Forum 100+ started in Yekaterinburg
The III International Forum of High-rise and Unique Construction 100+ Forum Russia began its work in Yekaterinburg on October 5. By the time of the opening of one of the main Russian "high-altitude" events, about 4 thousand delegates, visitors, media representatives and guests were registered on the official website of the forum.
The opening ceremony of the forum was attended by the Governor of the Sverdlovsk region Evgeny Kuyvashev. "The Ural capital is one of the tallest megacities in the country and is among the top hundred "tall" cities in the world, and in Russia, in terms of the total number of high-rise buildings, we rank second after Moscow. We consider the forum site as an excellent opportunity to bring regional construction to a new qualitative level. I am confident that the work of the forum will allow Russian and foreign specialists to exchange experiences, establish partnerships and develop completely new approaches to construction," the governor said in his welcoming speech.
On the same day, a plenary session was held, the speakers and experts of which were: Sergey Schwindt, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, Arkady Chernetsky, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure and Regional Policy, Alexey Kozhemyako, Deputy Head of the Yekaterinburg Administration, Alexander Kuzmin, President of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences, Anatoly Barannikov, Deputy Minister of Construction of the Samara Region, Carlos Gomez, founder of CRGArchitecture, Viktor Pryadein, Chief of Staff of the Association "National Association of Builders" and Alexander Zachitailov, Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Sochi.
The topic of the meeting was designated as "Construction of high-rise and unique structures: current issues and development potential of Russia". Arkady Chernetsky noted that the process of building high-rise buildings is still hampered by the lack of necessary documents and regulations: "Technical issues are left to officials, and they are afraid when the document comes for approval, they try to avoid unambiguous answers, as a result, the decision is made not in a month, but in a year." According to the senator, the implementation of the roadmap, scheduled for 2016, will significantly improve the business climate in the field of high-rise and unique construction.
In addition, a meeting of the Russian Ministry of Construction was held as part of the 100+ Forum Russia. Alexander Stepanov, Deputy Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of the Russian Ministry of Construction, in his speech noted the excellent organization of the forum and its importance for the country and the industry as a whole. Holding such an event in Yekaterinburg is evidence of the high level of development of modern technologies in the region, he added.
The events of the forum took place simultaneously in seven halls and aroused great public interest. Many sessions could not accommodate everyone. So, the session "Trends in the development of modern urbanized territories and cities" with the participation of Andrey Bokov, President of the Union of Architects of Russia, Ilya Zalivukhin, Vice President Union of Moscow Architects, member of the Public Chamber of the Moscow Region, Deputy Chairman of the Public Council of the Ministry of Construction of the Moscow Region, Svyatoslav Murunov, head of the Center for Applied Urban Studies, Mikhail Blinkin, Director of the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy of the Higher School of Economics, and others, gathered not only a record number of listeners, but also became a space for professional discussions.
The Premier by PREMIER object session aroused great interest, during which Jeremy Kim, partner at Foster+Partners architectural bureau, spoke about the design technologies for the headquarters of the Russian Copper Company in Yekaterinburg, the first building in Russia to be built according to the design of the architectural bureau of the famous Briton Norman Foster.
One of the central sessions of the first day of the forum was the FAA Glavgosexpertiza of Russia conference. The main issues of the conference: state expertise of project documentation for high–rise buildings, the implementation of state expertise in electronic form and, in particular, interaction with applicants, aroused great interest among the forum participants, who were able to receive practical advice on submitting design and permits from the country's main experts in these matters. Alexander Krasavin, Head of the Department of Industrial, Nuclear, Radiation, Fire Safety and GOCHS of Glavgosexpertiza of Russia, welcomed the forum participants, noting the importance of such events for the industry as a whole: "Today's event can be called historic, especially in relation to high–rise buildings," he said.
A large number of listeners also gathered at a round table dedicated to the use of steel structures in unique facilities. It was held with the assistance of the Association for the Development of Steel Construction and was dedicated to technical solutions and the regulatory framework in this area.
At the same time, specialized events were held in the halls of Yekaterinburg EXPO, where speakers discussed innovative technologies and design features of high-rise and unique buildings, underground structures and bridges, the development of regulatory and technical regulation of the industry, and also heard the experience of foreign expert practitioners in the application of modern technologies in the design of unique facilities, including eco-friendly "green" materials.
"Forum 100+ is one of the few meetings of professionals who form the agenda and set a certain tone, demonstrating a high level of knowledge, involvement and understanding of what is happening. This is the main value of the forum," commented Andrey Bokov, President of the Union of Architects of Russia. "Here there is solidarity between different actors: business, professionals and government, which would be impossible in other cities, but in Yekaterinburg it is very natural."