The article is devoted to the most famous architectural projects of residential, public and religious buildings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928). It is shown that he adhered to the traditions of neo-romanticism, preferred the traditions of Celtic symbolical art, the Scottish folk architecture and the so-called baronial style which make his buildings similar to medieval castles. It is noted that in design solutions and especially organization of internal space of buildings, the architect used the most advanced construction technologies, structures and materials. The article considers six of the most famous architectural projects by Macintosh made in neo-romanticism traditions. Among them, the Lighthouse Tower for the Glasgow Herald (1893–1894), the Glasgow School of Art (1897–1909), Queen's Cross Church in Glasgow (1898–1899), Scotland Street School (1903–1906), the project of the House for an Art lover in Darmstadt (1901), the Нill House in Helensburgh (1902–1904.). The main reasons for the creative crisis of the master on the eve of the I World War are revealed.

The paper considers the tendencies in architecture and education appeared in Europe late in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries and reflected in the constriction of people's universities. The first people's university in Siberia Makushin House of Science is discussed herein. The contribution of Peter I. Makushin, a merchant, to Siberian education, the formation of people's university in Tomsk is shown. Special attention is devoted to the first regional architectural competition on constructing people's university which was held in Tomsk in 1910. A detailed description is given to projects of architects Andrey D. Kryachkov (1 prize) and Vikenty F. Orzheshko (2 prize). The paper presents new materials published for the first time.

The relevance of the article is conditioned by the need to develop the program of St.-Petersburg agglomeration up to the year 2030, the largest in the North-West of Russia, which takes into account historical features of origins and formation of this agglomeration. The aim of the article is to study the initial stage of the formation of   St.-Petersburg agglomeration (later Metropolitan) in the 1703–1720s. The methodology of studying this problem includes a comprehensive urban planning, functional and landscape analysis based on historical cartography and archival documents. It is shown that the regular type of St.-Petersburg agglomeration founded by Tsar Peter The Great is based on the pre-existing rural settlement system (combines native Russian territories and partially-conquered lands in 1702–1709) in the years 1703–1720. This process includes three stages of primary formation, with the territorial development of province and agglomeration with a significant advance in comparison with the center emergence and formation. At the same time, the future agglomeration center is the center of the province and the capital of Russia, the city of St.-Petersburg. It was formed with a chronological lag as compared to the development of subordinated territories in the future. In parallel with these processes within the unique rapid formation of St.-Petersburg, its structure began to form two sub-agglomerations. Thus, first were formed administrative territories, their nodes and tracks, and then their unifying center. This formation of the province and agglomeration, their center and spatial-functional sub-centers is non-standard for the world history of agglomerations. The results of this study can be useful for historians of urban planning as well as for modern specialists in the field of urban planning and urbanism.

The concept of cluster is widely used in various fields of knowledge and, above all, in the economy. In recent decades, the term has become increasingly common in the area of spatial planning. However, the definition proposed by economic science does not reveal the essence of the cluster for use in this area. The term cluster has entered into domestic practice in the transition to an innovative economy and the subsequent reindustrialization of the country. Nevertheless, the elaboration of the issue from the point of view of territorial planning is clearly not enough. Based on the analysis of available interpretations, the article proposes an expanded formulation of the concept of cluster, which corresponds to economic approaches and can be considered as a structural unit of spatial organization of the environment in urban planning. The attempt of the structural description of the territorial cluster taking into account features of economic development of Russia and formation of industrial infrastructure is carried out.

The paper presents information on the functional and spatial organization of public urban spaces, since the emergence of a square as a spatial unit prior to the domination of era of classicism.

Compositional techniques and solutions applied by architects of the past to solve spatial problems of society, represent a wide range of solutions valuable for modern designers. The relevance of this work in the determination of further development of modern areas.

The purpose of this article is to show interrelations in a society, the form of state government and the spatial composition of public spaces.

Methods of architectural and graphic analysis are used in the analytical part of the study. Layouts of the most iconic areas of historical epochs are also used. These materials are first considered in terms of the functional space and social relationships.

As a result, urban planning features of past epochs are studied. It is shown that the social interactions directly affect the nature of urban squares.

Tree shaping today is the actual direction in modern architectural environment coupled with the sustainable development of landscapes. Every year, the world creates about 750 objects of arbosculpture (various categories and subcategories of practical use) involved in the formation of open/enclosed space. In Russia, tree shaping is new and insufficiently studied. However, a need for the improvement of ecological situation in cities today is as relevant as in the 70s of the 20^th century. Therefore, a need for the bionic hardscaping integration in townspace is shown to be provided in accordance with the principles of ecologization of built-up areas.

