Opening the session, moderator Anna Romanova, Doctor of Science, Professor, Director of the Institute of Architecture and Design, recalled that the University of Civil Engineering has already celebrated 92 years of its existence, and during the last 60 years the Kazan School of Architecture was being developed in it. Among other things, the School of Architecture is engaged in restauration issues.

Practice-oriented training is being introduced at KSUAE from the first academic year of studies to receive a highly qualified specialist by the fifth year. Khanifa Nadyrova, Doctor of Science, Professor, Head of the Department of Reconstruction and Restoration of the Architectural Heritage Sites and Fundamentals of Architecture, spoke about the process of future restorers training and mastering their profession in practice.
- We are bringing up high-quality specialists able of developing a project and restoring the original of a building from the ruins with the final appearance corresponding to a certain historical period. We are aimed at ensuring that our graduates are not just theorists, so that they understand how projects are implemented in practice. We have established scientific and educational centers in several areas, to teach our students the skill to work with their hands in order to recreate the objects which will later be at the construction site.

Tatyana Vavilonskaya, Doctor of Sciences, Professor, Head of the Reconstruction and Restoration of the Architectural Heritage Department of the Samara State Technical University, presented the unique experience of compiling an information and reference manual dealing with augmented reality technology for CHS. The interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, architects, restorers and IT specialists has been working for 2 years on the “revival of history”. As a result, a book in 2 volumes was created, as well as a website and a mobile application about the history of the Samara region. All this material is numerically synchronized: in all three sources the objects have the same numbers and the information is presented in the form of photos, videos and 3D models.
- We have developed an algorithm to make navigation easy using the GIS systems. Our edition is very informative. You can make almost any kind of request concerning an object: date, location, purpose, style. There are no legends here, only scientifically verified historical information. Most of the work was fulfilled by students.

A recent development of Russian specialists, the TransNet program, was presented by Aleksander Polyakov, Professor at the Russian University of Transport (MIIT) and the Higher School of Economics, State Examiner of the RF Ministry of Construction and Housing and Municipal Services and the RF Ministry of Transport. Since July 4, it is being introduced at KSUAE, and will allow designing and macro-modeling in transport infrastructure, housing and social infrastructure, public utilities and business areas.
- We have already a number of examples of the socio-economic efficiency of this program application in urban planning. The simulation results allow the transport work time reduction, as well as the cost of design and construction work, the maintenance of infrastructure facilities, and, as a result, citizens spend less time on the road. This program is important both for the federal agenda for the development of historical buildings and in the regions. Now this program has been adopted not only by many private companies, but also by a number of universities.

Victoria Maltseva, Head of the Analytical Center of the Moscow Urban Forum, ANO and lecturer at the Higher School of Economics, spoke about the growing interest in the development of historical centers leading to the idea of creating an educational program at the HSE to train specialists to work with restoration projects.
- Our teachers are practitioners; they do not show presentations at their lessons, but take the students directly to the object and explain everything on an existing example. And at seminars, students take an object which has some kind of problem in restoration. And the students in small groups do a complete analysis, draw up an investment passport. The final presentation is not for the lecturer, but directly to those who provided the students with documents on the object and is interested in real work with the object.

Vadim Rozhkov, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Expertise and Property Management, KSUAE told about the features of training estimators, which are the important specialists for construction, about the fundamental differences between estimators for residential construction and for restoration work.
- As part of the Bachelor program, we offer the course “Inspection of the technical condition”, where we teach students its technique. When examining CHS, we must study the temperature, humidity conditions and evaluate the period of work in addition to engineering examination. And within the scope of the last 5th year, we give an already expanded program “Forensic-technical examination”. Unfortunately, we are not always able to take students to real objects, since they are often in a critical condition.

KSUAE graduate Alsu Naumova, Head of the SmetaGrad estimate agency, cites the statistics: less than 3% of the total number of estimate specialists are deal with restoration. And when an ordinary estimator after making calculation will say that it is easier to demolish the construction and build a new one, the estimate specialist in restoration will understand that the usual principles of estimation do not apply here.
A specialist in the field of conservation of cultural heritage sites must have five skills: know the technology of conservation and restoration work; estimated prices for repair and restoration work; rules and tools for preparing estimates for the preservation of CHS (sometimes without such skill, the preparation of an examination is delayed, and restoration work is postponed to the autumn-winter period, which is unacceptable); visual experience (real examples of not only successful, but also erroneous solutions); the ability, when in a historical building, to see the point B, how everything will Be here.

Olga Maksimchuk, Doctor of Science, professor at Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov brought up a question that a full-fledged examination is often perceived as an optional, concomitant restoration process which is often saved on. Meanwhile, it is clear from practice that it is important to take into account regional, national, geological features, housing and communal services, so that the project could stand the restoration process and be able to meet its new purpose.
- Thus, for example, when establishing a public garden named after A. Pakhmutova in Volgograd, such work has been missed and hence we had a small environmental disaster. The drainage system was obsolete; and when rain started, the water remained in the garden washing away everything. Therefore, in the process of research, we often address our fellow engineers, electricians, specialists in city networks. And when training students, we try to convey to them the importance not only of the cultural heritage values in their region, but also a number of interdisciplinary features.