The Chair provides theory courses in architecture and design for students of the Academy, being a graduate course facility. In 1997 the Chair started to provide a Master of Architecture degree course.

The Staff of the Chair includes three professors and four associate professor. One of the professors is a member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The Chair is headed by Professor L.P.Kholodova, who is a national representative of Russia in the International Committee for the Protection of Industrial Heritage, member of the specialised candidate degree awarding council in architecture, member of the Euroasian united doctoral degree awarding council.

The Chair has design a Master of Architecture course, and is conducting active work in postgraduate training. Currently the Chair has 14 postgraduate students.

The Chair has opened vacancies for doctoral degree students.

Attached to the Chair is the workshop called “Sphere of Architecture”. The Chair provides continuing training course in the design of advertisements.

The staff of the Chair regularly publish theoretical and training methodology materials. Areas of research activities cover theory of architecture (issues in architectural form, videoecology, future architecture, problems in architectural creativity, etc.); history of architecture (world architectural process, regional architecture, conservation of monuments of industrial heritage, etc.); architectural typology.

The most notable publications of the Chair are the set of methodological materials on architectural criticism, the monograph “Theory of Design”. The monograph “Philosophy of Design”.