Archi.ru:
Tell us about your studies at the Moscow Architectural Institute
Elizaveta Klepanova:
- My parents are both architects. And although my mother, when I was very little, jokingly dreamed that I would marry a diplomat, in fact, my profession was determined from birth. Judge for yourself: when the family's social circle consists mainly of architects, artists, sculptors, literature in the home library is mostly devoted to art, and all trips are to visiting museums, it is very difficult to imagine that you can live outside such an environment. Of course, I could study any kind of art, not necessarily architecture, but I settled on it. MARCHI as the best specialized institute in the country became a logical choice for me. I successfully graduated from an English special school with a gold medal and entered the Moscow Architectural Institute with one exam, having passed the drawing of an antique head by 8 points. It's funny, but before entering, I told my parents that if there is Venus, then I will just get up and leave. I come to the exam and see, guess which head? Thank God that I have a sporty character: I know how to get together and bring the work to the end. The next day I was jumping at the fountain: my name was on the lists of applicants.
The first two courses I studied with great pleasure in the group of Natalya Alekseevna Saprykina, head of the department of architectural design. We had a wonderful group with very talented guys who have already achieved a lot in the profession. Then - at the Faculty of ZhOS with Professor Dmitry Valentinovich Velichkin and Associate Professor Nikolai Nikolaevich Golovanov. Despite the fact that they are practicing architects (unlike many teachers at Moscow Architectural Institute), they completely devote themselves to working with students, although, it would seem, they could be late or even miss classes. On the contrary, the group has always had tough discipline, everything had to be done not just on time, but in advance and in excellent quality. It was the time, as I call it about myself, “schools of Russian ballet”: 99 percent of the time was spent on the project.
Overall, it was interesting to study. I still do not stop saying "thank you" to the teachers of the Department of History of Architecture: if not for them, I would not have passed the exam in the history of Italian architecture for the highest score with a plus in Italy. I am also grateful to Olga Yurievna Suslova, lecturer at the Department of Architectural Structures. Without her support, I probably would not have started writing on architectural topics, speaking at conferences, and we would not have done some interesting works on the work of V. G. Shukhov. And of course, I can't help but say kind words about the painting department: there has always been a wonderful atmosphere and many interesting creative tasks.
How did you come up with the idea to go to study abroad, and what was the reason for the choice of the country where you went - Italy?
- From the very beginning of my studies at the Moscow Architectural Institute, it was obvious to me that it would be nice to also adopt foreign experience in the field of architecture. I was going to leave after my bachelor's degree, but, as a result, everything turned out even better than I expected: there was an opportunity to leave with the preservation of my place and get a specialist diploma in Moscow and a master's degree abroad, fortunately, there was a time difference between them, and all this was technically doable.
I went to study at the Polytechnic University of Milan. I chose between two educational institutions - in Milan and in Delft. One of the advantages of Milan was that I studied for some time in exchange at a secondary school in Orvieto, and then in Brescia, and knew Italian, understood the local culture and felt comfortable in this environment. As a result, I stopped at Milan.
What difficulties did you encounter when processing documents for departure?
- I had a somewhat non-standard situation: I did not just leave Moscow, but did it according to the program while retaining a place in the Moscow Architectural Institute. Of course, many teachers at Moscow Architectural Institute dissuaded me from leaving, they even said that I would not become my own there, but at home, on the contrary, I would be a stranger. It was difficult to get a number of papers in the personnel department of the institute simply because the employee was overloaded with work. Otherwise, the set of documents for admission is quite simple: you need to write a motivation letter, provide a diploma of the degree that you have at the moment with an apostille affixed (this procedure takes from a month to two, so it is advisable to take care of everything in advance), extract with grades, a certificate of passing the language proficiency exam and three letters of recommendation from teachers, as well as upload your portfolio to the university website. You also need to apply for an Italian student visa. First, I was given a multiple entry visa category "D", and then, already in Milan, I received a card - a student residence permit. For this document, you need to issue a so-called fiscal code (this can be done both at the consulate in Moscow and in Italy), an insurance policy (it is more convenient to do it in Italy), provide a bank statement or a copy of a credit card on both sides with a printout of the state of the account on it, a few photos, a copy of the apartment rental agreement or the agreement on living in a hostel, fill out special forms "modulo": you send all this by Italian mail with a special paid stamp - "mark da bollo". After a while, you receive a notification that they are waiting for you at one of the police stations in order to take your fingerprints. After a while you will receive an SMS that the residence permit is ready and you can pick it up from the police. The whole procedure takes, on average, one month. The papers for registration of a student residence permit are issued to you at the university upon arrival.
How was the adaptation process in the new country?
- It was difficult to part with my family. Even everyday calls and conversations in Skype did not help in my case: I missed my family very much, periodically flew home and the sweetest words for me at that time were “We landed at Sheremetyevo international airport in Moscow”.
