OREANDA-NEWS. October 17, 2008. The President’s message reads in particular:

“Your annual forum, which brings together professionals from many countries, always draws great interest and public attention. The leading architectural bureaus and design institutes present here their promising developments and original design solutions.

The festival’s main theme this year is ‘The Historic City and New Architecture’. It is no secret that unique cultural heritage has become vulnerable in this age of globalisation. Unique monuments of the past are being destroyed before our very eyes or being replaced with modern copies. Nature zones are being built over and beautiful landscape reserves are being destroyed. Preservation of this priceless historical heritage depends in large part on competent urban planning policy.

I hope that your meeting will help resolve these important missions and inspire interesting new initiatives and projects. Overall, I hope it will help to preserve the historic appearance of our cities and contribute to the dynamic development of Russia’s architectural and construction sectors.”

The festival showcases the work of Russian and foreign architects and designers, and design, production and construction companies and organisations, architectural bureaus and studios, personal workshops and students of architecture and construction educational establishments. Russia’s national architecture prize, the Crystal Daedalus, will also be awarded during the festival.

The festival takes place on 17–19 October in Moscow.