The paper is devoted to the history of the formation and development of landscape architecture in China from Zhou dynasty government (1122-770 BC.) to the present days. It is shown, that during three millennia the evolution occurred in views of Chinese artists and landscape architects on the role of nature in human life and society. Nature (Heaven, Earth) and Man were considered as full allies able to live in a harmonious unity with each other. In the Middle Ages, the man-made gardens became more sophisticated art interpretations of natural landscape and served as a place where a man improved his body and soul, enjoyed the beauty of surrounding world. During the development of landscape architecture in China, several types of gardens and parks appeared, including Imperial parks, parks of scientists and private estate gardens. Their main distinguishing characteristics are presented in the paper.

The paper presents the analysis of public centers of Russian city development in 18-19 centuries in connection with their redevelopment plans. District cities are mainly considered herein, which had the status of the county that time and attributed to small historic towns. The origins of the public center are reviewed from the medieval trades and its location is compared with other major city-forming elements, namely: urban nucleus, rivers and main streets. All these cities differ in both the origin and development that affected the image and the role their public centers.

The paper focuses on the urban problems of the Novosibirsk region cities in the post-revolutionary years. The analysis of the types of residential buildings is presented herein. The investigated relevant problems of Novosibirsk development are aimed at removing the crisis ramifications and improving the cultural status of the city. The analysis is given for the concept of Novosibirsk planning based on the garden city concept.

The paper presents the historical prerequisites for and stages of the Russian settlements in Siberia located along the river Verkhnyaya Tunguska (the river Angara) in the 17-19^th centuries. Identified are the documents describing the formation of the first Russian settlements in the Nizhnyaya Angara region. The analysis of graphic and text archival documents shows the transformation process of Angara old-time villages during that period. The historical and cultural value of the existing peasant villages is shown in terms of the large-scale industrial transformations.

The paper presents the general layout of Omsk in the 1930s. Particular attention is paid to the town planning project and its transformation during the process of development. The documents review shows that the initial and final versions of the general layout differ. The designers from the Novosibirsk branch of Gorstroyproekt supported the functional city con-cept. They insisted on a complete reconstruction of Omsk and its transverse turning relative to the Irtysh. In contrast, experts and city officials supported the urban approach. They argued that the real city had a strong tendency to develop along the river and, therefore, fought for the architectural and planning succession. Under that pressure the designers re-vised their project. As a result, they designed parks and boulevards along the Irtysh, which today form the image of the central part of the city. The study is based on archival sources.

The article deals with the origins of Art Deco style in the architecture of Novosibirsk in early 1920s and late in the 1930s. The buildings of first post-revolutionary years constructed by Kryachkov, the prominent Siberian architect, are analyzed in terms of the stylistic features of early Art Deco. The assessment is given to the pre-war architecture style, which arose during the sharp transition from constructivism to historicism in the interpretation of those years. The qualitative difference is observed in the stylistic interpretation of pre-war architecture by such leading architects of Novosibirsk as Gordeev, Turgenev, Kuzmin, and Kryachkov and Maslennikov who received the traditional education in the pre-revolutionary period. Specific examples are given to the pre-war architecture style.

The prevalence of any style in architecture is always connected with the temporal and spatial factors which reflect the object. For example, the influence of several architectural styles of the industrial heritage - water towers - can be traced in such cities as Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Tomsk. Some facilities were built according to standard projects, some designed especially for different sections of the Siberian Railways. But, despite this, the towers reflect the local flavor of the architectural style of the Siberian region. The paper describes the various typological features of water towers in West Siberia.

The paper considers the formation of architectural image of Votkinsk city-plant by the 20th century. Votkinsk foundation is connected with the development of the Russian industry in the 18th century. Late in the 19th century, in the period of prosperity, Votkinsk plant was one of the advanced metallurgical plants of the Urals. Now Votkinsk’s production function is not only its formation but also the unique line of historical appearance formed by 1917. By the modern classification, Votkinsk relates to monotowns. The research methodology suggested in the paper can be use to identify the unique image of other historical cities of the country.