The paper proposes a method of forming geometric networks of one arch radius using regular spherical polyhedrons. A variant of network placing on a spherical icosahedron and, accordingly, on a sphere is proposed. The placement on the sphere of arches of one radius differs from the placement of meridians and is an effective solution for network with a smallest size of arch segments, with nodes of two intersecting arches formed on circles of the same radius and on regular spherical polyhedrons. The problem is solved by constructing an arches of the same radius using paired circles with two standard arch sizes. Several variants of the twin geodetic domes with the given stability loss are suggested.

Construction of frame-panel buildings in Russia is being developed rather rapidly. A new universal prefabricated antiseismic building system was developed at Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building, Tomsk , Russia, which provides buildings with the highest energy conservation of class A ++. The advantages of this new universal prefabricated antiseismic building system include the weight reduction of panels, significant increase in the effective thickness of heat insulation, total rejection of rigid structural connections between outer and internal layers. This type of hinged panels requires fixing of horizontal bearing construction with effective thermobreaks. Thermal analysis of facade fragments with 3D construction of temperature fields, laboratory tests in climate chambers and full-scale thermal testing of the universal prefabricated antiseismic building system shows that their heat resistance reaches 4.0 m²×°C/W, which is almost twice higher than wall systems currently used in construction.

Purpose: The aim of this work is to study the stress-strain state of the pipeline affected by rill erosion. Design/methodology/approach: The pipeline modeling and the stress-strain analysis are carried out using the ANSYS finite element program which provides rather high accuracy of numerical experiments, and, as a consequence, achievement of results with high degree of confidence. The initial data for a series of numerical experiments are derived from actual conditions of the pipeline operation and interpreted for using them in the ANSYS program. Research findings: The numerical experiment includes several stages, namely: the develop-ment of the finite element model (FEM) of the pipeline affected by rill erosion; meshing pro-cess of the pipeline model; load application to the pipeline; and setting the boundary condi-tions. A series of numerical experiments is carried out in varying the depth of rill erosion re-sulting in the equivalent stress distribution (von Mieses stresses) over the pipeline FEM. The maximum and minimum values of the pipeline strains and von Mieses stresses are obtained. This stress distribution allows detecting the critical depth value for the rill erosion in the pipeline under study. A study of the stress-strain state is an important and urgent task, the solution of which determines a safe operation of the field pipeline. The stress-strain state caused by the internal and external pressure or tensile stresses affects the pipeline reliability. Evaluation of the pipeline properties is one of the preventive measures against accidental damage. Practical implications: The stress-strain state investigations are very important for ensuring a safe operation of the pipeline of interest. This is because the stress-strain state caused by the internal loads and external compressive or tensile stresses affects the pipeline reliability. Value: The estimation of the pipeline material properties assists in prevention of emergency situations.

Purpose: The aim of this work is to investigate compositions and operational procedures for gypsum foamed materials based on acid fluoride and define conditions for the formation of the foamed structure and ways to improve the strength of foamed samples. Materials/Methodology/Approach: A capacity of sulphuric acid to interact with calcium carbonate with release of carbon dioxide is laid for this research. The hallmark of this study is acid fluoride used as a recycled material in which the residual acid adsorbs on anhydrite grains. Also, liquid glass and aluminum oxide nanofibrer are added to the composition. In this research, standard procedures and physicochemical techniques are used for the detection of properties of constructional materials. X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analyses are carried out to study the chemical composition of acid fluoride. The production of heat-insulating material includes preliminary dosage of initial components (acid fluoride, liquid glass, stabilized dispersion of aluminum nanofiber, sodium carbonate and water); blending of these components during 1–2 min followed by the gypsum addition; hardening in chambers for 24 h at 40–60 °C; pouring the ready mixture in divided molds. Standard equipment can be used for this production process. Research findings: The additional use of liquid glass and aluminum oxide nanofiber provides high physical and mechanical properties of samples. The high strength of material is insured by hydration of gypsum and acid fluoride followed by the chemical reaction due to the hardening catalyst. Heat-insulating properties appear due to porosity of product achieved by the release of carbon dioxide and oxygen during the interaction between acid fluoride and sodium carbonate as well as by the dispersion of aluminum oxide nanofiber accompanied by pore formation. Liquid glass and aqueous dispersion of nanofiber are very important for the material composition. The hardness increase occurs due to the formation of calcium silicates of different valency and their hydrates and due to the addition of nanofiber stabilized by sodium hydroxide of aluminum oxide representing a specific proportion of aluminum oxide and AlOOH. As a result of nanoparticle-Ca ion interaction, calcium aluminates and hydrated aluminates form. Calcium silicates and aluminates form the main space frame for the structure of gypsum stone. Additionally, Na₂SO₄ hardener forms during the interaction of the blend components, i.e. the system is capable to autocatalysis. Also, the appeared non-soluble and slightly soluble products reinforce the stone structure, such that the initial, large gas release which provides low density and pore formation, does not lead to a sharp strength decrease, thereby ensuring the sufficient quality of material. When the oxide film of aluminum fiber is damaged, its violent reaction occurs with aqueous mixture components with hydrogen release. Practical implications: The obtained results can be used in construction of low-rise building and manufacturing partitions for rooms and flats. Originality: Hydration and pore formation processes are described for hardening gypsum materials based on acid fluoride. These processes allow controlling the mixture composition and properties of binding and binding-containing constructional materials. The authors suggest dependencies for control for the composition, structure and properties of composite, heat-insulating materials. The authors show that it is possible to render a targeted effect on the structure formation observed in complex additives which assist in the production of effective walling materials.

