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Pic.4 Children’s play area in Ankudinvsky park, Nizhny Novgorod Photo by Sitnikova Anna

Playgrounds play a huge role in the development of a child. They get children into action so that they can grow physically and mentally. They also develop social skills, children communicate, seek compromises, solve problems, and during games, they try on various social roles. Often, parents are faced with a child’s hyperactivity, playgrounds help to let off steam, children learn to express and control their emotions, so we can also talk about mental health. Playtime helps children learn to solve problems and to think creatively, which is helpful for the cognitive development. For example, as children figure out different ways to get over a climber or to cross a balance beam, they are working on their cognitive skills. Unlike many other types of play, playgrounds encourage children to explore with all senses, so they build their sensory activity. In this way, the development of playgrounds and the attention paid by the authorities to them is really necessary in modern society.

References

1.100 новых детских площадок установят в Нижнем Новгороде// https://www.nnov.kp.ru/daily/26990/4051979/

2.Louise Chawla. Growing up in cities. // https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpuprojects/21st_Century/resources/papers/documents/Chawla.pdf

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I.S. Pynkova, I.I. Tusheva

Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

METABOLISM

Metabolism (from fr. métabolisme -« transformation, сhange») – architectural style in town planning in the mid-twentieth century, represented an alternative to the ideology of functionalism that dominated at that time in architecture. Metabolism originated in Japan in the late 50-ies of the XX century. The principle of individual development of a living organism (ontogenesis) and co-evolution was based on the theory of metabolism. Metabolism, however, should not be confused with organic architecture and eco-tech, in which imitation of living nature is not deployed in time and mainly affects the principles of form-

building.

openness of the structure of buildings for "dialogue" with the changing architectural, cultural and technological context of the urban environment.

It is common to focus attention on emptiness, to create the effect of "materializing attention," visual fixing of undeveloped spaces with the help of symbolic spatial structures.

is its modularity, a honeycomb, most clearly illustrated by the example of the Nakagin Capsule Tower (architect K. Kurokawa).

Nakagin Capsule Tower

There were also a few related concepts of Japanese metabolism. In the USSR, the associates in the field of architecture and urban planning of the

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Japanese metabolists were the participants of the project group "The New Element of Settlement" such as A. Gutnov, I. Lezhava, and others. In the UK there was the project team called «Archigram». Unlike the ideas of Japanese colleagues, the concepts of the groups above did

not have real success.

Kisyo Kurokawa was born in 1934 in the village of Kanie in Japan. His father was also an architect. Kurokawa studied architecture at the universities of Kyoto and Tokyo. In his youth, the architect was under the great influence of Soviet constructivism: after completing his

studies, Kurokawa visited Moscow in 1958. The young architect believed in the great future of communism.

In 1960, Kurokawa with a group of like-minded people, including Kiyonori Kikutake and Fumihiko Maki, founded a new architectural trend - metabolism.

In contrast to the prevailing view of the building as a “machine for living", metabolists perceived the city as a living organism: they were inspired by biological processes and Marxist theory. In their opinion, architecture should not be static, and, as many of its elements wear out over time, they become unusable, they must be replaced with something new. The architectural community firstly perceived metabolism as another futuristic utopia of the century. However, the ideas that formed the basis for it, in fact, are very traditional. Metabolists turned to the origins of the Japanese architectural tradition, for which the desire for harmony with the animal and plant world has always been characteristic.

The main project of Kurokawa, in which the ideas of metabolism are embodied, is the "Nakagin" tower, the construction of which was completed in 1972. The building consists of two concrete towers, consisting of 140 steel modules-capsules, which can be combined into larger living spaces. Each capsule was a compact apartment for one person - with a bed, a small built-in writing desk, a closet and a small shower. At the same time, the size of such a small capsule corresponds to the size of a traditional Japanese tea room.

However, today living in the "Nakagin" tower is associated with a lot of inconveniences. Despite the fact that, according to the idea of the pioneers of metabolism, their buildings had to be very durable, in 2007 the Kurokawa’s tower was threatened with destruction. Residents of the building voted for his demolition. Wishing to save his creation, Kurokawa proposed a project for a large-scale reconstruction of the tower, but it was postponed because of the crisis.

