After the full-scale invasion of Russia, the architect offered his help in rebuilding the country and became one of the founders of the Ro3kvit platform, which united Ukrainian and international organizations and specialists working on a volunteer basis to restore the affected cities.
Treffers in an interview with Ukrinform Told me, how much reconstruction might cost, how Ukrainian and foreign architects and artists, ignoring Russian attacks, do not stop their work even in shelters.
Reconstruction of Mariupol
We don't know how many people will return there, how big this city will become again. Last year, 550 people lived there. I'm not sure it's important to aim for the same size as before. Perhaps 400 thousand inhabitants is a more comfortable size with a good economy, with a good quality of life.
In any case, Mariupol will have difficulties, because it is located close to Russia
At least, these difficulties will be felt during the next ten or even twenty years. This will affect the number of people who want to live there.
Experts from our team about it (how much the reconstruction of Mariupol might cost, - editor's note) thought, but in fact now all the numbers are quite approximate. In particular, it is very difficult to make estimates also because we do not know what will be left of Mariupol... The figure I heard is 12-18 billion euros. But it is important to understand that the best is not always the most expensive. We want to create an optimally functioning city.
I am always amazed at how many incredible things are happening in Ukraine despite the war
The future of "Azovstal"
You can see how Mariupol changed between 2012, 2015 and 2021. These are three completely different characters. And that gives me hope. Because what I saw in 2015 and how the city managed to change from gray and depressed to a tough but interesting and attractive city was a really good start. The same thing happened in the Netherlands and in Germany. Sometimes a serious crisis helps to solve all the problems that could not be solved before.
Now, in a strange way, Mariupol receives a difficult, but in a certain sense an opportunity, the prospect that there will no longer be such pollution from the gas emissions of metallurgical plants.
Of course, it is possible to rebuild enterprises, but questions arise, in particular, is it possible to build on a memorial site? "Azovstal" became the most famous place in the world in a few weeks. So the Azovstal enterprise ceased to be just an enterprise. We need to rethink what this city needs - clean industry or other economic factors.
Perhaps in the future Mariupol will be a city with clean air, close to the sea, with beautiful views. The new character of Mariupol may suddenly become green.
Urban coalition Ro3kvit
This platform brings together organizations and specialists working on a volunteer basis. Some of the international experts are really highly qualified professionals. In particular, the former chief architect of the Netherlands, Kees Christiaanse, who is part of our team.
More than 80 specialists have already gathered in six months. We cover a wide range of topics - architecture, urban planning and urban design, as well as energy, mobility, economy, ecology, cultural heritage, public space and circular economy, circular design.
Fulko Treffers, Dutch architect and urban planner
We are already working on a number of projects, and of course we aim to provide the best advice, make the best design and come up with the best strategy. But we also want to gather knowledge about what is happening in Ukraine, what was the situation with urban planning and architecture before, and what is it now in different parts of the country. How it will be related to the post-war situation is the next step. Because, for example, there is one task in Mariupol, another in Zaporizhzhia, and a third in Rivne. Now we have initiatives regarding Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia region, which, of course, is a separate entity. We take care of Bucha, Kyiv region, Rivne. These are specific questions regarding the strategy of the city or the strategy of the region.
Every Ukrainian city has its own character
Lviv is a big city, but it is perceived as a small one. When you walk along some streets of Lviv, you can see four eras of architecture on one street. It is unique, not every city has this.
I strongly associate Zaporizhzhia with the river, with the island of Khortytsia, with the Cossacks, but also with a certain Soviet large-scale architecture that I have not seen anywhere else in Ukraine. Of course, it doesn't look as good as it could be, but the base is really beautiful. And I think that from an architectural point of view Zaporizhzhia is one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine for me.
Soviet past
I think that this is noticeable in many countries of the world: there are monuments, then they are replaced by others - it is simply a new symbol of the new government. I do not think that the personification of power in the form of monuments is a good idea. Public space should be public space. It should be a space for the public, not a space for the authorities.
I cannot feel what Ukrainians feel, we can only offer solutions
I can offer you different solutions, what could be done with the Soviet-era buildings: demolish and build something new, or, say, demolish a part of a building; can we use the structure of the building or could we put emphasis on it and say we never want to build like that again. But then, probably, it will be about many such buildings.
If you think about it from a financial point of view, it is very unwise to destroy everything, but I think that some buildings should be demolished. Ukrainians should solve these issues, because for some, a Soviet building may, on the contrary, have good associations or memories. So it is important that Ukrainians think about each specific building, what emotions arise in them.
See also:
"Cities are great people." Dutch urbanist Fulko Treffers on the identity of cities and acupuncture
Germany will help Ukraine in the reconstruction and restoration of monuments destroyed by the war
The occupiers completely destroyed an almost 170-year-old temple in the Mykolaiv region