The Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts ( USAAA )

The Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts, formerly Sverdlovsk Architectural Institute, is one of the leading higher educational institutions in Russia which train specialist in architecture, design, monumental decorative and applied arts.

The origin of the Academy dates back to 1947 when Professor K.T.Babykin set up a graduate-course chair of architecture within the building faculty of the Ural Industrial Institute (now the Ural State Technical University). In 1967 the chair was restructured into the Ural Branch of Moscow Architectural Institute, and in 1972 it was renamed into Sverdlovsk Architectural Institute.

Today the Academy is one of the leading art and architecture school in Russia and CIS with its body of 1,500 students. Since the date of foundation the Academy has turned out over 5,000 architects and designers, who successfully practice in Russia and abroad.

Among the graduates of the Academy there are two Academicians of Architecture, four Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering and the Russian Academy of Art, Academician G.I.Belyankin, People’s Artist, 16 Honorary Architects and Artists of Russia.

Graduates of the Academy have been awarded international and national prizes in architecture, design, applied art, which ranks the Academy among the leading higher education institutions in Russia and CIS. Admission to the Academy is a competitive process.

The Academy has 20 general and specialised chairs with the teaching staff of 200, among whom there are 16 doctors of science/professors, over 100 “candidate” degree holders (PhD)/associate professors; 67 honorary architects and artists of Russia, two Academicians and three corresponding members of various Academies of Russia.

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ARCHITECTURE

Architecture of Residential and Public Buildings.
Architecture of Industrial Buildings and Structures.
Town Planning.
Landscape Architecture.
Restoration and Reconstruction of Architectural Heritage.
Theory and History of Architecture (Master of Architecture degree course).
Design of Architectural Environment.

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DESIGN

Industrial Design.
Interior Design.
Graphic Design.
Advertising Design.
Fashion Design.

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MONUMENTAL DECORATIVE ART

Monumental decorative painting.
Sculpture.
Textile art.

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DECORATIVE APPLIED ART AND FOLK CRAFTS

Jewellery.
Stone Cutting Art.
Ceramic Art.
Applied Textile Art.

The Academy has four faculties: Pre-Admission Faculty, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Design and Applied Arts, and Faculty of Part-Time Education, Training, and Development. Also, the Academy offers doctoral and postgraduate degree opportunities – it has a specialised academic degree council. Attached to the Academy are Architecton Publishing House, Museum of the History of Ural Architecture and Design located in the History Park of the city, a students’ fashion show theatre, a students’ union club (the club has given a start to many a prominent Russian workers of culture such as the film producer Vladimir Khotinenko, the animalist painters Alexey Kharitidi and Oksana Cherkasova, the rock singer Vyacheslav Butusov from Nautilus Pompilius rock group, and Nastya Poleva (“Nastya”).

The Academy is a major research centre in Ekaterinburg. For the 275th anniversary of the city specialists of the Academy constructed the Chapel of St Catherine and a monument to the founders of the city V.Tatishchev and W.Gennin, the interior of the Puppet Show and other projects. For the 400th anniversary of the town of Verkhoturye specialists of the Academy restored a number of churches and historic buildings in the city, restored the unique porcelain iconostasis in the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross. Researchers of the Academy have published two monographs: “Monuments of Verkhoturye” and “Ekaterinburg. History of the City in Architecture”, which were awarded the first prize and mentions at the Russian competition for the best book on architecture in 1998 in Moscow.

The Academy is well known in the country and abroad through the work of its research groups in architectural semiotics (Professor A.Barabanov), architectural propaedeutics (Professor V.Iovlev), history of Ural architecture (Professor A.A.Starikov), architectural ecology (Professors V.A.Blinov and V.A.Kolyasnikov) architectural climatology (Professor S.A.Dekterev), large span structures (Professor A.G.Trushchov), theory of architecture and design (Professor L.P.Kholodova), underground urbanism (Professor A.V.Popov), industrial design (Professor Yu.A.Vladimirsky), interior design (Associate Professor N.N.Lyaptsev), art education for children (Associate Professor N.P.Chuvargina), restoration of monuments of architecture (Associate Professors A.V.Dolgov, V.I.Siminenko).

The Academy is a regional methodological centre of the Ministry of General and Professional Education of the Russian Federation for issues relating to architectural training and development and creative activities in architecture and design.