One of the most large-scale projects of Kurokawa is the development of a masterplan for Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan. The fundamental idea in the Kurokawa project was the harmony of the urban and natural environment. Architects that worked on the general plan before that, wanted to make the riverbed an architectural axis of the city. Kurokawa considered such a decision as a big mistake, because a large city in a few years would pollute the vital artery of

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the whole region. Kurokawa insisted on the primary importance of the natural context. Kisyo Kurokawa developed the Astana masterplan for two years. It was completed in 2001.

The National Arts Center in Tokyo

In the same year, the architect designed one of the most expensive football stadiums of the world - Zenit Arena on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg.

Zenit Arena on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg

The construction of the tower "Nakagin" proved that apartment capsules this is not a utopian project, but a working concept for the construction of urban housing. Kurokawa's ideas for arranging living space were not popular in due time, but today they are used quite often: for example, in large cities, there are many capsule hotels. In addition, after the breakup of a group of metabolists in the early 1970s, their ideas were in demand in other countries and all around the world.

V.V. Gelman, D.A. Loshkareva

Nizhniy Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

THE PECULIARITIES OF INFORMATION SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT USING UML LANGUAGE (ON THE EXAMPLE OF HEALTHCARE CENTER INFORMATION SYSTEM)

Arrays of information are constantly increasing and modern computer technologies facilitate greatly its processing. Information systems are created to simplify data processing. An information system is an interconnected set of tools, methods and personnel. It is used to store, process and output information. All electronic information systems are divided into two classes according to the method of storing information:

1.Non-networked information systems operating on file-server technology. These systems work on a stand-alone computer, without the use of a computer network.

2.Network information systems operating on client-server technology. These systems operate on a computer connected to a computer network.

Our area of research is the automation of the Healthcare Centre service process. We have chosen this information system, which is still a non-electronic database, working on file-server technology, in order to help the medical institution to organize its activities at a qualitative level and to improve their patients’ service and treatment efficiency.

We used the language UML, because it allows to describe the system from almost all possible points of view and to see different aspects of its behavior, UML diagrams are easy to read. In addition, UML allows you to enter your own text and graphic stereotypes.

We need to develop a system using the language of visual modeling UML, that allows to register the patients, to set the doctor`s appointment and to keep patients’ medical records.

Information about the patient and his medical records may be lost, and to find the necessary information will require more time and effort.

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Client information is stored in hard copy to date, so it causes the following problems:

1.Client information, patient medical records, information about doctor`s appointment could be lost.

2.Necessary information search takes a lot of time and patience.

By providing this information system we can:

1.Get all the patient`s information including illnesses and intolerance to some medicines;

2.Avoid queues the doctor’s and mistakes in the doctor`s appointments.

The system requires a PC (personal computer), a printer, and network.

To create it, you need a database for storing information about patients and doctors, a server and a web-application for working with the database.

The development of the Health Care Center information system is carried out using various diagrams in the UML language.

We would like to consider the development of “Use case” diagrams, “Class” diagrams, and “Activity” diagrams.

A “Use case” diagram is a type of diagram that allows you to create a list of operations that the system performs. It shows the relationship between “actor” and “use case”.

Actors can be the following employees: a receptionist, a doctor, also a chief physician and a system administrator.

Use cases can vary, for example, the receptionist organizes the appointments and enters data about new patients.

Relationship Extend determines the relationship between instances of a single use-case and a more general one and relationship Include indicates that some specified behavior for one “use case” is included as a component in the other “use case”.

“Use Case” diagram is shown in Figure 1:

“Class” Diagram is the other type of “Class” Diagram. “Class” Diagram is a diagram that includes the classes of the system and their attributes.

Classes are presented in the form of rectangles; they consist of a name, attributes (property), class methods (operations).

