The ASIRIS Restoration School (ASIRIS) is an educational project of the non-profit organization ASIRIS (the Agency for the Preservation and Development of Historic Environment Sites of Nizhny Novgorod Region), opened on November 11, 2023, in the Nizhpoligraf building on Varvarskaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod.[2] The school trains specialists and volunteers in the restoration of wooden elements of historic buildings.[3]

Opening and goals

The opening of the school was announced by Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin, who described it as an important step in the creation of the Nizhpoligraf masters' park.[4] According to Nikitin, the region has many wooden houses that are not officially recognized as cultural heritage sites but are significant for preserving historic identity, and their restoration is one of the school's key objectives.[2] At the school's entrance group, already-restored window surrounds from houses on Bolshaya Pecherskaya Street and Novaya Street, from blocks in Sormovo, and from villages of Nizhny Novgorod Region were displayed at the opening.[4]

Curriculum

The school implements a continuing education program titled "Repair, Restoration, Conservation, and Reconstruction of Wooden Structures and Components," developed with the participation of the Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (NNGASU).[5] The course runs for two months and totals 72 academic hours: 40 hours of theory and 32 hours of practical work.[5] Lectures are held at NNGASU, while practical sessions take place in the school's workshop and on actual historic buildings.[2] Classes are held twice a week in the evenings.[1]

Applicants must be Nizhny Novgorod residents aged 18 or older who have completed or are currently receiving a general secondary, secondary vocational, or higher education.[5] Tuition is free, subject to the mandatory requirement of completing a practical placement (at least 20 academic hours) after finishing the course — either at the school's workshop or at sites of the ANO "ASIRIS" volunteer movement in Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1] To enroll, applicants must submit an application, consent to the processing of personal data, and a motivational essay, after which an in-person interview is conducted.[5]

Students learn techniques for sawing and processing wood, reinforcing and cleaning timber, restoring missing elements, reconstructing the geometry of structures, and various painting techniques.[1]

Subsequent enrollment rounds

In August 2024, the school announced a new enrollment round for the same program: applications submitted to sr@anoasiris.ru were accepted until September 9, 2024, with the start of classes scheduled for October 8, 2024.[1] The registered address of ANO "ASIRIS", under which the school operates, is Nizhny Novgorod, Alekseevskaya Street, 13a.[5]

Sources

  1. Kommersant (Volga Region) — "ASIRIS Restoration School" announces new student enrollment — Kommersant Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  2. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — The ASIRIS restoration school opened in Nizhny Novgorod on November 11, 2023 (archive)
  3. Newsroom24 — Restoration school opens at Nizpoligraf in Nizhny Novgorod — Education
  4. nn.aif.ru — Nizhny Novgorod residents can learn to restore window trims at the ASIRIS school — AiF Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  5. anoasiris.ru — Restoration school (archive)