Abstract: The subject of this article is the artificial lighting environment in the historical cities of Russia. The author examines and analyzed some existing Russian concepts of lighting of public urban spaces, as well as underlines the most interesting and promising approaches and principles used within them. The author also notes the positive and negative aspects of their application within the historical city environment depending on the type of the planning pattern and location of the historical center, as well as sophistication of street network and system of public urban spaces. The article provides international criteria of the quality of modern lighting environment of a city, and reveals the correspondence of the used in lighting concepts approaches with these criteria. The result of the research consists in a number of summary analytical tables that visually demonstrate the level of applicability of the existing in modern Russian concepts of lighting principles towards some historical cities of Russia. Such classification determines the weak sides in the existing concept, and accentuates the aspect that deserve attention in development of the future concepts of city lighting.

Keywords: lighting concept, light environment, urban environment, historical environment, outdoor lighting, lighting, historical city, lighting design, light, artificial lighting

Abstract: Based on the analysis of thematic parks of the Russian and foreign experience, the four main planning structures have been determined: “invariant”, universal, super thematic, and flexible. The author analyzes the patterns of the theme parks, amount of objects of demonstration, their location, as well as reviews the principle of building the rout in the parks with hierarchy of the thematic zones and objects of demonstration. Special attention is given to the thematic zoning and breaking the scenario into episodes. The work examines the planning principles that affect the environment of the park, as well as interaction of the planning structure with surrounding landscape. Scenario approach lies in the foundation of a theme park, which represents creation of the timely structure consisting of the objects of demonstrations that are connected between each other by the rout of a park. The main conclusion reflects the interconnection between the theme of the park and its planning structure. The “invariant” structure is common to the parks with fairy-tale and mythological theme; super thematic structure is usually used in the parts with scientific-technical theme; universal and flexible structures are characteristic to the parts with cultural and ethnical theme. The flexible planning structure is most popular for the theme parks.

Keywords: route, scenario approach, hierarchy of exhibited objects, invariant planning structure, universal planning structure, suprematic planning structure, flexible planning structure, thematic zoning, project approaches, theme parks

Abstract: The object of this study is the semiotic character of architectural space that allows characterizing the city as a complex multi-level system with typical texts and codes, belonging to different language culture. The subject of this research is the architectural image of the city of Feodosiya with houses of worship and museums, historic monuments and fountains, public buildings and mansions of the urban elite – the architectural objects that are dominant in the urban space. The authors explore the city as symbolic integral institution, which is in constant search of its own relevant image. Special attention is given to the meaning of signs and symbols that manifest as the media in architectural space. The problem of creating an integrative holistic image of the city, understanding of structure and principles of formation of its architectural space is revealed through the semiotic method. The article is first to analyze the architecture of Feodosiya in the context of the uniqueness of the cultural landscape of Crimea, which carries a certain information framed into the semiotic system. Examination of the urban space of the Crimean cities becomes relevant in contemporary cultural studies, because the formation of semiotic cultural space was influenced by the lifestyle of multiple nations. The application of semiotic method of analysis is justified and requires further study.

Keywords: architectural appearance, cultural landscape, text, symbol, sign, semiotics, city, space, Feodosiya, Crimea

Abstract: This article examines the aspects of assessment of efficiency of the functionality of architectural environment of public pedestrian spaces. Special attention is given to the analysis of characteristics of the pedestrian activity, which reflect the level of social efficiency of functionality of the public pedestrian spaces. In the result of the conducted research, the author determines that each fragment of the pedestrian network represents a dynamic space, the state and functions of which constantly change depending on such factors, as weather conditions, time of the day, mood of the residents, and other that create the circumstances for realization of certain types of activity – processes that reflects the important properties of the architectural environment of urban public spaces. The article examines the classification of process carried out within the architectural environment of the public pedestrian spaces. The author analyzes the existing methods, which allow classifying and assessing the types of pedestrian activity, as well as formulates the methodology of identification of the level of social efficiency of the architectural environment of public pedestrian spaces within the formed urban development. The scientific novelty of the article consists in substantiation and systematization of the processes that take place in the public pedestrian spaces along with their development and classification. The methods and principles laid in the methodology of assessment of the social efficiency of functionality of the public pedestrian spaces allow on the stages of pre-project analyses, internal audit and external expertize of the projects and implemented decisions, determining the format and vectors of reconstruction of the public pedestrian spaces in the conditions of the established urban environment. 

