Ukraine: solidarity and vision – ADC

Like most aspects of life in Ukraine, architectural education has had to adapt to a new reality and uncertain future since Russian forces invaded the country on 24 February. For the Kharkiv School of Architecture (KHSA), founded in 2017, this has meant temporary relocation to Lviv. But this is only the first measure, as the school and other architectural institutions like it try to find new and creative ways of equipping students with the intellectual and practical skills necessary to rebuild the country when the war ends.

So what can be done to safeguard and nurture Ukraine’s young architectural talent? How can the country become a future leader in modern methods of construction, and socially progressive sustainable urbanism? And what role can the UK architectural community play in providing practical and pedagogical support?

Eleonora Lushchyk gave a fascinating insight into studying architecture at KHSA. Having decided against pursuing a career in graphic design and communication, she combined a foundation course with an internship at a spatial research agency, before beginning her architectural training. Lushchyk said that she chose to study at KHSA because the institution provides a safe, nurturing environment for both academic and personal development.

In the absence of formal lectures, students are responsible for much of their own research, with time in class focused on lively discussion and practical activities. The culmination of the first semester was a carefully co-ordinated performance piece utilising a life-size figure constructed from timber. The second semester is focusing on the theme of neighbourhood and what this means for urban and rural inhabitants alike.

Oleg Drozdov began by giving a recent architectural history of Kharkiv ­– from the early modernist structures of Freedom Square – when the city was the capital of Soviet Ukraine – to the ubiquitous mass housing blocks constructed in the 1960s and 70s. He said that following the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainian architects had sought to establish new values and methodologies, with a greater focus on society, community and contextuality.

According to Drozdov, the formation of KHSA began to coalesce after Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and is based on training a new generation of architects to be critical thinkers, successful negotiators, and skilled innovators in terms of building materials and systems. Since its inception in 2017, the school has also sought to establish a strong social agenda, forming close bonds with Kharkiv residents and incorporating a range of public activities.

Iryna Matsevko said that KHSA’s proximity to the Russian border presaged the school’s decision to switch to online learning several days before the invasion began. After the outbreak of war, generous offers of foreign scholarships and study opportunities from the international community meant that many students left, precipitating something of a brain drain.

The reaction from faculty staff, says Matsevko, was to keep the school running in Ukraine and arm its students with the specialist knowledge and expertise to rebuild towns and cities after the conflict. ‘Our first priority was safety’, she recounted. ‘This meant moving the school to Lviv near the Polish border. It was also important to maintain the close relationships we have between teachers and students, to help each other, share experiences, and form strong emotional connections.’

Since moving and operating from a converted conference room in Lviv’s National Academy of Arts, KHSA has faced a number of challenges – not least staff shortages and a lack of practical facilities. The former explained Matsevko, has been due to several reasons, including, tutors joining the armed forces, absences of leave due to emotional issues relating to the war, and problems accessing the internet. Thankfully, some of these learning gaps have been plugged by teaching offers from other European schools of architecture.

However, the biggest problem facing the KHSA is lack of funding – an issue exacerbated by overseas scholarships, which have significantly reduced income from tuition fees. ‘The school is not state funded’, said Matsevko, ‘so we are reliant on foreign grants and funding to continue. She concluded by saying, ‘There will be lots of work for Ukraine to do after the war and education is extremely important. KHSA feels responsible for safeguarding both the future of the country and its students.’

Robert Mull praised KHSA’s bravery in deciding to stay in Ukraine and determination to re-focus its attention on rebuilding cities and creating exemplar sustainable urban design models, which in the school’s words would ‘correct the mistakes of the past’. He said that KHSA, in common with other small, independent, free-thinking architecture schools, has a global impact far beyond its physical size, and is ‘part of an international architecture culture that defies borders, allows the free passage of ideas, and operates with clear ethical purpose.’

Mull went onto say that the school now needed sustained and continuous funding to re-establish itself and its students and staff in Lviv, to support work on constructing temporary housing for displaced people, to assist in recasting the curriculum to meet the future challenges of rebuilding, and to share expert input from academia and practice.

After lamenting the architectural community’s poor record of responding to international crises, Mull echoed the words of KHSA, by saying that it was the time to correct past mistakes and donate generously via the AT fundraising campaign.