The electronic craftsmanship of a local resident has captivated Russians.
Tomsk – a cozy and remarkably beautiful city, widely known beyond Siberia for its wooden architecture.
One of the city’s main attractions is the renowned “House with a Tent.” No Tomsk tour is complete without recounting the tale of merchant Georgy Golovanov, who built this estate for his family in 1904. Against the backdrop of the house, locals and city visitors alike are perpetually photographed.
But even those who’ve never set foot in Tomsk are now enchanted by this extraordinary edifice. The revived interest of many Russians in Siberian wooden houses unexpectedly awakened thanks to a Tomsk resident.
Better than any marketing
Sergey Pakhandrin, an IT specialist involved in mobile app development, consistently utilizes neural networks in his work. He resides in an area with historical architecture and frequently strolls through streets adorned with monuments of wooden architecture. How could inspiration not strike? An idea emerged, and by applying his acquired knowledge, Sergey created an incredibly creative project. He generated, using ChatGPT and DALL-E, the legendary “House with a Tent” in LEGO style.
“I began using neural networks, just like everyone else, at the beginning of last year,” Sergey told “About Russia Gazette.” “I merely noticed the growing interest and popularity of this topic in the news and delved into it myself.”
Other estates followed the “House with a Tent.” The result was impressive! Photos of Tomsk’s wooden landmarks, seemingly assembled from a construction set, were highly appreciated by residents from various Russian cities, shared on social media.
“It’s incredibly beautiful and touching,” enthused reviewers writing to Sergey.
A neural network-generated “House with a Tent” in LEGO style
Photo: t.me/ai_volution_chat
Of course, some wished to know how to replicate the feat. Sergey, however, had no secrets.
“Unfortunately, you can’t simply ‘show’ a photo to a neural network and request alterations or ask it to create something unique based on the source,” Sergey explained. “Instead, you need to meticulously describe the house in every detail and concurrently ensure the algorithm comprehends and depicts precisely what’s required.”
Using ChatGPT Vision, a tool for providing detailed descriptions of images understandable to DALL-E, the Tomsk resident crafted a comprehensive textual guide based on his photo of the house. This detailed guide allowed the neural network to create the desired image.
“I requested a thorough examination of each photo and instructed to transfer all nuances into the neural network’s query to generate a detailed LEGO constructor in the form of a house, alongside a nearby box depicting this same house. Achieving the desired outcome immediately wasn’t possible, but after several attempts, the neural network succeeded in generating the very houses seen in the photographs, although they weren’t exact replicas.”
Collage. Tomsk estates “built” by Sergei Pakhandrin in a neural network
Photo: t.me/ai_volution_chat
Now Sergey, and indeed anyone taken by his idea, hope that a construction set that could truly assemble ancient estates will someday become a reality.
“I’ve seen an enormous positive response online and a tremendous desire from people to buy such a construction set! So, give it a try. I’d happily purchase one myself,” wrote Sergey in his Telegram channel, wishing success to all engaging in similar creative ventures involving neural networks.
House with a Tent
The mansion of Georgy Golovanov, which kickstarted the series of virtual LEGO-style houses, isn’t just attractive as an architectural landmark. Its history, in itself, is intriguing.
Merchant Georgy Golovanov amassed a substantial fortune trading in gold and furs, enabling him to construct a house tailored to his individual design without sparing expenses. The estate, featuring an octagonal tower, stood out even then amidst the typical urban setting due to its unconventional layout and skillful carvings. While it’s now admired by all, contemporaries often criticized it. For instance, Andrei Leonidovich Shilovsky, one of the founders of the historical preservation society, considered the house a manifestation of tastelessness and accused architect Khomich of lacking a sense of beauty and symmetry.
The house’s owner passed away in 1913, and in 1917, the estate was nationalized, repurposed into a sanatorium for children with nervous disorders.
During the Great Patriotic War, Tomsk housed children left without families. Consequently, the mansion was converted into a Children’s Home. Later, the children were relocated to more spacious premises, and Golovanov’s former estate became a medical school.
“In 1993, the house was restored by the German Cultural Center with the support of the German government. Since then, the Russian-German House hosts various events: exhibitions, concerts, tours, for which the organization receives grants. This helps preserve the traditions of Russian Germans living in Tomsk,” said Alexey Tarasov, a public relations specialist for the Russian-German House, to “About Russia Gazette.”
Anyone interested can sign up for a tour of the mansion. To learn more about the house and its owner, one needs only to coordinate the visit in advance with the RGH administration.
This is what “House with a Tent” looks like now
Photo: Vyacheslav Larionov
Preserving History
Sergey Pakhandrin admits that by sharing generated images of carved LEGO-style houses on social media, he aimed to showcase the beauties of his hometown and simultaneously draw attention to the state of Tomsk’s historical buildings:
“I love our city. And, of course, I wanted to showcase this beauty across all of Russia and simply raise awareness that these houses deserve due attention in terms of restoration.”
An ancient house in Tomsk – a neighbor of the “House with a Tent”
Photo: Vyacheslav Larionov
Back in the 1980s, the “Soviet Artist” publishing house released a book titled “Wooden Architecture of Tomsk” featuring photographs of lacework houses and their fragments. Since then, the book has undergone several reprints and is still available in bookstores and souvenir shops.
Unfortunately, many houses depicted in the gift book haven’t survived. Some crumbled due to age, while others succumbed to fires, making way for tasteless multistory buildings and “business centers” constructed in the mid-90s and early 2000s.
There are plenty of problems, but the situation has recently started improving. The city administration has embarked on the restoration of buildings classified as architectural monuments. In 2016, they even launched the “Rent for a Ruble” program. The essence of this program is to attract businessmen to restoration efforts, subsequently leasing the restored houses for 49 years to those who revived them. Eight buildings have been restored so far, but in the coming years, there will be more – work on new objects is underway in different parts of the city.
One of the restored houses on Gogol Street in Tomsk
Photo: Vyacheslav Larionov
Unfortunately, merely constructing new houses isn’t feasible. During restoration, it’s crucial to maximize the use of original materials: bricks, logs, wooden and metal decorative elements. If original window frames and doors have survived, they must also be carefully restored and put back into use. Finding craftsmen capable of quality work is extremely challenging. Those who’ve completed restoration efforts share that they scouted for specialists across the Tomsk region. Hence, the number of restored houses under the program in the city is still limited.
The city administration, however, is progressing faster: some objects undergo complete restoration, some are erected “from scratch,” while others currently manage with cosmetic repairs or facade painting. Consequently, Tomsk has seen an increase in beautiful houses in recent years.
By Vyacheslav Larionov