In this work, the issues arising during the construction of low-rise buildings in Eastern Siberia in 2021–2022 were addressed, including the changes associated with the special military operation and West-ern and the USA sanctions against Russia. Attention was paid to the characterisation of the main tech-nologies used in the construction of low-rise buildings. The necessity of using novel approaches to solving the problems associated with the implementation of engineering infrastructure facilities, in-tended as components of new low-rise construction projects, was substantiated. 90% of low-rise build-ings comprise private suburban wooden houses, most suitable for living in an area characterised by a harsh climate. Among the used construction materials, rounded logs, laminated veneer lumber, bricks, cellular concrete, and aerated concrete should be mentioned. Naturalness, environmental friendliness and low thermal conductivity are among the advantages of wooden constructions. Due to certain limita-tions of the regulatory framework in the construction industry associated with low-rise buildings, it is necessary to improve legislation in this area, as well as strengthen control over the quality of work. The main issues were addressed, including rising prices for construction materials, a reduction in incomes, a delay in obtaining a building permit, weak competition and a small number of modern equipment. The main trends in the development of low-rise construction, the potential of the modern construction in-dustry in Eastern Siberia, its prospects and modernisation were determined.

Economic digitalization, along with the transition to a new technological paradigm, has given rise to an ongoing transformation in the Russian Federation, expanding the high-tech industry and driving inno-vation across a wide range of economic sectors. However, the digitization level in the development and construction sectors currently remains one of the lowest among industries, despite the fact that con-struction is involved in creating production capacity and contributes to the growth of fixed assets, which ensures expanded reproduction in the entire economy. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the implementation of digital and innovative technologies in the construction sector, as its digital trans-formation can produce a synergistic effect reducing project costs in general, as well as improving the competitiveness of construction organizations and strengthening their position in the market.

The paper aims to analyze the historical-cultural potential of the Irkutsk city center, to consider the uniqueness and identity of its urban environment, as well as to explore the opportunities and experi-ences associated with the commercialization of historical buildings and relevant measures. The specif-ics of Irkutsk’s cultural heritage, its architectural landmarks, and tourist attractions are discussed in the study. In addition, the work examines the historical center of Irkutsk in terms of its architectural and space-planning features, along with the typology of buildings, comprising the historical and cultural heritage of varying significance. The concepts of identity and authenticity in Irkutsk’s development are defined. As part of the historical site development, it is proposed to commercialize cultural heritage (including wooden structures) through tourism (temporary accommodation), food service, and trade (gift shops, etc.). In order to attract attention to potentially suitable sites, it is suggested to develop new tourist routes connecting Irkutsk’s quarters that feature historical buildings preserved in their orig-inal state. The study presents a route plan proposed in a graduation thesis within the training program Reconstruction and Restoration of Architectural Heritage at the Irkutsk National Research Technical University (author – A. K. Mainovskaya; supervisor – A. N. Prokudin).

This article considers the problems of obtaining construction products in winter, along with complex technological processes, in the light of scientific achievements and analysis of influencing factors when solving thermophysical problems, as well as evaluating the results on production indicators, especially those related to economics. The accumulated domestic and foreign experience reflects years of intensive work carried out by scientists and engineers, which continues to this day. In Eastern Siberia and neighbouring regions characterised by a prolonged winter period, construction works are carried out all year round. Special attention should be paid to planning construction activities in winter and developing working documentation in view of the seasonality of work. The material and technical resources of the construction contractor should be taken into account, mainly the feasibility of the operational plans for construction and installation activities and the financing schedule. The paper includes examples of winter construction demonstrating the existing limitations, in particular the increased energy consumption. Some recommendations are given aimed at improving the quality of project documentation.

This article discusses approaches to forecasting the earthquake odds of a given intensity level. This problem is relevant for the earthquake-prone zone in the south of the Irkutsk region characterised by an estimated intensity of shaking of up to 9 points, where large, populated areas having developed industrial and civil construction are located. The intensity values for Irkutsk were obtained using the analysed data on the seismic activity of the Baikal and Transbaikalia regions in 1973–2020 by the equa-tion of the macroseismic field. The algorithm for predicting large and medium-sized earthquakes in-volves mathematical statistics and probability theory. A corresponding empirical distribution was derived on the basis of a sample of the maximum intensity values for the specified period in each year. The potential applicability of common distribution functions for describing the intensity distribution of seis-mic vibrations was considered. It was established that the normal distribution function provides the most accurate description of statistical data. It was concluded that, by using this function, it is possible to determine the high-intensity vibration odds that can lead to serious destruction, as well as their most probable annual peak intensity, which may allow for measures ensuring the resistance of load-bearing structures of buildings to background seismic impacts.

