The main theme of the Russian-Spanish conference dedicated to Augustine Betancourt was "The development of the underground space as a means of preserving the historical environment."
The conference was attended by specialists in the field of geotechnics, underground construction, architecture and urban planning. The conference was opened by Oleg Romanov, President of the Union of Architects of St. Petersburg, Felix Valdes, Consul General of the Kingdom of Spain in St. Petersburg and Vladimir Grigoryev, Chairman of the Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, Chief Architect of St. Petersburg.
As noted, in St. Petersburg, given the vast territory of the historical center, the development of the underground space to adapt to modern life is especially important. In this regard, the experience of the Spanish capital can be very useful for the city.
The development of the underground space allows solving transport and infrastructure problems, saturating the city center with the necessary parking lots, and equipping the city cultural centers built in past centuries with spacious vestibules. Underground volumes under the objects of cultural heritage make it possible to ensure their long-term preservation and adapt for modern use, and in some cases even return to its obsolete monument building its original function.
During the conference, specialists discussed factors that impede the successful development of the underground space, in particular, the features of urban planning legislation, the need to create a three-dimensional master plan and a 3D cadastre of land plots, etc.
For the further development of this topic according to the results of the readings, the experts proposed to resume the development of the concept of developing the underground space of St. Petersburg for a special section of the master plan devoted to the development of underground space, to involve leading experts in the development of the concept of underground space development, etc.