Practicing architecture in Russia october 28, 2009
 |
Palace Square in St. petersburg, Russia. Photograph by Jason Rogers. |
Many companies desire to expand their operations abroad without understanding the specifics, rules, and regulations for the industry as defined in another culture and dissimilar business practices. For example, providing architectural, planning, and landscape services for customers in Russia is much different from serving American clients.
For instance, look at the process of becoming a licensed architect. At first glance, the processes appear similar in Russia and the USA. That is, first you get a degree, then complete a required number of years of experience, and finally apply for licensure. However, in the USA, rules about licensure seldom change as compared to the licensure procedure in Russia. In Russia, the rules change quite often; in fact, even the people within this industry lose track of what must be done. Those regulations also force architects to practice as interior designers where no licensure is required.
Building codes and accessibility requirements are very similar to licensure procedures. Everything initially looks similar in both countries until you discover that building codes in Russia were written during the Soviet reign, and no provisions have been made for accessibility. How does this affect the city? Required parking, for example, states that 1 parking space must be provided per 100 residences. Handicap ramps are required to be built at a 10% incline, which makes traveling up the ramp in a wheel chair or with a walker very difficult. Although developers benefit from these outdated requirements, the society is slighted in the process.
Environmental concerns have been raised in every metropolitan city around the globe. Air pollution, lack of parks, and safety for pedestrians are hot topics in St. Petersburg as well. Solutions for these problems will be awkward for any urban designer. For examples, an attempt to promote the use of bikes in historical part of the city is one suggested solution. In fact, many bicycle festivals were organized during the summer. Although this sounds like an effective method, no dedicated bicycle lanes have been created in the city. Bicyclists take significant risks by sharing lanes with cars and busses.
Overall, the practice of architecture, planning, and landscape architecture may look the same regardless of the setting; however, the difference is in the actual implementation. We hope that more clarity will be provided in regulations and more concern will be given to the public realm in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the future.
|
 |
|
