Sirius. Under the Sign of Infinity

The first vigorous Special Project Event at the Sirius – Kuzbass Regional Centre for Identification, Support and Development of Abilities and Talents in Children and Youth, conducted by Stroytransgaz, ended in a triumphant defence of projects under the “Design of Urban Space” educational program.

During the week, the children prepared and presented projects visualizing improvement and landscaping of the Educational Complex construction site, where young musicians and dancers study, and proposed bold out-of-the-box solutions for decoration of the flower beds, alleys, playgrounds, hardscape elements (benches, swings, figurines), and even their own options for buildings and premises.

To enroll in the event, the students of children’s art and design schools of the region – winners of regional, national and international competitions in fine arts and design – passed tough competitive admissions.

16 young Kuzbass residents aged 14 to 17 learned about the purpose and specifics of the Siberian Cultural Cluster project, visited the territory of the already commissioned part of the educational complex, got acquainted with the basics of contemporary theories of urban environment design, and had a chance to independently create floral and herb compositions in flower beds, all under the guidance of employees of STG-Siberia JSC, lecturers of the Kemerovo State Institute of Culture and Arts, and specialists of the Kuzbass Botanical Garden.

Their work resulted in 4 projects submitted for consideration to the contest committee, headed by Konstantin Alexandrovich Bayanov, Head of the Design Management Group of STG-Siberia JSC.

The children prepared a presentation and designed sketches of the recreation area, playground, choreographic and musical buildings. As part of the defence, the team’s speakers detailed the user's needs analysis that had been carefully performed prior to the start of work, and the ideology underpinning each line of project drawings. For example, the participants designed the music school building in the shape of a guitar and ...an infinity sign, because music, culture, and inspiration have no boundaries. They proposed to install telescopes on the roof of the building, so that the “young stars” would be inspired by looking at the Milky Way.

The team of creators decorated the recreation area with a fountain with a figure of a ballerina in a tutu skirt made of crystal streams in its centre. They provided for a lot of benches and comfortable spaces for rest, and even thought out different types of pavement for walkways and the performance and rehearsal areas.

The children proposed to design the choreographic academy building shaped as an inverted parallelepiped, symbolizing the continuous expansion of opportunities in the course of mastering the skill. In front of the entrance, they installed a sculptural composition in the form of a dancing couple, resembling a single drop of metal alloy, elusive, fluid and endless, like the motions of the dance they are spinning in.

The playground, according to its creators, should be functional. The children filled every space with interactive “entertainment”: bells to play wind music, a harp, slides, a climbing area, and even a mini-stage with a transparent roof and walls – to make it easier to merge with nature and express its essence in movement and sounds.

It was very hard to select the best ones, since all projects were very different in essence and equal in skill. Therefore, all project participants received gifts from STG-Siberia and were awarded Certificates of Winners by the Sirius Centre. 

‘Our first experience of working with STG and urban space design turned out to be very successful’, Galina Talgatovna Vasilchuk, Director of the Kuzbass Centre for Gifted Children, shared her impressions. ‘The theme of change aroused great interest among the teenagers. It took them one week to master a huge volume of knowledge and skills and prepare projects, with each detail thoroughly elaborated. We are pleased with the fact that such a major company as Stroytransgaz pays attention to career guidance.
 
Konstantin Aleksandrovich Bayanov says ‘In the course of the project defence, the children and I talked about the importance of understanding customers’ demands and conveying to customers the philosophy of a developed project during the defence. We raised the topic of the facility cost and importance of using local construction materials. I’m pleased that the participants listened to me very attentively and used the advice in their work.’

Right after the project defence, the teachers asked those participants, who were going to consider the jobs of planners, architects and designers as their possible future, to raise their hands. 12 out of 16 participants expressed their desire to make careers in the construction industry. Perhaps these are the people who will design and build the Kuzbass of the next decade.

Stroytransgaz is a group of companies distinguished by its high social responsibility. Its subsidiary company STG-Siberia pays great attention to participation in educational programs in the region, popularization of professions related to the construction industry, as well as informing the population about the goals of the Presidential project on construction of cultural complexes. 

The Sirius – Kuzbass Regional Centre for Identification, Support and Development of Abilities and Talents in Children and Youth carries out educational activities in additional education programs specialized in engineering, natural science, art, and sports. The largest companies, organizations and educational institutions cooperate with the Centre as partners in organizing specialized events. For STG-Siberia, this was the first experience of cooperation with Sirius in the context of career guidance for children and youth. It is planned that the specialized event arranged by Stroytransgaz will be conducted every year as part of the Builder's Day celebration.
 
Background info:

As part of the Siberian Cultural Complex construction project by Stroytransgaz-Siberia JSC, the following venues will be built in Kemerovo: Opera and Ballet Theatre (a branch of the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre); Museum & Exhibition Centre (a branch of the Russian Museum); Kuzbass Centre of Arts with a Cinema and Concert Complex (designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au, Austria); Siberian Campus and Dormitory of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, including the Creative Industries School; Museum depository with a restoration centre; 2 buildings to accommodate educators and performing artists.

Already built and commissioned are: A branch of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography with a boarding school; the Siberian Branch of the Central Music School – Academy of Performing Arts with a boarding school and a comprehensive school with 2 swimming pools.