You can determine the colors for your ideal palette thanks to two assistants from Sadolin. The first is actually the Sadolin Visualizer App mobile application itself. It can be installed on IOS or Android systems. Among the features is the ability to choose a color from Sadolin paints by turning on the camera and pointing it at the object of interest. Thanks to a special moving brush, you can point to a specific element on the image with your finger, after which the application will determine a special color code and offer you paints from different series. Similar manipulations can be performed with photos already saved on the phone.
The Sadolin Visualizer mobile application tries on the color on the wall with the help of augmented reality technology. Image: Sadolin
The second assistant is the compact Color Sensor color scanning device. Its working principle is the same: you need to apply the scanner to the surface of a wall, furniture or textile, and it will determine the color without fail. The received data will be displayed in the pre-installed Sadolin Professional Expert App. You can save all the information and later create your own palette.
A special compact device Color Sensor from Sadolin that scans the color of any surface. Image: Sadolin
"The 5th Kharkiv, which, like young grass, sprouts through the brush"
The city of Cossack glory, the city of the revival of Ukrainian culture during the formation of Soviet power, a frontier city that was one of the first to suffer from the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, and a city filled with many symbols. You should start getting to know Kharkiv from the South Railway Station. This is what Maksym Rosenfeld, a Kharkiv architect, historian and talented tour guide, advises.
Maxim Rosenfeld, architect, historian, tour guide
"It can only be compared in terms of volume and expressiveness with, for example, the Hamburg railway station, because the scale is felt immediately when you get to it. You get off the train at Pryvokzalna Square, then step onto the tram, or walk, or take a taxi, move along Poltavasky Shlyach street and head towards the city center. Kharkiv begins to reveal itself to you on this route from the station to the center. This is a relatively small distance, but it is very telling. This is such an old route. At the same time, if you have already reached the center of the city, the acquaintance route is laid from the former historical center, where the Kharkiv fortress was born. This point is called University Hill, and all the main content about Kharkiv came from here, including the Cossack fortress as a refuge from war, which is now a very relevant phenomenon. Not only Kharkiv left this district, but also a large region of Ukraine called Slobozhanshchyna. And this hill is the starting point and route for getting to know the city. From here you can see the central part, the territory beyond the Lopan river, and the area near the station and in the opposite direction from it. The main Kharkiv churches and the cathedral are concentrated here."
Railway station "Kharkiv-Pasajyrsky", or "Southern Railway". One of the most beautiful Kharkiv buildings of the Stalin era, memorable for its characteristic turrets and portico supported by 10 columns of white Inkerman stone
Another defining symbol is located on this hill. "This is the place from which the first Kharkiv University (Provincial University of the former Russian Empire) started, and the largest in general. If Odesa is defined by the port, then Kharkiv is defined by the university. In Kharkiv, everything — transport, industry, trade, science, medicine, art, culture — is connected to it in one way or another," says Maksym Rosenfeld.
"If Odesa is defined by the port, then Kharkiv is defined by the university. In Kharkiv, everything — transport, industry, trade, science, medicine, art, culture — is one way or another connected
with him"
House of Projects, one of the three Kharkiv high-rises, where the Kharkiv National University named after V. N. Karazin is based. Photo source: Wikipedia
Since there are many universities in Kharkiv, Kharkiv residents are deprived of a minimal chance not to have an education. Architect, founder of the SBM architectural studio, head of the volunteer organization "Through the War", Olga Kleitman from Kharkiv shares her impressions of the city: "I really like that there are absolutely no "salaried workers" in Kharkiv." People come here to study, because we have 36 universities, and they stay here. That's why Kharkiv residents all have higher education. It is almost impossible to find an uneducated Kharkiv resident. You will go into a coffee shop and you will be spoken to in a good language, no matter what that language is.''
Olga Kleitman, architect, founder of the SBM architectural studio, head of the volunteer organization "Through the War"
By the way, an invaluable contribution to the Ukrainian language and culture in general was made in Kharkiv. Probably, every philologist knows (I hope) that Kharkiv became the place of the first official arrangement of Ukrainian spelling, approved in 1928. It contained all newly discovered in 2019 constructions such as "ether", "Athena", "courage", which have always been characteristic of our language. Subsequently, this version of the spelling was "repressed" by making numerous changes.
