Shelter from the storm in Ukraine

1 Ukraine’s architects paving the path to recovery
2 Continuing to work despite circumstances
3 Constructing Hope: Ukraine
4 Architect to social moderator and integrator
5 Reflection
6 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Ukraine’s architects paving the path to recovery

I’d arranged to meet Oleg Drozdov on an arbitrary Tuesday in September. In the early hours of that morning, a Russian missile attack struck a residential area of Lviv, the western city where Oleg is residing.

The shelling killed multiple people, including children, and damaged many historic buildings, schools, and homes. An attack followed a day later in the city of Poltava, killing fifty people, in what has been one of the deadliest weeks of the invasion.

When we finally connected, Oleg apologetically explained the electricity shortage, warning that he might cut out at any point. Moments later, the call went dark. After a brief scramble and a look of awkward apprehension on my face, we reconnected. “So, is this a common occurrence with the electricity grid?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “For the first few weeks after shelling, there was a huge attack on Ukraine with around 200 missiles. After that, we managed to repair things a bit, but if it’s a hot day and everyone’s using electricity, the system struggles. That’s why we experience blackouts during the day. But we’re actually happy because we have around twelve hours of electricity per day, which is okay. In some cities, it’s much worse.”

This is a common theme across Ukraine. Russia targeted critical infrastructure across the country soon after the invasion started, leaving many people struggling to maintain the basic provisions needed to carry out a normal day of work.

Oleg moved with his family at the start of the invasion from Kharkiv, the border city where he had built Drozdov & Partners into an architectural stalwart. Before the war, the firm employed around 180 people. Like many others, they have been impacted by the mass exodus of Ukrainians. As I write, there are nearly 3.7 million internally displaced people in Ukraine and almost 6.5 million refugees globally (according to UNHCR). “Out of the 180 people employed by our office over nearly 30 years, a little more than half have left the country,” he explains. When asked about the challenges facing the practice, he reiterates the point: “It’s a huge strain in terms of human resources or human capital. Many people are involved, and we still have a lot of work. However, the conditions are difficult, and it affects the quality of our portfolios.”

The firm, known for its contributions across various sectors, has created culturally significant buildings. Amongst them is the bold transformation of the Teatr na Podoli in Kyiv, a once-disused theatre brought back to life in contemporary architectural fashion, with a standing seam facade reflecting its historical mansard roof. Another notable project is the VG Horse Club in Kharkiv, which features a beautifully unique timber facade and a design that focuses on the horses rather than humans. “For us, it was a new, unusual experience of thinking within the framework of a different ergonomic system,” explains Drozdov & Partners.

[edit] Continuing to work despite circumstances

Despite these challenges, Drozdov & Partners have continued to produce remarkable work since the invasion began. I was particularly keen to discuss how their pre-war practice transitioned to meet the current realities. Oleg explained: “Before the war,our focus was on public buildings, education, new industries, and cultural institutions, with significant projects like the Literature Museum in Kharkiv and the State Fine Art Museum in Dnipro. During the war, we’ve shifted mainly to housing – particularly social housing and some commercial housing for people displaced to the western regions of Ukraine.”

The sheer scale of destruction and displacement caused by two years of war in Ukraine is staggering. The true implications of this conflict will only be fully understood once the tides of oppression have receded from European soil. When asked if he is confident about the emergence of a post-war era, Oleg responded solemnly, “The destruction caused by the war is significant, but the 80 years of Soviet legacy also pose a huge challenge. If we add the destruction and psychological damage from the war on top of that, it becomes an enormous task.”

A central role of the architect during a crisis, Oleg states poignantly, is that of an “agent of change.” One such example is the social housing project, Mykolaychuka, in Lviv, which will provide housing for internally displaced people. The project is designed as a system of dwellings, public spaces, boulevards, and parks. By combining modular technologies with in-situ construction, the project’s scale and ambition, especially in wartime, is admirable. Closer to home, we are facing a self-perpetuating housing crisis of our own. There are undoubtedly lessons to be learned.

