and somewhere a new one is being demolished and built — a multi-storey and of the same type," she complained.

Walking through the city centre, one can see a rich heritage that one can be proud of. Why is there so much talk in Kazan about the popularisation of heritage? Because the city has gone through a thorny path and broken a lot of bones on it.

“In front of us, the older generation also advocated this [preservation of objects — editor's note], but the millennium training rink demolished about 2,500 historical sites in the city. Everything was removed — from slums to Art Nouveau houses, almost indiscriminately," Olesya Baltusova noted.

“We have to go out of our way to find the interest of the audience, not only among tourists, but also among citizens”

“At the very beginning, when social networks were just gaining popularity, we began to actively show problems in them, because people are more interested in discussing problems than just admiring what has already been created. This is how we attracted people to our topic," said the presidential aide.

So an excursion was held called “The Kazan we are losing”, which told about how the old historical Kazan was disappearing

“People were interested, they actively participated in the discussion of this topic. It is important to preserve the heritage not only for tourists, but also for the residents of the city. It is important that young people who are not burdened by the past can contribute. We want to hear their ideas and suggestions. We are often guided by stereotypes and think that it is enough just to publish an announcement. I have to go out of our way to find the interest of the audience, not only among tourists, but also among citizens," the speaker complained.

“Young architects are our future”

An increasing emphasis is now being placed on digitalisation and young talents — students of architectural areas of the country's universities. Leading architects, restorers and people interested in preserving the cultural code of the country are confident that they are the future of this field.

The cooperation of the Siberian Federal University with ASG Invest began back in 2018. Students of the Department of Architecture have come to Kazan again — they came from Krasnoyarsk to study with experienced professionals. The leading architects and restorers of the company, who have many years of experience, shared with them their knowledge about how the capital of Tatarstan managed to overcome difficulties and preserve cultural heritage sites.

“Students who are just starting their way in architecture often have more fresh ideas and views on how to preserve historical monuments. They are not burdened with a difficult past, which can influence decision-making, and can offer new approaches to the preservation of cultural heritage. Young architects are our future," the participants of the meeting unanimously declared.

Recently, these same students have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the real workflow. They carried out practical measurements of cultural heritage sites located in the historical centre of the city. Among them, there were the Azhgikhin estate, the outbuilding of the Danilovs' estate, the Zemlyanov house and Mikhailov's rooms.

“Practice helps students to better understand the value of cultural heritage sites and feel the materials in practice. Measurement work is necessary to create a three-dimensional model of the building and develop new concepts of use," said Anastasia Orlova, a senior lecturer at the Department of Fundamentals of Architectural Design at the Institute of Architecture and Design of the Siberian Federal University. “We are grateful that the organisation provides students not only with the opportunity to practice, but also valuable objects to study.

Architecture is a story that one can touch

Svetlana Borodina, a senior researcher at the International Institute of Cultural Heritage, warmly recalls the beginning of cooperation with colleagues from Siberia.

“In 2018, a group of students led by Anastasia Orlova came to our measurement practice for the first time. We didn't know what it was at the time, but we were happy to agree because it seemed interesting to us. Even now, after several years, we realise that we have not wasted our time. We managed to draw attention to our problems, digitise building designs and translate them into 3D models. During this time, together with the students, we visited all the buildings that we wanted to explore," Borodina said.

She couldn't help but mention their joint work — the book “Saved Beauty. Investments For Good!”. Recently, the book received a diploma at the Architectural Heritage Festival, as well as a diploma from the Union of Architects of Russia in the nomination “The Best Book About Architectural Heritage”.

Large-scale events related to the preservation and popularisation of the architectural heritage of the city are increasingly taking place in Kazan. For example, in 2015, a congress of restorers was held in the capital of Tatarstan, at which the ethical code of the community was adopted.

“The objects restored in our city are the result of both scientific research and a special approach to the preservation of historical heritage, which can be called the “Kazan phenomenon”. This positive experience is often considered and described in various works: economics, architectural history, sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, and so on. We are especially glad that it is also used as an educational material," Borodina said.

“Heritage is becoming the centre of attention. We don't have a clear plan of action, so we're looking for people with interesting ideas. Why do people come to the centre? Just to be there. Previously, they were looking for entertainment and pleasure in the centre, but now?..” Borodina declared.

It's not just a place, it's an opportunity to touch history. Here one can look inside the objects and see different details. As Anastasia Orlova noted, it is the small details that often arouse the greatest interest.