The issue of preservation of the national historical and cultural heritage acquires special importance in the difficult conditions of protection of Ukrainian statehood. And it is not only about the support of the monument protection industry and the need to create a modern system of its management, proper material support and normative and legal regulation of protection and restoration measures, but also about the formation of a modern scientific and educational basis on which the practice of protection and restoration should be based objects of cultural, in particular, architectural and urban planning heritage.
The Kyiv Crematorium is one of the most frequently mentioned buildings in the context of Kyiv Modernism architecture. The photo shows the farewell hall of the Kyiv crematorium, built according to the project of Avraam Miletskyi, Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnichenko. Photo: Yuriy Ferendovych
Echoes of the Soviet Union
Architectural restoration is one of the youngest branches of architectural and construction activity, which arose in the 1960th century, but began to actively develop in Ukraine only after the XNUMXs. The state of the currently available scientific methods of protection and restoration of objects of architectural and urban heritage is determined primarily by theoretical and practical developments, which were determined in the context of the development of the field of monument protection in the countries of the former USSR. Therefore, the influence of the Soviet era on the development of the activities of Ukrainian architects-restorers is undoubtedly significant, but should we continue to follow its principles? Kyiv architect-restorer Oleksandr Kumeiko believes that it is necessary to leave this experience in history and in the future to focus on the practice of European countries, which currently have a high professional level in this field.
Monument protection and restoration industries in Ukraine have been in stagnation mode for a long time and are still suffering from the lack of a comprehensive development strategy and the lack of real specialists in these areas
"Probably, many people will not agree with this, but, in my opinion, the Soviet era had a negative impact on the field not only of architecture, but also of restoration. At that time, everything was unified, impersonal and subordinated to such concepts as collective, general, typical. There was no room for individuality and true new architecture. Everything "new and modern" was mostly borrowed and copied from the achievements of the Western, more progressive world.
The Volodymyr Vernadskyi National Library is a mixture of two architectural eras: neoclassicism and Soviet modernism. Photo source: www.nbuv.gov.ua
"Having extensive experience traveling in Europe and America, I can say that even the so-called Soviet modernism was not invented in the Union," Oleksandr notes. — After gaining independence, Ukraine continued to clone Soviet architecture by inertia, taking inspiration from Moscow and St. Petersburg. And indeed, in that period a lot was borrowed from there, but gradually, step by step, the situation changed. In 2014, and with the beginning of the war with Russia, our eyes were directed to the West, where many innovative things at that time had already been tested a long time ago. And I believe that we should continue to stick to this vector. This is not a bad thing and certainly does not constitute an obstacle to our own professional development. Because we have our own mentality and our own architectural background."
Despite the gradual changes, the preservation and restoration industries in Ukraine have been in stagnation mode for a long time and are still suffering from the lack of a comprehensive development strategy and the lack of real specialists in these areas. The absence of the necessary laws regarding the development of industries and the appropriate level of education of future architects-restorers already has a negative impact on the process of restoration and protection of the country's architectural heritage.
"Professional restorers are not just architects, they are also scientists and technologists," — Mykola Vikharev
Mykola Vikharev, architect and vice-president of the NGO "Alliance of Restorers of Historical Buildings of Ukraine", believes that, in addition, there is a certain conflict between the generations of the old and new schools of Ukrainian architect-restorers.
Mykola Vikharev, architect and vice-president of the NGO "Alliance of Restorers of Historical Buildings of Ukraine"
"If we consider the profession of a restorer, now a turning point is coming in this field. After more than thirty years of independence, the class of specialists educated by the Soviet school is gradually receding into the past. Yes, these are definitely professionals with a capital letter. One of them, in my opinion, is the architect and restorer Yurii Losytskyi, the author of the reconstruction project of the Mykhailivskyi Golden-Top Monastery and a number of important churches in Kyiv and the region.