[edit] Constructing Hope: Ukraine

Currently showing at the AIA New York Center for Architecture, the exhibition “Constructing Hope: Ukraine” presents the work of over a dozen participants applying architectural thinking to support Ukraine. It stands as a fascinating beacon of architectural ingenuity, with human values at its core. Today, Ukraine has become a temporary home for millions. As with any conflict, the stream of internally displaced people flows away from danger like a great river. The need for temporary accommodation, often within very short timeframes, is vital. The exhibition includes the Paper Partition System, a non-permanent shelter system, designed primarily by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and adapted by Drozdov & Partners for deployment across multiple centres in Ukraine.

The system uses paper tubes to assemble modular frames that are both reusable and recyclable, providing “a space where people may feel safe and calm. It is about humane privacy, respect, and sensitivity to each other – things most of us need today.”

The system’s principles even extend to furniture, such as chipboard beds and kitchen units. Oleg’s studio, along with its project partners, created a solution of simplicity that offers humanity in moments of desperation.

“When we founded the school in 2017,” Oleg shared, quickly shifting the conversation to his academic work with the Kharkiv School of Architecture, “we were inspired by the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. We understood that the growing capacity of civic society needed a partner responsible for a new understanding of the built environment.”

[edit] Architect to social moderator and integrator

As co-founder, president, and lecturer at the school, he was eager to discuss its impact. “That’s why we designed a program that shifts the role of the architect to one of social moderation and integration of different knowledge and aspirations. The role of architecture in recovery is crucial – not just symbolically, but for the mental rehabilitation of communities.”

Oleg spoke passionately about the school’s recently launched Master’s programme, which “aims to shift the professional paradigms of architects and professionals from interdisciplinary,design-related fields toward urban thinking, with a focus on Ukraine’s post-war recovery.” The programme aligns with Oleg’s vision of how architecture can contribute to rebuilding both physically and socially.

He then described a concept called Digital Tectonics, “which focuses on advanced technologies most relevant for reconstruction and adaptive reuse – perhaps even for the reconstruction of Soviet mass panel housing.” Oleg didn’t hesitate to expand on the philosophical ambitions of the program, emphasising its broader vision: “It’s a base for building common ground, common dreams, and shared interests – like building a future together, in architecture or urbanism.”

It is inspirational, the commitment to continuously developing the profession, to the community and the future of a post-war Ukraine. Oleg reflects, “Our students are enormously motivated, the productivity and the level of their projects, it’s incredible. They are very talented, projects on housing displaced people, rehabilitation centres. It’s like a civic service. They see the roll and they’re already trained to keep this deep and serious conversation with society. Before war and after, it’s some kind of rubicon.”

[edit] Reflection

By the end of our conversation, I was deeply moved by the work Oleg and his colleagues. We discussed Ro3kvit, a coalition of over 100 professionals united in the mission to rebuild Ukraine’s urban and rural landscape. One hour felt woefully insufficient to capture the full scope of what Oleg, his practice, his students, and his many peers across Ukraine are doing to uphold their sovereignty in the face of terror.

Our discussion broadened to the current situation, Oleg shared the cold, brutal reality unfolding across the eastern border with Russia. “We made a choice, a civilisational choice, and this war is existential,” he said. “Bakhmut, a beautiful historical town 200 years old – there’s not a single building left. It’s a disaster.” As we neared the end of our conversation, I found myself grappling to comprehend the scale of devastation and the emotional burden carried by every Ukrainian citizen. Writing this from the comfort of my home, it is impossible to imagine the chaos and catastrophic upheaval of an entire nation. We experienced a pandemic, emerging with a ‘new normal’ that closely resembled what came before. But Ukraine remains on a perilous edge.

“Deaths are becoming routine – so many beautiful young children, every day,” Oleg reflected, his voice heavy. “And you stop reacting. It’s as though it’s becoming chronic.” He apologised, needing to join another call. I thanked him deeply for his time and promised to be in touch.

As we finished, I felt an overwhelming sense of privilege and gratitude for the opportunity to have heard about a daily reality so far removed from my own. The power outages, the struggle to maintain normal civic life under constant threat of shelling, and the unwavering, uncompromising drive to ensure Ukraine emerges from this dark chapter with strength, resilience, and hope – all of it left a profound impression.

Ukraine is poised to rise, with its feet firmly on the ground and a clenched fist raised, liberated beneath its blue and yellow skies.