RE-BUILD UKRAINE, REFLECTIVE RE-CONSTRUCTION OF A BOMBED NEIGHBOURHOOD IN IRPIN

The paper addresses the issue of reconstruction of cities bombed by war conflicts with the aim of recovering reusable building materials and components in reconstruction and proposing a sustainable reconstruction model. The paper illustrates the reconstruction project of a neighborhood in the city of Irpin, near Kiev (21km in the West), destroyed on March 6, 2022, during the Ukrainian-Russian conflict with numerous casualties and atrocities. The project involves the incorporation of new structures within the solid brick walls of the ruined houses, creating new spaces from the intersection of old and new. The project concept is the izba, the Russian wooden vernacular house with the centrality of the fireplace used to heat the rooms, a symbol of unity and sharing of family home life, chosen as a symbol of the common roots and traditions between Ukrainians and Russians. The main points underpinning the project are inclusion and cohesion, the recovery of common traditions and the spirit of brotherhood, and the use of ecological materials and economical and robust construction technologies that are quick to assemble and reversible. The intended use of the reconstructed complex is a shelter and first aid center for victims of the conflict. The reconstruction project demonstrates how ruins can and should be used into the sustainable reconstruction of bombed cities and how from these ruins of war can be designed places of peace and brotherhood between the Ukrainian people and the Russian people who have the same cultural roots and building traditions.