The paper presents the research results of the initial structure formation of cement paste and brick due to the introduction of organic additives. Physicochemical methods show that the grain size of the cement paste modified by organic additives becomes finer and more uniform. The largest increase in the strength of cement brick after 3 days of ageing occurs due to the addition of glyoxal. Introduction of glyoxal, lactic acid oligomer and glycolic acid to the hardened cement paste after 28-day ageing increases its strength by 35, 34 and 30 %, respectively. Research findings on glyoxal, lactic acid oligomer and glycolic acid additives may be used in the development of complex modifiers in the road concrete production.

Purpose: The aim of this work is to study the physical and mechanical properties of cement brick modified by ultrafine quartz waste filler. Methodology: Mechanical grinding is used to obtain ultrafine particles. Research findings: The effective ratio for ultrafine activated quartz is determined to be 30:70. The use of ultrafine filler based on activated quartz waste allows increasing the density from 2 to 4 % and strength from 20 to 30 % and also reducing its thermal conductivity down to 8 %.Practical implications: A fabrication technique is proposed for cement brick with improved physical and mechanical properties using quartz wastes in the amount of 30 % of the cement volume. Value: A denser structure of cement brick is obtained using a 4 % dry activation, when the volume fraction of quartz waste particles is less than 20 microns in size.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to address the issues of technical regulation, energy saving and energy efficiency in low-rise construction. Methodology: This study utilizes economic calculations confirming the effectiveness of energy saving and efficiency in low-rise construction. Research findings: The use of analyzed technologies and equipment significantly reduces the utility costs providing more comfortable conditions for residents. Savings due to decentralized heating systems and hot water are calculated. Savings due to ventilation systems allow reducing the utility costs as well as the use of environmentally friendly heating sources and up-to-date ventilation sources. Practical implications: These developments can be used to invest low-rise buildings construction projects.

The paper describes theoretical and experimental studies of solid mineral water impurity coagulation during mixing with aluminum sulfate coagulant solution in the contact bed with the grain size of 10, 30 and 50 mm. It is shown that the values of velocity gradient and Camp criterion, which together with coagulant dose determine the flocculation efficiency, are functions of the specific surface area of pore space of the coarse-grained bed. A comparison of the efficiency of coagulating natural water containing kaolinite clay particles in the amount of (1.11–1.15)10^–4 is given when mixing with aluminum sulfate solution by means of a mechanical mixer in a free volume and in coarse-grained bed clarification at a subsequent precipitation of treated water.

he article is devoted to the analysis of the building complex activities in the post-crisis period. The main technical and economic factors limiting the activities of construction organizations are analyzed to assess the current situation and future development prospects. Factors that have the greatest, adverse effect on the development of the building complex are identified. Unfinished housing is analyzed including incomplete construction in the years 2000–2017. The assessment of competition in the building complex is made according to the methodology of the Federal State Statistics Service and the Federal Antimonopoly Service. The assessment results show adverse effects of the crisis phenomena, which manifest themselves in a decreasing level of competition among construction companies and low efficient activities confirmed by the development trend estimates of the building complex in the Tomsk Region. Today, it is necessary to improve state regulation mechanisms of the building complex at national and regional levels as well as the development of tools to support construction companies, which will contribute to the competition and increase the efficiency of the entire building complex.

Concreting of thin-walled structures and elements of medium massiveness is performed using the electrical heating method. Approximate calculations according to existing methods do not take into account many factors in concrete curing during winter concreting. All approximations and simplifications do not provide the proper temperature concrete curing in winter, clear distribution of temperature fields, the nature of structural temperature changes with time. Modeling with the use of modern software and computer systems can solve this problem.

The paper proposes a method of parametric analysis of the concrete strength generation using a heating cable. The method includes computational models of thermal conductivity for three types of formwork and using the ELCUT software package for calculating non-stationary temperature fields at various ambient temperature, wind speeds and space for laying heating cable. The analysis the temperature fields in concrete with regard to the exposure time, makes it possible to estimate its strength development. It is shown that in formwork 6 the temperature field is the most uniform, while in formwork 2 it is the least uniform. Formworks 4 and 6 with 300 mm space for cable laying provide the most effective electrical heating of thin-wall structures.