There were no language problems: I knew Italian and could deal with all everyday issues on my own. Very soon I made friends. The closest were guys and girls from Russia, from the former republics of the Soviet Union and the countries of the socialist camp: Latvia, Serbia, Poland, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia, almost all with good spoken Russian.
I lived alone in an apartment on the famous Corso Sempione. As with most homes in Milan, there was a concierge to handle minor issues and help if needed. Italians are kind and open people. Here, in comparison with many other European countries, they treat Russians well, have an idea of our literature, ballet, painting, architecture. More than anything, Italians love beauty in all its forms. It is desirable to look good here and, for example, in order to find a decent job, knowledge and excellent grades alone will not be enough for you: how you behave and whether you look stylish will definitely be paid attention.
To study in Italy, I consider it essential to know Italian. Of course, people speak English, but, as a rule, either at a minimal level, or they understand you, but they cannot answer, and gestures are used. By the way, I really like it in Italians. Once my family and I were renting a house in Florence, I was standing on the balcony and suddenly I saw my dad and the owner of the house walking along the path: they were laughing, discussing something violently. I was surprised: the owner speaks only Italian, and my dad only speaks Russian and German. I shouted to the owner of the house: “How do you communicate? You don't speak each other's languages, do you? " He laughed: "With gestures!"
What was your studies in Milan?
- In Milan, I entered the Faculty of Architecture, and it was a pleasant surprise that a number of subjects could be chosen at will - just like teachers. In parallel with the main block of disciplines that were compulsory for everyone at the faculty, I could study, for example, law and energy efficient architecture. A huge plus was that, in addition to the practical block, we were also taught architectural criticism, analysis of specialized literature, and writing essays. It seems to me that the combination of theory and practice in the profession is important, and it was useful for me to read many books that I would hardly ever see in Russia at all, for example, "American Lectures" by Italo Calvino in the original or all the books of Bernard Chumi. It should be noted that the library of the Milan Polytechnic has a rich collection of specialized literature, and it was enough to book the necessary book through the application on the phone, and then simply pick it up from the library.
From what I didn’t like at all, the size of the project group was 35–40 people. After the greenhouse conditions of MARCHI, where there are a maximum of ten people in the group, or even fewer, and the teacher rushes about with you like a chicken and chicken, chewing on every incomprehensible moment, the Milanese conditions did not seem to be the most successful. In most cases, the professor works with you much less often than he would like, and you spend most of the work with assistants, often with yesterday's graduates of the Polytechnic University. For example, when I studied in a group with the famous Italian architect Chino Dzucchi, the master himself rarely appeared in class.
What was the difference between studying at the Politecnico di Milano and MARCHI?
- As I have already mentioned, at MARCHI the teacher does not just chew the material for you, but also puts it in your mouth. In Milan, basically, you need to get information on your own. At Moscow Architectural Institute, they practically do not work as a group on one task: the whole system is aimed at their individual implementation. In Milan, on the other hand, almost everything is done in groups. It was very difficult for me to rebuild, and it is still easier to do all the work myself, which is very bad because in an architectural workshop, one way or another, you need to interact with the team and share responsibilities.
MARCHI unambiguously provides a broader knowledge base: students study sociology, economics, color, philosophy, and so on. Unfortunately, there is no such variety in the Milan Polytechnic, but there is a pleasant opportunity, as I already mentioned, to compose part of your schedule yourself - which is also good, since, for example, I really liked studying law, but someone would have liked this discipline not interesting at all.
Both at the Moscow Architectural Institute and at the Milan Polytechnic, the teacher's opinion about your work is not discussed, and you are expected to adjust the project in accordance with his instructions. I often hear that in many European schools of architecture teachers say that you have to find a different solution than the one that they suggested to you, but this is not the case of the Polytechnic.
At MARCHI they are proud of the fact that its graduates are fluent in hand-feed and often emphasize that this skill has already been lost in Europe. After studying in Milan, I can say quite clearly that many students there can do excellent manual submission, which is absolutely not inferior to MARCHI. I think this is a feature of the classical architectural school.
In terms of project presentation, making layouts, writing term papers and creating presentations, everything is more or less similar: both schools are quite conservative. As, probably, in all European schools, at the Milan Polytechnic, a significant part of the time was devoted to the analysis of the project, which cannot be said about the Moscow Architectural Institute, where this phase took place in a couple of days. Sometimes it seemed superfluous to me, and from time to time it reminded me of lengthy arguments about nothing, which then lead nowhere. Still, everything is good in moderation.
What did your education in Italy give you, and what did your education at Moscow Architectural Institute give you?
- Studying in Milan gave me a versatile educational and work experience in a different environment. I saw a master's degree abroad as an opportunity to discover new facets of our profession and, for example, completed an internship in an architecture magazine in Munich, worked in one of the leading development companies in the world during the construction period.
"Bosco Vertical" Stefano Boeri, learned to speak and write fluent Italian, improved the level of English, French and German, was able to get a permanent job in an architectural workshop in Munich. And MARCHI gave me an excellent base, taught me to work hard and not give up in any situation.
