Metropolis invests in the development of human resources in the architectural and construction industry at the CASE-IN

Since 2023, Metropolis has been the initiator and strategic partner of the Architecture, Design, Construction and Housing and Communal Services Student League of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship (the project of the presidential platform "Russia – the Land of Opportunities"). The league helps future architects and designers gain real–world experience in the profession, acquire the necessary skills and start an engineering career, while companies strengthen the human resources potential of talented young people and develop the architectural and construction design industry in Russia.

In 3 years, the league has gained high popularity among specialized universities. "In the debut year, students from 7 specialized universities tried their hand at the new direction of the championship, and in 2024, students from 17 universities in Russia and Belarus. In 2025, the direction expanded its boundaries, covering 20 branch universities from 17 Russian cities from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk. During this time, 1,110 students got a chance to make themselves known," said the founder of CASE-IN. Artem Korolev.

The direction is supported by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation, having included it in the roadmap for the development of the construction industry until 2030.

The XIV season of the CASE-IN championship continues to help reduce the gap between academic education and the real needs of business, as well as provide an effective career start for the best students, says the marketing director of Metropolis and the curator of the project. Alla Seregina.

"Here we build communications with the country's leading technical universities and unlock the potential of interested students who, thanks to CASE-IN, can develop important skills through work in non–academic projects," she says. – Metropolis also focuses on the development of practice-oriented learning. With the support of CASE-IN, we can involve universities from all over Russia in this work and make a significant contribution to the development of architectural and construction design in our country."

Traditionally, the company's leading experts prepare technical specifications for the case, focusing on analytics and market trends. Then, at each stage of the championship, they evaluate the decisions of the teams, and in the final they determine the winners and runners-up of the direction. So, last year alone, more than 50 Metropolis experts from different cities were involved in the CASE-IN.

"In previous seasons, student teams designed a hotel, a full-fledged tourist complex and a multifunctional business center," says Alla Seregina. – This season, which is dedicated to the theme "Technologies of the future", we have formed a technical specification for the design of a residential multifunctional complex of the comfort class. In our opinion, this is the type of facility that is relevant not only for the market as a whole, but also for many design organizations. Almost every design company has residential construction facilities in its portfolio, which means that the design experience will be relevant to students, regardless of which company they start their career in."

The student teams presented the projects developed in 21 days as part of the qualifying stages, which took place in March-April 2026 at 9 universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don and Sevastopol. Students whose universities do not host CASE-IN competitions had the opportunity to participate in the open qualifying stages. In total, more than 30 branch universities have announced their participation this season.

By solving the case of the Metropolis company, students acquire valuable skills for working in the construction industry – communication within the framework of cross-functional interaction, self-presentation, and also learn to defend their ideas.

"Any architect, designer or engineer cannot work autonomously. It is communication and teamwork, where everyone is responsible for their own section of design, that is the link between the competencies of each individual specialist," notes Alla Seregina. – And, of course, it is important to note the skill of presenting your solutions – this is a prototype of protecting a project in front of a customer, preceded by an analysis and a product approach. All this is now very important for the successful implementation of the project in the market."

The authors of the best solutions undergo paid internships at Metropolis offices throughout Russia, and students who have proven themselves can get the opportunity to become part of a professional team. In three years, during such internships and internships, more than 40 participants in the architectural and construction field of the CASE-IN championship were able to find their way into the profession, for 30 of them the company became an important line in the workbook.

At the moment, 14 people continue to successfully work on projects of the Metropolis company. Among them is Lyudmila Morshchakova, a leading technology engineer in St. Petersburg, who, as part of one of the brightest teams in the field, BROIZ from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University– became the winner of 2023. By the way, today more than half of the members of this team work in the Moscow and St. Petersburg offices of the company.

"The specifics of the technological engineer's profession is that universities do not train such specialists directly. Our design section affects all spatial and engineering solutions: logistics, distribution of functional flows, selection of equipment, further development of engineering systems," explains Lyudmila. – Thanks to the case, we had the opportunity to get to know this section better. Metropolis doesn't just give you tasks, it really teaches you. If you want to figure it out, senior colleagues will always help. It's not about competition, but about growing with the team. From the first day, I had the feeling that I wasn't alone. And everyone in the company wants you to grow into a cool specialist."

In 2026, Anna Kostandova joined the team of the Moscow office of Metropolis: in 2025, she won the championship with the team of Kaliningrad State Technical University "3+1", after which she moved from Kaliningrad to the capital of Russia and began her professional career in one of the leading companies in the segment of architectural and construction design in Russia. the country.

Hrant Grigoryan started his career at the company as an architectural technician in Nizhny Novgorod. After enrolling in a master's degree in Moscow, Metropolis agreed to transfer the Grant to the Moscow office. Now the young man is already working in the team as a lead architect.

"These young specialists have a deeper understanding of the specifics of the company's work and the principle of the project organization as such. They are motivated and proactive both within the Metropolis projects and in external industry projects," summarizes Alla Seregina.

Thanks to the partnership between Metropolis and the CASE-IN Championship, the project continues to raise the level of training for engineering students and create a steady stream of motivated and ambitious young people in the industry, as well as set professional standards for working in a modern design company. The company wishes the participants of the new season the courage, imagination and innovative solutions that Russia is counting on.

"Remember: architecture is frozen music, human thought embodied in matter for centuries. And each project is a symbiosis of expressive form and precise engineering calculation. Where beauty meets reliability, real symbols of their time are born. Let your work today be the first step towards creating such harmony, believe in yourself and design with pleasure and passion!" notes Alla Seregina.