One-on-One Architecture & Design Mentoring for Globally-Oriented Students with Alexander Novikov

My 11-year-old son took private architecture classes with Alexander, and it has been a truly wonderful experience for him. Daniel especially enjoyed learning about different building designs from around the world — the fascinating stories, challenges, and ideas behind each project captured his imagination. He always left each session inspired and excited to learn more.

For us, the most valuable part was how thoughtfully the lessons were tailored. Alexander combined theory, real-world examples, and engaging hands-on projects, creating a perfect balance that kept Daniel both interested and motivated.

I’ve also noticed clear, positive changes. He’s become more confident — especially when he recognizes a building and shares its story with us. He’s more curious, more expressive with his ideas, and more eager to explore the world around him. His thinking has become more flexible and creative, and he’s developed a deeper interest in every subject he encountered during the classes.

Overall, these lessons have been incredibly meaningful. Alexander created such an engaging, supportive atmosphere, and we are truly grateful for the impact he has had on Daniel.

We really appreciate Alexander’s highly professional approach — both in teaching and communication. Everything is clear, structured, and very well-organized. It’s especially important for us that Alexander manages to truly engage the child: Nikolas always looks forward to the lessons and wants to continue. The way the material is presented is competent and very helpful for his project work.

The most valuable thing for us is that Nikolas is always ready and motivated to study, and he has never refused a lesson. He goes to each class with interest and confidence, and this is the best indication that the lessons are beneficial and enjoyable for him.

My son (13 y.o.) was genuinely impressed by the Architectural Thinking course by Alexander. Two week sessions in and my son already learned to see patterns and develop his own design.

The course is carefully crafted and is really progressive and informative with a lot of hands-on activities and skills applicable way beyond architecture. Alexander is an amazing tutor, as he is empathic and sensitive to the child’s needs and possesses sharp vision in terms of skills that need to be developed or topics that need to be covered at the moment.

Alexander never criticises but iterates focusing on the child’s strengths building a solid foundation.

Considerate approach to one-on-one mentoring is of great value to a teen who seeks support and confidence and looks into pursuing the path of an architect or just is eager to learn to view the world differently. The course is fully comprehensible and adaptable to my child’s needs.

Along the way the child enriches his own context beyond architecture and design, develops the skills of divergent thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving, as well as gets a valuable perspective on how global world challenges, climate and nature, culture, art, science, and architecture intersect in design and life.

During the course my son
⁃ Was specifically impressed by Venice Architecture Biennale overview discussing the current world trends
⁃ Learned to analyse the impact of natural and cultural environments on architectural design, plan architectural space by applying design principles, and as a result developed his sketches and implemented his design in 3D model in Sketchup the way he saw it.
- Was so fascinated with the fruits architecture session that now he is looking to create his own roof design with a bell pepper structure.

As a result, he is currently working on his own portfolio and sketching more during free time.

I had a year of architecture lessons. It was a lot of fun for me, and in the end I learned a lot, too. I finished with a huge project and gained a lot of knowledge about architecture. I can only be grateful for all those lessons I had, and I can wholeheartedly recommend Alexander to anyone who is new to, or already a bit advanced in, architecture.

Alexander is an amazing tutor that I am staying with for many years. I was able to take the course at my own pace while Alexander provided me with great support along the way. Despite my ADD and difficulties in concentrating I was never bored or tired, as Alexander was very responsive to my needs.

We started with a discussion of Architecture Biennale and disputed over the meaning and context of pavilions of different countries, as well as analysed the impact of culture, climate and geography of different countries on architecture.

I was also introduced to architectural foundations, captured the buildings of world-famous architects and learned what stands behind their design, and now feel more confident in designing my own structures. Creating a project like an architect is an unforgettable experience.

What’s more, I am now able to see patterns and geometry, while the sketching exercises trained my eye for proportions. My spatial skills got so much better!

I was especially excited to sketch the design of my own architectural building the way I see it and model it using Sketchup. I’m already thinking of a new design and planning to create my portfolio!