The article describes the main types of brick ornament and elements on the example of tenement and public buildings. The investigated ar-chitectural monuments of brick style are located in the center of the Tomsk-city. The variety of architectural and artistic images allow identifying the stylistic features of architectural decoration of brick houses.

The article deals with a little-known project of Tomsk State University designed by architect E.I. Gibert. The project was drawn up in 1879 as an alternative project designed by architect A.K. Bruni. The article presents the most complete Gibert's biography. The comparative analysis of architectural and planning properties of the drawings of the both projects is given herein. The described Gibert’s building in Tomsk is a chapel by the anatomical institute preserved till nowadays. The article is illustrated by the author's graphic reconstruction of the alternative project.

The paper presents the research results on the architectural and town-planning activity in the 1920-30s. New archival materials allow the author to identify the changes in the organization of municipal government bodies and show the complexity of the design organizations of Tomsk. Information about the municipalization process of housing stock and the activity of housing and cooperative partnership is given herein as well as new documentary information connected with the garden city project in Tomsk. The extent of construction activity in the city of that period is described in the paper.

The paper deals with discrete sampling methods used in numerical analysis of axisymmetric quasi-static stress-strain state of rotation bodies using the Lagrange principle. The geometrical correlations are used in the form of Cauchy equations, physical relationships are described by Ilyushin’s deformation plasticity theory. A method of linear approximation is used. The paper gives examples of triangular and tetragonal cells to investigate the influence of polygonal shapes approximating the investigated area on the problem solution. The simulation results match the calculations.

The paper presents the experimental research of strength and deformability of steel fiber concrete under the compression and tension loads. As a result of experimental research, the actual non-linear deformation curves are obtained for the steel fiber reinforced concrete subjected to compression and tension loads. Based on the non-linear deformation model, the strength analysis is provided for normal and oblique planes of bending steel elements with zonal fiber reinforcement under the static and dynamic loads. As a result of strength tests, the resistance areas are identified for such elements.

The paper presents the investigation results of oblique planes in compressed and bended reinforced concrete yielding supports subjected to the dynamic loading. The dynamic resistance of oblique sections is considered for these supports under the conditions of the elastic deformation of lateral reinforcement. It is shown that the longitudinal compressive strength and the use of yielding supports significantly affect the deformability and strength of oblique planes under the dynamic loading.

The paper presents physicochemical investigations of structure and properties of nano-modifier synthesized from the local raw material, namely, peat obtained by its pyrolysis in air-free conditions. This nano-modifying additive is a combination of various forms of nanocarbon and polar and non-polar adsorbing materials such as silica (SiO₂), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and carbon (C). Test results of the type TMT-600 modifier (RF Patent N 107151) show that its different percentage is required to modify tribological properties of the steel tribocouple under different loading conditions. At 0,5 wt.% content of this nano-modifier, stabilization of the friction ratio and increase of seizure load are observed.

The paper presents the research into strength properties of hardening alite and belite cement paste treated by high-voltage corona discharge. The treatment process is optimized by both the time factor and process conditions of hardening of mineral-based cement paste. It is shown that the preageing of alite and belite cement paste plays an ambiguous part in high-voltage corona discharge treatment. The results of these treatment can be observed during the age hardening of cement. Belite cement hardening is characterized by the more expressed wave-like behavior of strength depending upon the continuous corona discharge treatment during 270-day cement hardening.

ACOUSTIC METHOD OF MEASURING THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Materials science in construction often faces the problem connected with measurements based on calibrating, extrapolational and adjustable dependences. The technological properties can be estimated by these dependences, however, the determination of thermal conductivity requires new measuring methods. This method is based on the properties of the composition and structure of the foam glass-ceramic material. The paper presents a simple non-destructive acoustic method for measuring thermal conductivity. A new foam glass-ceramic material modified by nanostructured zirconium dioxide particles is investigated in this paper. It is shown that zirconium dioxide significantly modifies the vibration spectrum and photon scattering responsible for heat transfer.