"Slovo" building on the street Krasnykh Pismennykiv, 5. Built in the late 1920s by a cooperative of writers according to the project of Mykhailo Dashkevich. Photo source: ukrainer.net
Kharkiv, Slovo building, consequences of Russian shelling, September 2022. Photo: Suspilne Kharkiv
Along with the language, its brightest native speakers also came under repression. After Kharkiv became the capital of Soviet Ukraine, it became a magnet for ambitious writers and talented youth. The short-lived policy of Ukrainianization was favorable for creativity. Having set foot on the land of the industrial city, the creative emigrants have not yet seen its true face, but later it will become clear what "wonderful legends of the revolution" are growing up here. They started a kind of hub for the creative intelligentsia — the Slovo building. This five-story modern-constructivist building in the shape of the letter "C" became both a place of inspiration and a "crematorium" for figures of Ukrainian culture. Mykhailo Yalovy, Mykola Khvylovy, Valerian Pidmohylnyi, Hryhoriy Kosinka, Mykola Kulish, Les Kurbas are only a small part of the artists whom the cannibalistic Soviet Union condemned to certain death. This period has forever gone down in history as the "Shooted Revival" and is closely associated with Kharkiv in our country. It is symbolic that already during the full-scale war, the Russians, allaying phantom fears of the Ukrainian word, shelled the building with artillery at the beginning of March 2022.
Having set foot on the land of the industrial city, the creative emigrants have not yet seen its true face, but later it will become clear what "wonderful legends of the revolution" are growing here
In the essay "The Fourth Kharkiv", the outstanding Slavologist, linguist and native of Kharkiv Yury Shevelyov described in detail the conditional periods of the city's formation. Through this concept, you can form a general idea of Kharkiv. The first period is the age of the Cossack sloboda, artisans and merchants, the period of the "calm agricultural system of the moderately peaceful Slobozhanshchyna." The second is the period of merchants and the hopelessly gray Russian Empire. The third period was marked by the explosion of "Ukrainianism", Ukrainian urbanism and rebellious Ukraine. The fourth is Sovietized Kharkiv, a city of "old youth", people who are afraid to live. The new generation of Kharkiv's intellectual elite, represented by Serhiy Zhadan, together with the Kharkiv LitMuseum, are pondering the concept of the fifth Kharkiv. With the beginning of a full-scale war, every city of Ukraine began a journey of rethinking itself and its own cultural codes. Currently, we can say with confidence that the fifth Kharkiv is a city of caring people.
Serhiy Zhadan and Tetyana Golubova talk about the "Fifth Kharkiv" project. Photo: Gwara Media
"I fell in love with Kharkiv more when this happened to him. He is like a sick child to me now, and I pay him much more attention. I analyzed why I have this attitude, and I can say that it has to do with people. They are very diverse here. There is a twisted cotton wool, and there are passionaria, which you will not meet either in Kyiv or in Lviv. This is due to the fact that they have both a problem with an external enemy and an internal one - Kharkiv. That's why they are more strict," says Olga Kleitman.
The Palace of Labor, which is located between Constitution Square, Pavlivskyi Maidan and Kvitky-Osnovyanenko Street, with the central facade facing Constitution Square. Photo: @kate_tepla
Colors of the city and Kharkiv style
Many styles and features of different historical eras coexist in Kharkiv. The only element of the Kharkiv fortress of the 40th century has been preserved to this day. — Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. It almost completely repeats the Ukrainian wooden three-part church. In the XNUMXth century a golden age is coming for the architecture of Kharkiv. The prominent architect of that period was Oleksiy Beketov, who designed more than XNUMX buildings in the city and province. The Kharkiv Public Library, the building of the Sunday school of H. Alchevska, the House for Noble Orphans, the "House with Griffins", the Commercial Institute - all these "stone chronicles" have shades from sand-beige to sand-gray.
"House with griffins", or the building of the Kharkiv Medical Society. Photo: Encyclopedia of modern Ukraine + Sadolin paint under the code (EN.02.78)
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the image of Kharkiv architecture was influenced by the production of red ceramic bricks from local clay. There were five brick factories in the city, so residential buildings in working areas and on the outskirts were made of this material. At that time, in Soviet Kharkov, red was one of the dominant colors in architecture.
"A city is often defined by the material from which it is built. If Odesa is a natural yellow-golden shell, Kyiv is a local clay of a light-golden, ocher color, then Kharkiv is terracotta. When modernism, constructivism was built, there was a widespread tradition of exposed brick, which works as a self-sufficient material on the facade. Kharkiv clay has a bright orange color, although during the 120-150 years of existence of these buildings, they have darkened somewhat. That is why this dark red brick is felt in the city space as well," Maksym Rosenfeld notes. red was one of the dominant colors in architecture.