In this diagram, we create several stereotypes:

2 classes <<entity>> (containing information stored permanently, as well as search results). They are “Medical record formation” and “Medical record”. 3 classes <<boundary>> (provide interaction between the environment and internal elements of the system). They are “Entering patient personal information”, “Confirming data” and “Slip”; 2 classes <<control>> (responsible for coordinating the actions of other classes). They are “Authorization” and “Saving data”. This class diagram is shown in Picture 2.

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In conclusion, we would like to highlight that we have done the analysis of the system efficiency and found out that our system improved greatly the work of this institution. As the study showed, the system is very good at reducing the time of patient registration and paperwork, it also improves the efficiency of doctors work and provides quick access to the necessary information about the patient. The results of this design project can be the basis for the development of the final product for any Health Care Center information system.

M.A. Yakovleva, E.B. Mikhailova, T.V. Kireeva

Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

PARKLET AS A NEW ELEMENT OF URBAN LANDSCAPE

From the beginning of the development of the automotive industry until recently, the main task of urban planners was to increase the road capacity and to adapt city space to accommodate cars. To solve these problems, trees planted back in Soviet times were cut down, the width of sidewalks and lawns was reduced, tram tracks were dismantled, new highways were built. In parallel with the expansion of roads, business was also active – car sales have been constantly growing, and there have been no barriers from manufacturers or authorities to restrict transport in the city. This combination has led to traffic jams, spontaneous parking and a high speed mode on city streets, which certainly negatively affects the quality of the urban environment.

Over time, people began to pay attention to accumulating problems that could not be left unnoticed by the city government anymore. Positive vectors have been observed in the development of urban space, in which it is necessary to outline the main thesis: “a city for people”. Any motorist is a pedestrian, but not every pedestrian is a motorist. Therefore, it is so important in any environmental transformation in the city to think first of all about a person as a pedestrian.

Certainly, changes that have occurred with the city in the process of motorization, and especially with its historical part, are technically inexpedient to return to its original state. Currently, transport accessibility determines the attendance of a place, and parking spaces become the determining factor in the number of visitors, which is so important for business. However, people strolling through the streets – in other words, pedestrians have the greatest purchasing power. Long walks can make people feel tired and hungry, which contributes to the development of the restaurant business in high passing places. Concerning motorists, they usually know their destination and they are less likely to stop by. The speed of a person’s movement also plays an important role – the lower it is, the more objects fall into a person’s field of vision. A variety of facade elements, as well as representatives of the flora, have a beneficial effect on the

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psychological comfort of a person, which also reduces fatigue and stress level. The architecture of the past centuries often abounds in such properties, which leads to the great value of old buildings for the city.

However, with modern beautification of the old part of the city, for the greatest comfort of the environment, one component is often missing – landscaping. For some reason, at the mention of “Comfortable urban environment” people primarily speak of paving, lighting and small architectural forms. Their presence, of course, is important, but how many people would prefer a conventional asphalt field with lighting and benches to at least a small landscaped area? For new city objects, the issue of an integrated approach to improvement is not so acute. A typical project often involves development of the exterior, taking into account the needs of people, which is much easier to do on a half-empty territory. However, speaking about streets with historical buildings, they are usually so narrow and the communications are so dense that planting trees and shrubs in the ground is impossible.

Of course, the solution exists, and it is parklets. The first of them appeared in the United States more than 15 years ago. Over time, such designs have spread to Europe, but they are still not used everywhere. Parklets are designed to create public places for passers-by so that they can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the surrounding city, and are located in places where there are not enough city parks or where the existing width of the sidewalk is insufficient. Parquet floors can be designed as permanent and temporary or seasonal structures in places where snow removal is a problem. Instead of parking 1-3 cars people get a small recreation area. The attractiveness of parklets for pedestrians is determined by the constant flow of people, that is, they are used only for the purpose of a short rest.

The creation of such temporary structures has many advantages in highly urbanized areas. Perhaps, the main advantage is the mobility of construction. Installation of a parklet can be carried out very fast, as well as its dismantling if needed. The creation of greened islands in the city center also favorably affects the visual assessment of the territory, which will certainly increase passers-by traffic. A parklet opposite a shop or a cafe has proved a useful way of getting passers-by to slow down and stop by, making them a potential tool in territory

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