Large-span structures in diploma projects of students architects of RUDN University

At present, there is a renewed interest in the design and application of wall structures in architecture and construction. With the advent of modern computers, refined methods for calculating shells, new building materials, the development of differential geometry and the rapid growth of numerical methods of calculation, it became possible to create architectural masterpieces from shells of canonical and non-canonical forms, which can be the hallmark of a city or country. This emerging trend among young Russian and foreign specialists inspires optimism among scientists who are researching thin-walled shells. The article considers some results of the work of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Engineering Academy of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia on attracting students to architectural design and involving undergraduates in researches on architecture, the theory of thin-walled spatial structures and their application in construction and architecture. The publications of students in this field are presented.