No project is created by individual specialists. Architects, designers, engineers, construction management specialists, and other participants in the construction process make joint decisions every day, coordinate dozens of interrelated tasks, and share responsibility for the outcome.

At the same time, traditionally, graduation qualification works in universities have been carried out for a long time according to a different principle: each student develops a diploma only within the framework of their specialty, with little interaction with related areas. And when they come to work, they learn to "talk" with colleagues from scratch.

That is why the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Metropolis, which have a long-standing partnership, began developing a new format for the development of final qualifying works – complex interdisciplinary diploma projects several years ago. Their main goal is to adapt the theory to the format of a real project team as much as possible and to reduce the gap between academic knowledge and the expectations of industry specialists.

This year, from June 22 to 24, the third comprehensive defense of diploma projects was held at SPbGASU, and the head of the OViKV department at Metropolis, Sergey Bryuzgin, once again participated in the preparation for the defense and the work of the State Examination Commission.

Unlike traditional defense, each diploma project was developed not by a single student, but by a team that included representatives of different faculties and construction specialties. Each participant was responsible for their own section, but the result was a single coordinated project where all the engineering solutions were interconnected, just as they would be in real-world projects.

This year, seven projects from various companies were presented for protection, two of which were based on objects from the Metropolis portfolio: an ice palace and a museum of contemporary art.

This approach was made possible by the active participation of the company's specialists. Metropolis experts not only created assignments based on existing projects, but also accompanied the students throughout the academic year, providing guidance, helping them evaluate the viability of their proposed solutions, and sharing their practical experience gained from implementing large-scale projects.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, the collaboration between the university and the company became even more intense. The work on the diplomas was divided into two stages. First, the students developed project concepts and presented them to the Metropolis experts, receiving professional feedback. After that, the teams refined their solutions and began the full-fledged diploma development, taking into account the recommendations of practicing specialists.

According to Sergey Bryuzgin, this format significantly improves the quality of graduates' training:

According to the expert, the interaction within the teams was particularly revealing.

"The students actively answered the commission's questions, which testified to interdisciplinary coherence and the fact that the graduates were interested not only in personal results, but also in the success of the entire team. I was especially pleased with the mutual assistance, solidarity and motivation of the participants," Sergey notes.

The members of the State Examination Commission also noted that the quality of projects is increasing every year, and the collaboration between students, teachers, and industry representatives is becoming more effective.

For Metropolis, participation in such educational initiatives is much more than just being an expert member of a commission. The company helps to train engineers who understand the workings of a modern design organization at the start of their careers, who can interact with related specialists and make decisions under real project constraints.

This systemic partnership between the university and the project company allows us to shorten the path from the classroom to professional practice and create a new generation of engineers who are ready to work on complex projects from day one.

We wish our graduates a successful career start along the most effective paths! Let there be like-minded people among your mentors, and let the projects you are working on shape the country's modern architectural image and allow you to develop your expertise!