Laboratories and classrooms
Laboratory of heat engines
The state-of-the-art equipment, which the laboratory owned, allowed research of various engines and machines brought to the institute for testing.
Electric power station
The power station served the role for both, the illuminating the university campus, its educational and residential buildings as well as for training purposes – the classes in Electrical Engineering and Steam Mechanics were held there.
The laboratory was housed in a special building adjacent to the water supply tower from the south-east. It was originally given a machine-like character. Practical classes in General Hydraulics and Machine Studies were to teach the students different methods and techniques of turbine and pump testing under various conditions of pressure, speed and load.
Laboratory of electrical machines
The equipment of Grand machine hall included the samples of electrical power engineering produced in the leading plants of Russia and Europe. The main objective of students’ practical classes was not only to get familiar with the general methods of electrical machine studies but also to develop a critical approach to their design features as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the equipment under study. In 1910 a new Tram Department was opened in the laboratory presenting traction engines.
Laboratory of strength of materials
A large Chemistry classroom for 400 people was designed for the students of all departments. Excellent illumination and acoustics made it a model for all Russian institutes.
In total at any one time up to 1000 students were able to study in the Chemistry Building. In the laboratories of general, metallurgical and mineralogical chemistry with the room of identification test every student was supposed to have a separate table with special feed of water, gas and electric current and also with a full range of chemicals and glassware to perform practical tasks.
The laboratories consisted of two sections. In the first section students did the tasks on basic physical measurements and in the second one they performed the tasks on optics, magnetism and electricity.
The entire third floor of the main academic building was given to the drawing offices. The most prominent among them was the drawing office of the Shipbuilding Department. The floor in this drawing office was a carefully aligned black platform, the so-called “loft”, which served for drawing life-size parts of the ship.
The result of hard work was the modern complex of institute buildings which, along with excellent classrooms, housed a museum of product samples with laboratories, maritime and geological museums, classes of Applied Economic Sciences, great drawing offices, a fundamental library. At present the museum of product samples could be called a laboratory of industrial products certification. It was equipped with the best showpieces of measuring instruments.
Museum of product samples
The cabinets and showcases of the museum housed various collections of industrial and agricultural product samples mainly produced in Russia. At the museum there also were mechanical, chemical and electrical laboratories that did the analysis of the goods properties as well as certified these goods
Any museum could be proud of the collection of Russian ship models that the institute had.
A spacious lobby, vaulted corridors with high arched windows, a wide main staircase, architecture and the interior of indoor premises gave the sanctuary of sciences a monumental character. It took a few more years to finish some rooms and buildings. For example, the hall of the Fundamental Library was opened only in 1905. The interior was also designed upon E.F. Virrikh’s project, who used reinforced concrete structures in the construction of the arch.
To illuminate the room better a lantern light was set in the ceiling. The interior of the reading room has not significantly changed over the years. The furniture from the beginning of XX century is still preserved and used today. This furniture was made specially for this room: large oak tables for 8 – 12 readers, light beech chairs, glassed-in bookcases, cabinets for alphabetical and thematic catalogues, desks and writing cabinets for library employees. In 1911, the reading room was decorated with a plaster sculpture of L.N. Tolstoy commissioned by the Institute Council and made by the famous sculptor I.Y. Gintsburg. In total of up to 150 people can be accommodated in the enormous double-height library room with the area of 420 m2 and the height of 12 m with extensive lateral choir galleries.