Architects Reacting to Ukraine

John Hill

2. March 2022

Ukrainian flag over Dnipro in 2018. (Photo: The Presidential Administration of Ukraine/Wikimedia Commons)

How are architects responding to Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine? Here is a roundup of some statements and actions from architects around the world, plus some architecture-related news related to the war. (Updated April 4)

"Casualties of War": According to UNESCO, at least 53 sites in northern and eastern Ukraine have been damaged since the Russian invasion began 5-1/2 weeks ago. "None of those confirmed damaged" sites, per the Guardian, "are on the list of Unesco world heritage sites in Ukraine."
RE: UKRAINE SYSTEM: Ukrainian architect Slava Balbek and his team architects, designers and engineers at his Kyiv-based practice, Balbek Bureau, have produced "a design template for what he describes as 'temporary but decent' accommodation for Ukrainians who have lost their homes during the war," as spotted in Alice Rawshorn's Instagram account, which is devoted to "Design and Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom" during the week of March 21.
"Paper partitions revived from 3/11 to give Ukrainian evacuees privacy": Shigeru Ban, known for disaster-relief projects using cardboard, "stayed in Chełm, a city in eastern Poland, from March 11 to March 13, to lend his expertise making doing-it-yourself shelter spaces out of cheap, sustainable and easy-to-use materials" for people fleeing Ukraine.
"An open letter from architects and urban planners of Russia against military operations in Ukraine": First posted on February 26 with 6,500 signatures, the letter was removed on March 4, when Russia passed a law imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading any "fake" information.
Herzog & de Meuron's statement, via Facebook: "The invasion of Ukraine and the violent actions of Putin and the Russian government are against every value we hold as an international, collaborative practice. Therefore, Herzog & de Meuron has decided to suspend our work on Russian projects. We do this with the understanding of our clients."
MVRDV's "Statement on the War in Ukraine": "We stand in solidarity with all the people who are defying and protesting against this war, and we strongly condemn the violence. [...] For this reason, we have immediately stopped our involvement in projects in Russia until further notice."
David Chipperfield Architects statement on the situation in Ukraine: "Given the invasion of Ukraine, and with the full understanding and support of our clients, David Chipperfield Architects has decided to suspend all work in Russia. We condemn the actions of Putin and the Russian government and stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its people." (OMA and Zaha Hadid Architects, like MVRDV and DCA, have also suspended work on projects in Russia, according to Architectural Record.)
Manuel Herz on the attacks on Babyn Yar (original in German): "On March 1, rockets struck just 150 meters from the synagogue [in Kyiv that Herz designed in 2020]. Only a few months after its inauguration, the synagogue is embroiled in a war where only death is celebrated. What is the point of commemorating history when the lessons to be learned are so easily forgotten and ignored? This leaves me speechless, dazed and powerless."
UIA's "Solidarity with Ukraine," a statement by UIA President José Luis Cortés: "In the face of the mounting tragic events in Ukraine, the International Union of Architects (UIA) expresses its unwavering solidarity with all those affected and calls for unity and peace among nations. On behalf of the international community of architects, we condemn any act of violence or war affecting the well-being and dignity of humans, join the global appeal against war and call for the immediate restoration of peace."
"Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design is putting all work and programs on hold indefinitely." Posted to Instagram, the Moscow-based institute wrote: "We consider it impermissible to carry on business as usual in the present situation while lives in Ukraine are being lost. [...] Strelka Institute stands in solidarity with everyone pleading for an immediate end to this armed conflict."
"Why it matters that Zelensky stood before a building by 'the Gaudi of Ukraine' on social media": Carolina A. Miranda writes in the Los Angeles Times that "after a needed renovation in 2004, the House with Chimeras [...] was transformed into an official government building. [...] In Zelensky’s hands, this ebullient building has become a symbol of ebullient defiance, a fitting backdrop to an ideal of leadership embodied by Zelensky..."
"Countries around the world light up their buildings in the yellow and blue of its flag": The Daily Mail rounds up some photos of the Colosseum in Rome, Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and other well-known monuments covered in projections of Ukraine's flag. Archinect also rounded up some flag projections, with "Communicating with landmarks: How architecture can amplify international support and solidarity with Ukrainians."