The paper presents the field test method for measurements of the energy efficiency of heating, ventilation and hot water supply systems of residential and public buildings. The field tests carried out in Tomsk, Russia, show the actual energy efficiency of engineering systems is consistent with that stated in the energy passport of the building. The obtained results can be used for monitoring and control for engineering systems of buildings with a view to improve their energy efficiency.

The paper presents results of oil-black visualization of air flow separated by the groups of three building models designed to simulate buildings mutually affecting each other. The air flow behavior is described depending on the building models positions. Experiments are carried out at 7×10⁴ Reynolds number, 0 and 45° angles of attack at a fixed height of the building models. The aim of this work is to determine the correlation between air flow around the models and the distribution of the local heat transfer and pressure factors obtained during the experiments in a wing tunnel. Also, the assessment is given to the hydrodynamic structure of separated flows, their behavior and amount.

The paper presents the analysis of regulatory documents on operations security adopted in Russia in recent years. A case of several contractors working at a time during the construction is considered herein. It is shown that for the operations security, it is necessary to appoint curators for labor protection at the newly built facility as it is written in the contemporary regulatory documents of the European countries.

The paper presents the research results on the opportunity of using shaly sludge in bitumen-concrete mixes. It is shown that all kinds of shaly sludge can be used to modify the surface of mineral materials and improve the adhesion properties of fly ash. Medium and heavy sludge are capable to reduce the consumption of mineral powder due to minerals containing in it. Mudding of pores and capillaries and a selective diffusion of shale oil components improve such properties of fly ash as porosity and bitumen content allowing to use fly ash in bitumen-concrete mixes.

The paper presents investigations of crushed stone from main material providers of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The samples are tested in compliance with SNiP 8269.0-97. A series of tests includes the grain composition of crushed stone, flour and clay particles, acicular- and cubic-shape grain content, crushability, real grain density, bulk density, void content, Rockwell hardness. Recommendations are given for crushed stone from different deposits which can be used to design a solid sub-rail base, road subgrades and pavements.

The article presents the strength assessment of the road pavements in the Far East southern area, caused by seasonal fluctuations in humidity of subgrade soil and disperse layers of the road base. The results of field tests and the strength analysis are presented under the conditions of gradually increasing load. A comparison of experimental and theoretical results is given for the estimated and actual humidity contents in the pavement layers. Causalities and trends of strength changes are described for the pavement layers. The research results can be used to modify the models of roads pavements with a view to improve their reliability.

The paper describes the main requirements for the parking pavement design. Also, the requirements for slopes and pavement surface of parking are given. The influence of the bearing capacity of foundation soil on the pavement design is presented in the paper. It is shown that under road pavement the loam soils are preferable to use since they are easily compacted and characterized by higher shear properties. The use of geotextiles as a drainage layer increases the strength of the foundation soil, and reduces the pavement thickness. The rational pavement design is proposed for parking.

The paper deals with the dynamic characteristics of composite bridge span structures with regard for the pavement defects. The dependence between the composite beam deflection and the stiffness of the vehicle suspension and its weight is determined using the equations of free and forced oscillations. The dependence is obtained provided that the centre of mass and stiffness coincide in the centre of the system stiffness.

The paper presents the generalized criterion for timeliness of cutting tool replacement in chain trenchers. The generalized criterion is based on a combination of the time change of the economic efficiency of chain trenchers during the frozen soil excavation having the limit state criterions for the cutters. The optimum time is shown for the cutting tool replacement using the criterion of minimum cost per running meter of a developed trench for different types of time dependencies of trencher performance. The limit state criteria are considered for cutting tools. Recommendations are given to trencher equipment with information devices to avoid ambiguity in ascertaining the time for cutter replacement.