"Within the framework of this study, we are talking about soft-methods - tools aimed at popularizing architecture and improving the quality of architectural projects," - said at the beginning of the study. It was presented quite recently, on September 27-28 at the conference of the Moscow Architecture Committee "Open City". Full title: "Support for Architectural Activity: International Experience and Possibilities of Application in Russian Practice".
The tasks set are to analyze ways to promote architecture at the state level in European countries and formulate recommendations for the development of architectural policy in Russia. Instruments of 5 countries are considered in detail: Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria. Partially studied 20 countries and in general, according to the authors, 127 methods of supporting architectural activities. The study was commissioned by the Moscow City Architecture Committee, the authors were Citymakers (Petr Kudryavtsev, Alexey Chagin, Vera Avtaeva, Olga Kononova).
The well-known information became the starting point: there are few architects per capita in Russia. In France, 0.44 per thousand people, in the UK - 0.55, the Netherlands - 0.63, Austria - 0.58, in Denmark - as much as 1.72. In Russia 0.1. Further - even more sad, but in general, obvious statistics: however, not a single Pritzker or a world-class award was taken into account by RIBA; not a single won international competition designed for implementation. In France there are 2 Pritzkers, in the UK 3, in Holland-Austria-Denmark one each. But the average salary there is from 32 to 53 (Holland, Britain), in the Russian Federation - 9 thousand EUR per year. Rounding up, multiplying by 75 - we get 56,000 rubles a month for a Russian architect. Rounding up and multiplying the average salary of British architects - 330,000 rubles per month.
Further (this is not in the presentation of the study) it is difficult to refrain from comparing the total amount of funds spent on the salaries of architects - extremely approximately, of course, for Russia it is 800 million rubles a month, for Britain, where there are most architects on this list - 12 billion (again, rubles, for comparison) - in a word, 15 times more. And the population in Britain is 2.2 times less. In other words, Russian architects are about 30 times poorer than British ones. Based on rough estimates. However, this parameter is not expanded in the study. The emphasis is on: associations, professional and general education, competitions, sustainable development, publications, professional development.
Across five countries
retelling briefly
State programs
The national arch-strategy was adopted in Holland in 1991 (updated five times), in Britain in 2012, in France in 2015. The goals are to improve the industry, among others economic. In Denmark, there is a policy, but when it was adopted, it is not known; the Danish architecture center DAC is responsible for it.
Architectural awards
State prize for architects in the Netherlands - "Golden Pyramid" (Gouden Piramide), the winner will receive 75,000 EUR. In Austria, there are 30 awards of various sizes, the most prestigious is the national Staatspreis Architektur award from the BMWFW Ministry of Science. Annual Danish Award - The Architecture Award People.
Catalogs
The archcatalogue of France for young people under 35 is called Albums des Jeunes Architectes. For the UK, the Architecture and Design Scotland portal is mentioned. In Austria, the Best of Austria book and the unified Nextroom platform, which has existed since 1996.
Architectural education for youth and schoolchildren
The England State Department of Culture and Sports provides lessons on the built environment as part of the Engaging Places extracurricular program. In Austria, the Initiative Baukulturvermittlung für junge Menschen program has been operating since 2010, at the same time coordinating the architectural community. In France, in Nantes, the Archi'teliers children's festival is held annually. In Denmark, design and urban studies are included in the school curriculum.
Proof of rights / advanced training
Institute, somewhat similar to the faculty of advanced training. It is not obligatory in Russia, but looking ahead, let us say that such an opportunity exists on the basis of universities in Moscow, Izhevsk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk.
In France, 3 years of postgraduate education are compulsory, 20 hours a year. In the Netherlands, it is always compulsory for all practicing architects, 60 hours per year. Denmark and Austria are not mentioned. The British - but only RIBA members - practice continuing education all the time; those who fail the exam are deprived of membership; annual lists of applicants are published.
Unions of architects and other commissions
There are two of them in France: UNSFA and SA Architectural Syndicate. Plus CNOA, the national council - protects rights, publishes books, collects statistics. In Britain, the Commission on Architecture and Urban Environment worked until 2011. And no longer.
There are many organizations in Austria, the most famous is ŐGFA, the Austrian Society for Architecture. Institutions such as RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects, or NAI, the Netherlands Architectural Institute, often take over the functions of the unions. The Netherlands also has a Foundation for the Support of Architecture. In Denmark - the DAC architectural center.
Other ways to promote include: scholarships, for example, the Austrian BMUKK from the Ministry of Education, and support for young bureaus; support for contests, festivals (named Rotterdam Biennale), film festivals, support for green sustainable solutions. As well as support for international cooperation (in Austria, the Wonderland project is engaged in this) and architecture "for export", for example, the Danish government launched a program to support bureaus seeking to work for export.
For 20 countries
also briefly, but with pictures
The second part of the study is divided into topics and, in contrast to the first part, the European and Russian practices of promoting architecture are compared on 16 points. The data are presented in sufficient detail, and the lag is not that emphasized, but rather softened in the wording, in a word, after reading it, you are convinced that there is something in Russia for each item; in one way or another, many are mentioned, although there is an emphasis on the projects of the Moscow government and the Moskomarkhitektura. We quote: “In Russian practice, the organization of mass architectural events is also quite widespread. The most striking event in the architectural and urban planning spheres is the Moscow Urban Forum”. In the section Local centers of support for architecture: "The main architectural organization at the level of Moscow is the Architectural Council, which acts as a collegial and advisory body under the Moscow City Architecture Committee."
Interesting figures: the total amount of awards received by architects in 2013 is 6.3 million rubles for 108 people. On average, this is 58,000 rubles for each, roughly similar to the above-mentioned average salary. 16 million rubles - the proceeds of the project "Moscow through the eyes of an engineer", the most active educational project in Moscow in 2016.
Recommendations
Divided into 4 blocks: popularization, development of a professional environment, updating of educational programs, support of architectural organizations. Let's name a few interesting tips, about half of them, note, are related to new initiatives, the creation of funds, programs and awards; and not the development of existing ones. At the same time, the nature of the recommendations can be understood as "evolutionary", there seems to be no radial proposals for regulation here.
1. Perhaps one of the important recommendations: the definition the recommended amount for participation in the competition and guarantees of obtaining a contract in case of victory in competitions. Commentary: “Participation in competitive activities is unprofitable for many bureaus, the introduction of a certain threshold can become a motivating factor that increases the quality of projects”.
2. The establishment of an annual and professional award and its broadcast on television. Arguments - TV is the most popular media in Russia, with up to 70% of the audience.
3. Catalog of the best architectural projects "selected by the decision of the architectural council or the chief architect of the city."
4. Creation of an architectural fund aimed at holding events and popularizing architecture.
5. Implementation of architecture in preschool and school activities. Commentary: "Creation of an experimental curriculum within the framework of one of the innovative schools in Moscow."
6. Development of professional development programs, creation of a program for 15-20 hours.
7. Establishment of a center for international student mobility, personal scholarships for students, awards for teachers, platforms for interuniversity interaction.
In total, there are 19 recommendations, all of them, as well as in more detail with the analysis results, can be found by downloading the research presentation.
Summing up, let's say the following: a cursory glance at this study shows, first of all, the "undernourishment" of the architectural sphere in Russia - small salaries, small awards in competitions, the absence of large monetary awards. On the other hand, there is a variety of forms and methods of supporting the architectural sphere in the country as a whole. The Moskomarkhitektura's research in terms of recommendations demonstrates a probable desire to create new structures in the future in each, or almost each of the above directions.
