To find out what she gave the students, I myself took first a pen and a notebook, and then a spatula and a screwdriver, and for two days I joined the last group. There were four groups in total, and each was engaged for one week.
At 9 am on Monday, students who had not yet fully awakened were greeted in the classroom by Sergey Kachanov, coordinator of special projects of the Union of Architects of Russia. In his introductory remarks, he talked about the study schedule: 1 day of theory, 1 day of practice and 3 days of independent work as plasterers. And so that the students did not doubt the benefits of the time spent, he conducted a simple experiment - he asked what must first be added to a bucket to obtain a solution of a dry mixture: water or a mixture.
The seemingly elementary question sparked a lively discussion, with the students split 50/50 in favor of each answer. Having voiced the correct decision - first water, then a mixture, Sergei explained that every foreman must know this for sure: “Any future engineer, designer or foreman must work with his own hands, understand what the main construction work consists of. Otherwise, then we see a situation when the worker tells the foreman how and what to do. This idea was fully supported by Vladimir Yarov, director of Elin CJSC, which is engaged in the construction of the temple. He noted that the leader must lead competently, and this is possible only if he knows what he is talking about.
Introduction to construction
The theoretical day began with a story by Andrey Vernikov, head of the product management department, about KNAUF - its history, products and quality standards. Opened by the Knauf brothers in 1932, a small factory has today turned into a conglomerate that manufactures its products in more than 60 countries around the world. A special feature of Knauf is the offer of complete systems, that is, all types of products and components for the implementation of the conceived solution. For example, if this is the construction of a partition, then the "package" includes drywall, profiles, self-tapping screws, primers and other necessary materials selected by the company's specialists, which guarantees a high-quality result.
Konstantin Akimov, a teacher at the KNAUF training center, told the children more about each type of food. During his lecture, students learned about the difference between gypsum plasterboard and gypsum fiber sheets, what is the peculiarity of tongue-and-groove slabs, the usual and humidity conditions of operation, and the peculiarities of assembling structures from these materials.
Special attention was paid to the special products of Knauf - non-combustible plates, acoustic panels and X-ray protective sheets. They are used for special premises and require a slightly different installation technique.
After lunch, which was also organized by KNAUF for students, Andrei Vernikov took the baton again. No less detailed than Konstantin, he spoke about the types of dry mixes and the techniques for their application. For example, students learned that the layer of application depends on the type of mixture, that gypsum expands during hardening, when primers are needed and when not, and much more.
After the end of the lecture, the listeners wrote a test that shows how much the material was assimilated. The successful completion of the test was indicated in the certificate that was given to everyone after graduation. “The percentage of correct answers is usually over 70%. Despite the fact that the course is quite intensive - in one day you need to learn everything about finishing materials, knowledge is assimilated, because they are still students of a specialized university and they have basic ideas about the subject,”explained Andrey Vernikov.
From theory to practice
The second day was no longer in a cozy, clean classroom, but at a real construction site. Together with the workers, the students put on overalls and followed the foreman to the temple premises, specially designated for practical exercises.
There, under the close supervision of the pros, young builders had to first disassemble and then reassemble the demonstration plasterboard structure. To do this, they measured and cut drywall - strictly on both sides, fastened the profiles, screwed the screws with a screwdriver - strictly perpendicular and with the cap immersed in the surface of the sheet by no more than one millimeter, sealed the joints. For a professional worker, this procedure takes no more than 20 minutes, but for beginners it took several hours to complete the task.
Having rested at lunchtime, the construction team, already in overalls soiled with putty, began to master the plastering work. After calculating the proportions and mixing the solution, everyone as one took the spatulas in their hands and went to putty the uneven brick wall of the temple. At first, the naughty mixture either slipped to the floor, then lay unevenly, however, in the late afternoon, an even, uniform surface came out from under each spatula, completely ready for painting.
At the end of the working day, tired but satisfied students changed into their clothes and headed home to start the working day tomorrow as almost professional plasterers. Until the end of the week, they will bring the acquired skills to automatism, and the question of how to mix the building mixture will never baffle them. “Such projects are of great importance, because the difference between the knowledge that students come with and with which they leave is enormous. At the institute, they study only theory, so they just need to visit a real construction site, see how the processes are organized. In total, 60 people will be trained this summer,”explained Konstantin Akimov.
Elizaveta Diaghileva, second-year student at MGSU:
- To be a good engineer, you need to understand where everything is coming from, to know the basics, and I am glad that now I know them. In this course, almost all the information was new to me. Of course, I assumed that plaster was put first, and then putty, but how to connect the profiles, how many sheets of drywall to install, I never touched this. Plus, I had no idea there were so many types of plaster.
The most interesting thing for me was trying to work with my own hands. The acquired skills will be useful to me in everyday life as well - we have our own home, and now I can help my dad not only as a "bring-pass."
Vladislav Chernyavsky, second year student at MGSU:
- I want to become a designer, so I just need to visit a construction site. I already have experience working with drywall and plaster - I helped my parents in the country, but the fact that there is such a variety of building materials, the same plaster, was a real discovery. As well as the fact that different materials are needed for different conditions. I liked that they willingly and extensively answered any questions here, so the benefits of this practice are, of course, great.