Here it is worth understanding that professional restorers are not just architects, they are also scientists and technologists. And currently most of them are people aged 50-60. The new generation does not have the opportunity to acquire such a level of knowledge in the absence of proper professional training of architects-restorers in Ukraine.
Young people are dictating new rules and formats, and that's good. Here, for example, is the "Renovation Map", which generates the activity of young architects, restorers, and urban planners. This is a public organization, and they develop a product that serves as a prerequisite for the restoration of objects. They are important participants in this process," says Mykola.
Neomodernist "Tarilka" is an information institute built according to the project of architect Florian Yuryev. 1971. Photo: O. Ranchukov
Oleksandr Kumeiko emphasizes that one of the significant factors in the "slump" of the architectural and restoration industry of Ukraine is the lack of specialists both among the youth and among representatives of the public sector: "Currently, there is a significant lack of specialists, but many current problems are related to the lack of specialists in the authorities bodies In particular, there are no architects among them, let alone restorers, so decisions are based solely on their professional views. And this is not quite right.
Over the past year and a half, almost no significant legislative changes have taken place in the process of protecting immovable cultural heritage. Even when the realization came that a missile could arrive at any moment... For obvious reasons, it is currently impossible to fully secure large objects, but it is also wrong to rely only on Patriots for the protection of cultural monuments. After the destruction of architectural objects, we faced the fact that we have almost no digitized versions of them, at best - plans and photographic records. We have all the necessary 3D scanning technologies and, in my opinion, we are simply obliged to develop all objects of cultural and historical heritage in 3D models," says Oleksandr Kumeiko.
The moment of disassembling the bell tower of the St. Michael's Monastery, which was filmed by the American Julien Bryan in 1936. Image source: kyivpastfuture.com.ua
In October of last year, the first international scientific and practical conference "Cultural heritage in conditions of war: preservation, protection and restoration" was held in Kyiv. The issues of protection, preservation and restoration of objects of immovable cultural heritage and cultural values that suffered great damage due to the full-scale Russian invasion were brought up for discussion. The organizers of the conference, which became a platform for the exchange of experience of Ukrainian and international experts, were the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the KMDA, KNMTC and NGO "Alliance of Restorers of Historic Buildings of Ukraine". The event was held under the patronage of UNESCO and with the assistance of the Council of Europe. Mykola Vikharev, vice-president of the NGO "Alliance of Restorers of Historical Buildings of Ukraine", acted as one of the co-organizers and speakers of the event.
"Preparation for the conference took about three months. And as last year's practice showed, one day for such an event turned out to be critically small, because there are many important topics that need to be disclosed and discussed. This year we want to focus specifically on the topic of protection and reconstruction of architectural monuments to show the contrast between those objects that were protected and those that were damaged in the absence of protection. In the future, we plan to hold similar conferences every six months. And if now a lot of attention is paid to reconstruction, then in the post-war period we want to focus on the further protection of monuments and the creation of an effective specialized community," says Mykola.
The moment of disassembling the bell tower of the St. Michael's Monastery, which was filmed by the American Julien Bryan in 1936. Image source: kyivpastfuture.com.ua
"In Europe, there are many technologies for restoration and preservation that are available to us in theory, but for some reason we don't use them in practice." — Oleksandr Kumeiko
Oleksandr Kumeiko was also one of the speakers at the conference "Cultural heritage in conditions of war: preservation, protection and restoration". historical objects for the possibility of their restoration or simply further restoration.
Oleksandr Kumeiko, architect-restorer, co-founder and chief architect of Kumeiko Architects and Edelburg Architects studios
But here it is necessary to understand that the 3D model is not the final stage. For example, we see a plane with a window, but we don't see what kind of glass it contains - single-chamber or double-chamber, or if it's just glass, what thickness it is. Therefore, it is important here not only to scan, but also to create a full-fledged model with its detailed description. This is the task of architects, who have to evaluate materials, structures, etc. And then add this information to the documentation. "This is probably the main algorithm for restoring large-scale cultural monuments," Oleksandr believes. — To improve the situation, we need an international exchange of experience. In Europe, there are many technologies for restoration and preservation that are available to us in theory, but for some reason we do not use them in practice. Objectively, they are decades ahead. It will be appropriate to take their experience as a basis and, if possible, adopt the principles of their restoration community as soon as possible."
