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As part of a joint research project with the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, specialists from the Agency for strategic development "CENTER" conducted a field study of the Nizhpoligraf complex in Nizhny Novgorod. Covering 45,000 square metres, the site is being developed into a cluster for creative industries, education and manufacturing, bringing together historic architecture, vocational training, production facilities and creative businesses.

The complex comprises the Mikhail and Lyubov Rukavishnikov House of Industry, built in 1906 and designated a regional cultural heritage site, alongside the buildings of a former printing works. Today, it accommodates the Federal Technopark for Vocational Education, workshops, design studios, manufacturing facilities and other tenants.

At the heart of the site's contemporary development model lies its original philosophy: work as a means of personal development. The House of Industry was established not merely to support people facing difficult circumstances, but also to equip them with vocational skills and provide opportunities to transform their lives through employment.

"The entire concept of Nizhpoligraf was built around the idea of a Craftsmen's Park — a place that would combine education, skills transfer, training and opportunities for developing creative industries rooted in craftsmanship," said Yulia Khanzhina, Development Director of the Nizhpoligraf Craftsmen's Park autonomous non-profit organisation.

The community that has emerged on the site plays a central role in its transformation. Creative businesses and workshops began occupying the former industrial premises even before a comprehensive redevelopment concept was formulated. Retaining these tenants helped preserve the existing ecosystem and establish it as the foundation for further revitalization.

Another area of focus is the printing works' industrial heritage. Part of the original archive has survived at Nizhpoligraf, including technical diagrams, drawings, record books, posters and publications produced on site. These materials have yet to be catalogued and are currently accessible primarily upon request. The project team intends to organise the archive systematically and make it available for research.

The field study found that the long-term viability of projects of this kind depends on several interconnected factors: preserving the existing community, maintaining educational and manufacturing functions, establishing an integrated management model and securing long-term funding. At the same time, the site's emerging identity has yet to establish a more explicit connection with its history of printing and publishing.

"Nizhpoligraf's key strength lies in the continuity between the site's historical and contemporary functions. The principle of personal development through work, embodied in the original House of Industry, lives on today through education, manufacturing and the activities of creative workshops," said Andrei Vashchuk, Lead Project Analyst at the Agency for strategic development "CENTER".

The case was examined as part of the research project Analysis of Practices for the Capitalization and Representation of Industrial Heritage, implemented by Agency "CENTER" at the initiative of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. The findings will contribute to the development of a typology of Russian industrial heritage sites and approaches to their adaptive reuse and interpretation.