The results of the regional competition "Conservation with adaptation 2024-2025" have been summed up

On October 15, 2025, at the Nevsky Town Hall ADC, at a joint meeting of the working groups "Improving Investment activity" and "Improving the efficiency of business and government cooperation in the field of property relations in St. Petersburg" of the Headquarters for Improving Business Conditions, a solemn summing up of the results of the Conservation with Adaptation 2024-2025 competition took place.
The competition was organized by the St. Petersburg city branch of the All-Russian public organization "All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments" (SPb GO VOOPIK) together with the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (KGIOP) with the support of St. Petersburg GBU "Investment Management", St. Petersburg GBU "City Management of Inventory and Valuation of Real Estate and Movable Property" (GUION) and St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The goal is to create and identify the best project proposal for the adaptation of cultural heritage sites – monuments of wooden architecture – for modern use in St. Petersburg.
"The preservation of historical heritage and the support of culture is one of the directions of the program "10 priorities for the development of St. Petersburg." The goals of this priority are achieved with the active participation of investors. When the contest was conceived, we set ourselves the task of making potential investors look at the cultural heritage sites of St. Petersburg in a different way - very different, complex and interesting – and see the image of the future formed thanks to the talented work of young specialists," said Ivan Skladchikov, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Investment Committee.
Applications for participation in the competition were submitted by more than 50 project teams and individual participants – students of leading St. Petersburg universities specializing in the field of design, construction, reconstruction and restoration of architectural heritage. 24 projects were selected for the expert jury.
"The function of the monument largely determines its features, urban location and even preservation. The contestants identified the individual characteristics of the proposed cultural heritage sites, analyzed possible and acceptable functions that would allow them to "breathe" life into them. By understanding the function, you can calculate economic features, costs, and profits. This approach turns the facility into a ready–made case for an investor," said Alexey Mikhailov, Chairman of the KGIOP.
Irina Shchukina, Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Property Relations Committee, emphasized that the competition should be considered not as a competitive event, but as a "piggy bank of ideas" that would increase investors' interest in working with monument buildings.
Dmitry Panov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, stressed the importance of measures to support investors, including a fixed preferential rate of 9% for window restoration projects in all regions of Russia.
During the meeting, nine best projects were presented and awards were presented to the winners of the competition in three categories.
In the "Best of the Best" nomination, all prizes were awarded to teams of students from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. In the first place is the project of adapting G.A. Lessner's Summer Cottage, in the second - the Main building with a front garden and a fence as part of the window "Complex of the former Special hospital with a territory and green spaces", in the third — the Cottages of N.M. Kochkin. Diplomas and prizes were presented to the laureates of the nomination by Anton Ivanov, Acting Chairman of the Council of the St. Petersburg State Educational Institute.
In the "Best according to Investors" category, the first was the project of adapting V.F. Gabersetel's Summer Residence to a museum and exhibition space, carried out by Anastasia Tyurina, a fourth-year student at the Stieglitz St. Petersburg Academy of Art and Industry. The second and third places were taken by teams of students from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University with projects to adapt the Villa of V.F. Gabersetel for a shopping and entertainment function and to restore the Verlander Mineral Waters Pavilion in Krasnoe Selo.
Sergey Stepanov, a strategic partner of ACADEMIA, a member of the jury, congratulated the winners: "One of the principles of ACADEMIA is to develop talents. We are always glad to see talented specialists who are in love with the historical heritage. Wooden architecture objects are not an easy topic for investors — they require a special approach, in—depth study of history, careful treatment of the material and significant costs. I would like to note significant progress this year: for the first time, the teams conducted an analysis of economic efficiency and payback, and paid attention to project marketing. I am glad that they listened to our recommendations as investors. It is valuable to see how young architects, urbanists and designers find new meanings and opportunities for development in the historical heritage."
The first two places in the nomination "Best Student project" were also won by students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University with the concepts of adaptation of buildings 2, 5, 7 as part of the window of regional importance "Factory Village" in Krasnoe Selo and "Merchant Volkov's House" in Lomonosov. In third place in this nomination is the restoration project of G.A. Lessner's Summer Cottage with a hotel adaptation, developed by Anastasia Korshunova, a third—year student at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The awards were presented by Alexandra Komissarova, Deputy Director of the St. Petersburg Union of Restorers and a member of the jury.
Each project was evaluated according to seven criteria: consideration of the historical features of the origin and use of the facility; completeness and expediency of the idea of adaptation, the use of energy-efficient materials and technologies in the project; qualitative study of the location and its features; the degree of elaboration of project details; the quality of text and graphic materials; the use of principles of preserving authentic elements of windows that make up the object of protection; assessment of the budget of the project of adaptation of windows for modern usage, including the calculation of payback.
It should be noted that many of the objects submitted to the competition have already found investors within the framework of the Ruble per Meter program. The best ideas and ready-made solutions of the contestants will be posted on the Investment Portal of St. Petersburg so that investors can familiarize themselves with them.
The organizers of the competition and the members of the jury received commendations from Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, as well as the Committee on Property Relations of St. Petersburg, KGIOP, VOOPIK, and the Union of Restorers.
The meeting participants agreed on the need to continue the student project competition in the future.
For reference:
The Regional competition "Conservation with Adaptation 2024-2025" was announced in the fall of 2024 as part of the IV Conference on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites – monuments of Wooden Architecture. Projects for the competition were accepted until September 30, 2025, the evaluation of the finalists and the selection of the nine best works took place from October 1 to October 10.
The competition jury included representatives of the St. Petersburg Investment Committee and the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution "Investment Management", KGIOP, the St. Petersburg Property Relations Committee and the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution GUION, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, the Union of Restorers, St. Petersburg GO VOOPIK, the partner of the competition - ACADEMIA, experts from leading specialized universities.
Cash prizes were awarded to the winners by ACADEMIA, a company specializing in the preservation and adaptation of WINDOWS for boutique hotels.