Brick modern on the street. Pushkinska, 92. The house of Semen Tolkachov, the owner of the brick factories, in whose honor this historical area is still called Tolkachivka. Photo: moniacs.kh.ua + Sadolin paint under the code (C1.41.40)
In parallel with this, in the 20s, the development and formation of constructivism took place - the most advanced style at that time, which reflected social metamorphoses. The first skyscraper on our territory, a symbol of the Kharkiv capital, the building of Derzhprom, definitely attracts attention with its scale and uniqueness of engineering construction. He presents the next color from the palette — gray. However, it should not be perceived as something depressing and oppressive.
Derzhprom building, one of the three Kharkiv high-rises and the most prominent example of constructivism. Photo: @b_zone + Sadolin paint under the code (S4.04.62)
"Kharkiv, compared to Kyiv or southern Ukraine, is more watercolor than oil or gouache. It's not about a big contrast of colors, but about a watercolor nuance. There is a stereotype about Kharkiv that it is a gray city, but it is literally perceived as "50 shades of gray". It is most associated with gray, because the most active development of the city occurred during the Art Nouveau period, - emphasizes Mr. Maksym. — And in Kharkiv Art Nouveau, gray prevailed. In general, many people in the architectural environment associate Kharkiv with the constructivist style, but it is also, surprisingly, a city of modernism. The influence of modernism here was not in the days of the Vienna Secession, but in the times of a more romantic and rational Northern European trend. That is why the facades of buildings, which are numerous in Kharkiv, reflect such a gray watercolor painting. That is, these are warm and cold shades of gray."
The House of Cooperation, built according to the project of Oleksandr Dmitriev, is located to the right of Derzhprom. Photo: Constructivism Kharkiv + Sadolin paint under the code (F8.05.55)
Mr. Rosenfeld says that thanks to Derzhprom and the spread of constructivism, the gray color gained brightness due to the plastering of the facades. At different times of the day, natural light creates a visual shimmer of shades of this noble color. Olga Kleitman shares her attitude to gray: "It's a very cool color. It housed the State Industry building and the Main Post Office. In general, gray is a very noble color, and in my work I turn to it most often."
Post Office building. One of the most interesting buildings of the 1920s, in which innovative architectural and constructive ideas were applied, is an outstanding monument of the Soviet avant-garde + Sadolin paint under the code (JN.02.82)
Not far from Svobody Square, on one of the oldest streets of the city — Sumy, one of the most famous long buildings is located — the Kharkiv National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after M. Lysenko. Residents of Kharkiv have different attitudes towards this building, but it definitely attracts attention and stands out against the background of opera houses in Lviv, Odessa and Kyiv. It is made in the best traditions of postmodernism — brutality cast in concrete, impressive scale, appropriate decor and one of the shades of gray at the base.
The building of the Kharkiv National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after M. Lysenko + Sadolin paint under the code (E5.03.82)
Further from the center, on Saltivka, is the building of the former Round Market — another example of postmodernism. The building has the shape of a reinforced concrete lace basket. It was built in 1980 according to the project of architects V. A. Bakhtina and O. A. Dunayev from the Kyiv Zonal Research and Design Institute for Civil Engineering. Now the appearance of the building has been somewhat modernized and a supermarket has been opened there.
"Kharkiv, compared to Kyiv or southern Ukraine, is more watercolor than oil or gouache. It's not about a big contrast of colors, but about a watercolor nuance"
This is what the "Round Market" looked like in the 1980s
In addition to the emphasis on the color palette in architecture, I will pay attention to the palette of realities. The frontier city temporarily lost one of the largest residential areas. Northern Saltivka, which was shelled almost daily not only by rockets, but also by artillery, is 70% damaged or destroyed. Here you will see solid burnt black walls and windows covered with OSB boards. However, if you listen closely, you can hear how apartment owners are here and there renovating their homes.
"We now have a lot of military, military vehicles. Let's say we are turning into a military hub now. Therefore, the dominant color is olive. And it is present in everything: in cars on the streets, in clothes on people, on camouflage nets. For me, the leitmotif is olive. Because even the gray color of concrete is also one of the shades of olive, in which there is more gray and less green," says Olga Kleitman.