The historical and architectural heritage of St. Petersburg dacha (summer residence) as part of Russia’s cultural heritage was studied. The research methods included on-site inspections and architectural measurements, photo-fixation of studied objects, archive and museum search, historico-bibliographical search in the repositories of rare ancient books and cartographic divisions of scientific libraries. As a result, the phenomenon of "dacha recreation" was studied. Specific features of the St. Petersburg dacha environment were revealed. On the one hand, the dacha environment is associated with the traditions of spatial organisation of cities and rural settlements in Russia. On the other, the dacha environment is characterised by originality and the absence of a rigid hierarchy in its planning and composition, with the natural environment representing the major formative factor. The determined periodisation of dacha construction included the 1703–1830s, 1830s–early 1860s, 1860s–1890s and 1890s–1917 periods. Areas of active dacha construction were revealed. Thus, dacha construction in the St. Petersburg province was performed predominantly along highways, waterways, railroads and coastline of the Gulf of Finland. A typology of dacha settlements was proposed, including dacha suburbs, dacha villages, dacha resorts and dacha settlements. These types were differentiated in terms of size and population, title and organisation of living activities, type of foundation and administrative status, as well as principles of 3D-planning structure. Particular attention is paid to the unique historical and architectural value of dacha settlements of the St. Petersburg province and importance of its exploration and preservation. It is proposed to use the traditions of creating highly-artistic and optimally-organised dacha recreation environments during the design of contemporary suburban recreational spaces.

In this study, we examine a contemporary church building as a powerful symbol of cultural and archi-tectural identity of a city. The city space organized around and inside a religious building is considered as an important public space from the perspective of civilizational culture. During the study, a compara-tive analysis of European and Russian contemporary sacral construction was carried out with the pur-pose of forecasting the development of the present Orthodox architecture, taking into account possi-ble trends, styles and directions. A field survey of 150 contemporary churches in Austria was carried out. Their evolutionary development over the past 120 years was examined both empirically and using scientific literature. In addition, a number of Russian churches, including restored or renovated histori-cal buildings as well as new facilities built after the collapse of the USSR, were studied. As a result, an assessment and explanation of the inevitable appearance of modern trends in the Orthodox Church architecture is given. Historicisms, existing in the Orthodox architecture of our time, are assumed to be related to the forced 70-year pause in the development of Orthodox architecture, rather than to the greater conservatism of the Orthodox religion. Any architecture, even its conservative religious type, responds to events occurring in a society and to arising new cultural and functional needs. As a result, due to a competent interaction of architects and customers, the existing architectural style starts to change gradually in terms of its spatial organization, form, composition, general appearance of the in-ner and outer space, thus giving rise to new symbols of cultural and architectural identity. With the ad-dition of new functions, a church remains to be a unique public building, forming public urban spaces both in and around itself.

Hinged ventilated facade systems can be used to protect buildings from damaging effects and to achieve various designing and structural goals. The study aims to analyse the most common facing construction materials for the installation of hinged ventilated facades. The question of selecting an optimal facing material is relevant for both building owners, building designers and building residents, since it is the facade that sets the tone for the rest of the building. The present study considers the standard design of the ventilated facade, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of existing fac-ing materials for ventilated facades. A comparative analysis of the characteristics of facing materials is carried out. It is noted that the building can be faced by expensive materials, yet having inferior tech-nical characteristics, or relatively inexpensive materials, yet performing their main functions. In addition to aesthetic properties, the facing material should perform the protection of both the facade walls and the subsystem (metal) components, including insulation. In the conclusion, the authors describe the facing material with the most optimal characteristics among those studied in the paper.

The characteristics of modelling the combined action of reinforcement and concrete on the example of composite reinforcement are discussed. In the work, glass-fibre and basalt composite A-type de-formed reinforcing bars were considered. The studied samples of composite reinforcement comprised a power rod having an anchor layer, evenly distributed on the surface at an angle to its longitudinal ax-is. The anchor layer was manufactured from a thermosetting resin and a continuously reinforcing filler. A-type reinforcement is formed by pressing the reinforcing bundle into the power rod, while ribs are generated on the surface. The experiments carried out using concrete cubes having a rib size of 15 cm and prisms having a cross-section of 15×15 cm and height of 60 cm showed that the average val-ues of maximum adhesion strength of the studied reinforcement samples are comparable and meet the established standards. Conversely, the use of basalt composites has a negligible impact on the adhe-sion of reinforcement to concrete. This indicator is significantly affected by the configuration of the external profile of the rod. In addition, the uniform operation of the “reinforcement – concrete” system was noted. Due to the reinforcement profile used during the experiment, uniform and stable behaviour of the rod in concrete was achieved, as demonstrated by the stress-displacement diagrams based on the results of the pull-out test. The obtained adhesion of composite glass-fibre and basalt reinforce-ment to concrete allows general dependencies for calculating the anchoring of this reinforcement in concrete to be used.

This paper addressed the selection of overhaul methods for roads in the permafrost area. Ensuring the strength and stability of the road base and engineering structures under the permafrost conditions and deep seasonal freezing of soils remains one of the main scientific and technical challenges of road construction and maintenance in the northern regions. The main factors causing the failure of road structures were reviewed, including both climate change and complex geological and hydrogeological conditions of the area. Since the construction of the Amur Road, the deformation has been observed in many of its sections. In 2012, the Federal State Institution of Road Management “Zabaykalye”, to-gether with engineering and scientific organisations, developed a target programme for inspecting such sections. The article discusses the renovation measures and technologies elaborated under this programme, which include the construction of culverts, rockfills, thermal diodes and cooling layers, awnings, and protective berms. The monitoring of the repaired sections shows insignificant defor-mation of the road surface and road base; 55 % of the sections were fully stabilised. However, the fi-nal assessment of the permafrost stabilisation will take a longer time. The establishment of an effective system of engineering-geocryological monitoring for the Amur Road should become the most im-portant measure, whose implementation will allow dangerous deformations to be prevented and effi-cient measures for protecting the roadbed from their negative impact to be developed.