Would you recommend the Polytechnic University of Milan to other Russian students?
- I will say this: if you are going to stay to work in Italy, the Milan Polytechnic is an excellent choice. If you plan to work later, for example, in Germany or Austria, then you should still choose a university in these countries. Every country in Europe prefers graduates of their universities, since such an employee has a base that is understandable to the employer.
The MARCHI diploma in Europe does not make any impression on anyone. It doesn't matter here whether you graduated from a university in Moscow, Kaliningrad or Vologda. The mere fact that you are from Russia no longer speaks in your favor, as it will give the owner of the architectural bureau a lot of difficulties with the paperwork for hiring you. Therefore, in order to get a good position, you must have a really high level of knowledge and be vital to this office.
I'll tell you about how I got a job in Munich. Immediately after graduating from the Politecnico, I received a job offer in Milan (I will not name the bureau, but these architects are now quite active in Russia) and in Munich. Both options suited me, but for a number of reasons I decided to leave for Germany. I knew German at a minimal level, and when I applied for a German residence permit at the German consulate in Rome, the Italian employee who received my documents was very interested in how I was offered a job at all. I replied that I am fluent in three languages, have work experience, recommendations, a specialist diploma and a master's degree. This convinced her, and my documents were accepted for consideration. Next, within a month, my employer had to post an advertisement for a vacancy in his company with a number of necessary criteria that had to be met and, if someone from the local or the European Union would fit for this position, he would be obliged by law to hire not me and this person. Fortunately, no one corresponded to the qualities that I had, and the Germans were forced to give me a residence permit. But if I had a diploma from a German university, then there would be significantly fewer problems with documents. So try to choose the city or country for study where you are going to continue to live and work.
Many of my colleagues from Moscow Architectural Institute, who studied not at the Polytechnic, but in other European cities, could not later find work in Europe and for this reason returned to Russia or plan to return there soon. I can say that absolutely all the guys who studied with me on the same course in Milan successfully work in different parts of our planet: for example, in the bureau of Kengo Kuma, Dominique Perrault, Henning Larsen Architects, or even opened their own workshop, and those who returned to Russia, they did it not forcedly, but of their own free will, and also received either excellent positions, or founded their own business. All of them passed a rigorous selection, each of them had to speak the language at an excellent level with a full knowledge of professional terms (since for your sake no one will specifically switch to English at the meeting), each of them went through a three-month or longer trial period and gave all the best to stay in the company. Unfortunately, some of the Russian graduates of European universities do not realize that the employer, for example, in Munich, where the minimum wage is about 1,200 euros, and the minimum wage of a beginner architect is 2,500 euros, is not eager to give them to a person without knowledge of local building codes and language, but requiring increased attention to itself and always whining, how difficult and incomprehensible everything is.
If you could go back in time, how would you organize your learning process in architecture?
- I think that I would be much less critical of myself. At MARCHI they set you up that you need to strive to create an ingenious project every time, they talk about the deep meaning of things, and then bam, and you find yourself in the real world, when the customer has such a budget and that's it: go, architect, where to go from your vision of the universe. Throughout your studies, you live in mental anguish and tremble over every line of the drawing, and then you realize that all this is actually not as important as they tell you. You can make your work calmer and more rational, learn from the examples of others, be sure to travel, write, give yourself time to rest, and even if your work is not good enough for someone or is original - it doesn't matter. There will always be someone in life who will not like you or what you do, especially if, God forbid, you will also be successful. Always ask yourself: "Who are the judges?"
In Germany, where I work now, during your studies, no one will force you to comply with the Olympic motto "overcome yourself", but make a "wow". Everyone understands that "wow" is a relative concept, and what is better is simpler, but better, because the architect is responsible for his own building for the next ten years, and if, for example, something is deformed near the building, then they will come for money for repairs. to the architect.
In general, I am happy with the way my life is going today. I have nothing to complain about. I'm a happy person.
What are you doing now?
- I work in Munich as an architect in the studio of Peter Ebner and friends. Our company has a very warm atmosphere, a large library, a small but pleasant collection of contemporary art - and even a kitchen where we occasionally cook. In addition to Germans, Austrians and Italians work in the office, and from time to time students from different countries come to practice. Someone stays, someone leaves in a week, unable to withstand the volume of work. We had an intern from Greece who said that he thought it was very difficult in the Greek army, but it turned out that in practice we have much more workload in our office. By the way, we often remember him with a kind word, and gave him excellent recommendations, because after four months with us he could be safely sent to any architectural bureau, and there would be no shame for him. All projects we are working on now are located in Germany and Austria.
In my free time I write articles on architecture, paintings, interviews, learn languages, read a lot and travel. Also, relatively recently, I was a member of the jury of the competition for the best publications in architecture and construction in Germany. Peter Ebner and I also filmed
film about the architecture of Munich.
Give one piece of advice to a novice architect
- Less reflection and self-examination - more action. Sketch, write notes, travel, read, look around, and love what you do with all your heart.
Elizaveta Klepanova
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