One of the houses of the once densely populated "Northern Saltivka" district after numerous shellings
The Kharkiv metro became a kind of hub for the distribution of aid in the first months of the war. For many Kharkiv residents, the Sportivna station was the only place where they could feel safe. People lived simply on platforms and in wagons. To create at least a minimal feeling of coziness, field kitchens and places to sleep were set up there.
Metro station near the Derzhprom building. Photo: Anna Hunko
Long live the spirit of restlessness!
If we compare it with the spring of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, then the city is coming to life. According to the latest estimates, the city has about 1 million 100 thousand inhabitants, although after the first month of full-scale war there were 200-300 thousand people. "Many people are returning home. Interestingly, the least wealthy people return. And this is noticeable when the center is empty in the evening, the windows are not lit, but in the sleeping areas life is raging quite actively," says Olga Kleitman.
Mrs. Olga shares that at the beginning there was a great fear of being surrounded by the enemy, so the architect united active people around her, creating the volunteer organization "Through the War". Everyone contributed to helping the military, and the first months turned into one long day of work for the volunteers.
"All those decisions that were made before the war have shown themselves to be ineffective, so now we should gather all our strength and energy and direct them to a common goal"
"At that time, there were about 30 of us around the world. Some in America collected money, others bought equipment in Europe, and still others passed it on from Lviv. We made an agreement with the railway, and everything was delivered to us free of charge. Meanwhile, we unloaded around the clock, even during the curfew, since we had passes. Our first day off was on Easter. And before that, we thought that we were about to be surrounded, and therefore we tried to do as much as possible before that time. Now almost all the same people have remained, but many have returned to their main work. And this is very good, because the economy must also work. We should not "hang on someone's neck". We are currently working at our main jobs while also devoting time to volunteering. And we also have a shelter for people with disabilities, and this is an endless process, because we take care of them around the clock. There are only 42 people in the shelter, of which 22 are bedridden."
Sarzhyn Yar. A concrete pavilion of a futuristic shape on three pillars, which was built in the 60s of the XNUMXth century according to the project of the architect V. S. Vasiliev. Photo: find-way.com
The fact that life has returned to the city is also evidenced by negative aspects. Stories about inadequate tenders for road repairs and the construction of an office center with the money of the Fund for the Liquidation of the Consequences of Armed Aggression in Sarzhyn Yar are increasingly appearing in the news (we wrote about this in more detail in our materials).
"Our leadership seems to be in another information bubble, as if they have already won and everything is fine. All those decisions that were taken before the war have shown themselves to be ineffective, so now we should gather all our strength and energy and direct them to a common goal. But we continue to see stories when annuals are planted in the city for an exorbitant price. It seems that they behave like wage-earners whose only goal is to get rich," Olga Kleitman notes.
A showroom for Ukrainian designers, the interior of which was designed by the architectural studio SBM. Located on the ground floor of an old estate next to the Academy of Design campus. Photo source: SBM
A showroom for Ukrainian designers, the interior of which was designed by the architectural studio SBM. Located on the ground floor of an old estate next to the Academy of Design campus. Photo source: SBM
However, thanks to countless representatives of the progressive society, the future of Kharkiv is being corrected. For more than a year, a group of architects from Kharkiv, including with the participation of our speakers, has been working on projects related to the restoration and future development of the city. The famous architect Norman Foster, winner of the Pritzker Prize, founder of Foster + Partners, cooperates with the group. His foundation was engaged in the development of a specific project — the cartographic part.
Sarzhyn Yar after reconstruction by Olga Kleitman's studio. One of the favorite places of Kharkiv residents, where you can organize active recreation without leaving the city. Photo source: SBM
"Our group of architects, which worked on developing a development strategy, has a very large number of proposals, visions, visions that we presented to our Western partners, and those that we kept for ourselves. This is about a new green frame, and about a blue one, taking into account the reconstruction of city networks, and about a new frame of security, education, and housing. There are a total of 14 major sections of the vision,” shares Max Rosenfeld.
"I believe that the university, students, youth with the ability to be creative, to new ideas - they are something so important and fundamental in this city that external factors will not change anything. I see it as a restless city," - Maxim Rosenfeld
All public environments, architectural and urban projects are created primarily for people. Their further return to the city depends on the level of security, which is currently a very relative phenomenon. But the trend in this respect is positive. Maxim Rosenfeld believes that the history of Kharkiv will not be interrupted by wars, revolutions, or crises: "And it seems to me that our task is to observe this development of life. I believe that the university, students, youth with the ability to be creative, to new ideas - they are something so important and fundamental in this city that external factors will not change anything. I see it as a restless city"
