When on 24 February 2022 Russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this war was predictable, but – to most people – it came unexpectedly.
A horrifying wake-up also for Ukrainian architects, urbanists, and planners, who since the Revolution of Dignity were stronger engaged in reform processes and increasingly benefiting from its results, in spite of Russia’s hybrid warfare and living with war in Donbas for eight years.
With the shelling of Russian missiles on Ukrainian cities, not “architectural competition for comfortable buildings”, “participative co-creating of long-term visions” or “making strategic plans for sustainable development” are on their agendas, but the fight for their own and Ukraine’s future.
In the shortest time, multiple initiatives were launched for helping Ukrainians in danger, supporting Ukrainian defense forces, mobilizing international solidarity, and joint actions in the fight for the values of human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, and resistance against tyranny.
Even though war is driving architects from Ukraine all over the world, they stay united in their will to help.
Contributors
Urs THOMANN is a spatial planner from Switzerland and co-founder of CANactions School for Urban Studies in Kyiv who has been working in and with Ukraine for more than 10 years. Experiencing the tremendous power and self-organization spirit of Ukrainian partners, colleagues, friends in their fight for freedom, humanism, and sovereign Ukraine.
Yuliia ZALOMAIKINA is an architect from Kyiv, currently working in Stuttgart at IBA’27. Alumni of CANactions School for Urban Studies (2015) and MSc. IUSD (2020). Engaged in the platform to ease a search of remote work, jobs, and study opportunities for architects in and from Ukraine.
Lilit HAKOPYAN is an architect from Ukraine. For the last 4 years, she has been working in Ukrainian architectural offices, such as BURØ (Kyiv) and Drozdov & Partners (Kharkiv). During her last week in Ukraine, she was involved in a social project – a place of temporary residence for people trying to flee the war.
Photo credit: CANactions
Date, Time & Venue
The discussion will be held in English via Cisco Webex on Thursday, 31 March 2022 / 17:00-18:30 CET.
Meeting link
https://unistuttgart.webex.com/unistuttgart-en/j.php?MTID=m696f318e56bae85540869ea82453d96e
Meeting number
2732 997 2091
Password
ptAPsBWx585
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