ARCHITECTURAL FACTOR IN HERITAGE OF G.N. POTANIN

Abstract

A publication by G.N. Potanin, a well-known researcher of Siberia and, a prominent representative of Siberian regionalism is studied in the collection “Siberia, its current state and needs”, published in 1908 from the architectural view point. The purpose of this article is to analyze the architectural factor and comments from the contemporary of the urban planning processes in Siberia in the late in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which are interesting for studying the history of architecture in its regional aspect, relevant to the urban planning theory, practice and conservation of the regional architectural heritage. It is shown that G.N. Potanin described the Siberian towns, specifics of their urban construction, special cultural and educational role of public buildings in Siberian conditions of, and residential buildings of urban dwellers. The article presents Potanin‟s opinion on urban development in Tomsk and Irkutsk. Potanin‟s observations associated with the use of solar energy by Siberians in winter time are described including street glazing and a low spacing between large windows on façades and the interiors of residential buildings which experienced a kind of greenhouse effect in winter. The historical architectural materials presented herein are relevant for the modern urban planning theory and practice and can assist in preserving the urban planning heritage of the region. The analysis of Potanin‟s publications related directly to the architectural and town-planning themes, is published for the first time and can be used in the related teaching courses.