Keywords: Public spaces, Pedestrian processes, Types of pedestrian activity, Established urban development, Assessment, Indication methods, Ethology , Efficiency of functionality, Pedestrian spaces, Architectural environment

Abstract: This article presents the results of sociological research aimed at identifying the characteristics of the urban environment perception of the inhabitants of a large provincial city (on Omsk data). As a result, the author formulates a list of parameters covered in this study. The main parameters are the following : firstly, the assessment of the subjective perception of citizens of the visual characteristics of urban environment (including aesthetic, formal (size, structure, composition); secondly, the assessment of the level of emotional perception (based on a list of basic and secondary emotional state); and thirdly, the additional features aimed primarily at identifying the parameters inherent to urban lifestyle author characterizes the dynamics of the research interest in urban space perception problems. The author develops an original version of semantic differential consisting of twenty polar scales defined by the pairs of antonymous adjectives. Within the framework of this research, the pairs of antonymous adjectives are deliberately mixed between the blocks, but in the preparation of the questionnaire, the author takes into account the existence of such conceptual blocks as the visual characteristics of space, emotional perception, and additional characteristics. The results of the research allow estimating the current state of perception of the inhabitants of the city environment of their stay, and can be applied in the development of urban solutions alongside the conceptual foundations of regional cultural policy. Most of the responses are determined by the objective characteristics of lifestyle in the large cities, such as substantial size, rapid pace of life, environmental problems, a high level of protection provided by the visual monotony largely objects panel construction and others.

Keywords: urban environment, visual characteristics, city, methodology, historiography, emotional perception of space, semantic differential, perception of space, urban lifestyle, perception of space structures

Abstract: This research is aimed at the analytics of space, and its "secondary goal" is the understanding of principles of its architecture. In the introduction, it is demonstrated that the direct access to such is impossible, and therefore, the future theory of architecture is forced to proceed to the matter, clearing the place of construction, in particular, specifying the ontology of the problem. In addition to the direct reference to the philosophical classics (M. Heidegger, J. Baudrillard, etc.), the initiator of such undertaking is had to keep in the field of view a significant number of other sources: philosophers have dealt with the problem of time for too long, associating it with the existence; throughout the XX century, primarily the culturologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and others were involved into the research of space. Due to this fact, the consolidation of the results of all the "perspectives" is one of the extremely relevant tasks of the architecture of space. Thus, the method of examination is evolves out of the formulation of the problem, and consists in the critical reviews of the ontology of space (time), as well as integration of the achievements of culturology, anthropology, and sociology of space. The scientific novelty of the research consists in formulation of foundations of the new ontology, which aligns the architecture of "place and time" with the new to phenomenology category of reference, and the derived from it (transcendental) principles of the spatial structure. "Space" is being reconstructed with regards to such (game) prototypes, in the historical form of which it had emerged and transformed (over the millennia) into the common reality (real space).

Keywords: transcendence, existence, game, reversibility, theory, ontology, space, Architecture, poetics, mimesis

Abstract: Architectural heritage of the prominent Russian engineer and architect still arouses disputes and arguments. Particularly the polemics persists of how his heritage should be preserved. But until the polemicists argue, the genius creations of the engineer and architect continue to destroy. The goal of this article consists in author’s attempt to assess the role of V. G. Shukhov’s constructs in establishment of the image of industrial city, as well realize which losses for the urban architectural-engineering environment will emerge in case if some of the Shukhov’s creations will disappear. Another author’s goal to demonstrate the scale of the Russian engineer and designer. The subject of the research is limited by the study of restoration works that take place in one of the projected by Shukhov constructs – the famous Shabolovka radio tower. The scientific novelty is defined by the topic of the research. The author discusses the questions of restoration that remain to be the subject of acute debates, which involves the specialists alongside the representatives of civil society. The problem at hand consists in application of the innovation technologies with preservation of the avant-garde tradition in urban development.

Keywords: architectural conservation, restoration, engineering aesthetics, Shabolovka radio tower, hyperboloid of rotation, hi-tech architecture, sociological survey, Russian avant-garde, Shukhov, architectural heritage