One of the objects of protection of the NGO "Mapa Renovation" at one time was the Tereshchenko estate, located in Kyiv at Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, 34. Illustration from the social networks of the NGO "Mapa Renovation"
The importance of using VIM technologies, as well as the involvement of artists-restorers in the architectural restoration of historical monuments, is emphasized by Tetyana Ladan, Candidate of Architecture, Associate Professor of the Department of Fundamentals of Architecture and Architectural Design of the Kyiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.
"Currently, as a result of military operations, we have in the future even more work on the restoration and reconstruction of historical architectural objects and urban planning areas, along with those whose restoration and renewal were foreseen in peacetime. Therefore, the involvement of restoration artists with knowledge of VIM and additive technologies in cooperation with architects will allow to fully realize the restoration of architectural monuments in Ukraine, will contribute to the development of tourism and will emphasize the uniqueness and originality of cultural objects of national significance."
The first international scientific and practical conference "Cultural heritage in conditions of war: protection, preservation and restoration" was held in Kyiv last October
Law and order
A large number of monuments of architecture and urban planning and the need for their constant care and protection from destruction require not only the planning and implementation of monument protection and registration measures, in-depth study of monuments, complex methods of their natural research, but also legislative programs for their preservation and restoration.
Until 2000, the protection of cultural heritage was based on the law of the Ukrainian SSR "On the Protection and Use of Monuments of History and Culture" (1978); after 1991 — in that part that did not contradict the Constitution and laws of independent Ukraine. Currently, the current legislation on the protection of cultural heritage lacks clear and effective mechanisms for regulating the restoration of objects, and in particular buildings and structures belonging to architectural monuments. During its existence, the Law "On Protection of Cultural Heritage" underwent many changes and additions, not always in favor of the same historical heritage. One of the co-authors of the changes to the law of his time was Lviv architect-restorer Marko Savytskyi.
Marko Savytskyi, architect-restorer, founder of architectural bureau SavytskyyDesign, cultural and public figure of Lviv
"The changes provided for the creation of supervisory boards, which included leading specialists in the field of cultural heritage preservation and monument protection, as well as public activists who zealously defended and continue to defend every brick in the courts and with their position prevent the transformation of an important historical environment to the next residential complex or shopping center. We made transparent and public the method of approval and protection of monuments, which for many market players at that time was inconvenient and not profitable at all. Therefore, it took us about 5 years to implement this law. The law reached its final stage with a large number of changes, unfortunately, and needs new improvements, taking into account current realities and new challenges.
Currently, the current legislation on the protection of cultural heritage lacks clear and effective mechanisms for regulating the restoration of objects, and in particular buildings and structures belonging to architectural monuments
Now the monument protection industry is in danger again, because draft law 5655 (Draft of the law on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on reforming the sphere of urban planning activity. — Ed.) may have catastrophic consequences for the preservation of historical monuments. In short, it plainly contradicts the law "On the protection of cultural heritage". It deprives local self-government bodies of the authority to provide conclusions on projects of restoration of monuments, construction projects within the territories of cultural heritage monuments, historical and cultural reserves, historical areas, etc. That is, construction in the historical area is absolutely welcome! And self-government bodies in matters of cultural heritage protection were generally removed from the process. As a result, architectural monuments can be destroyed. They can be dismantled, clapboarded balconies, glass facades or other catastrophes can be added to them," says Marko Savytskyi.
The goal of the landmark A-Station project for Kyiv at the time was the restoration and redevelopment of the historical buildings of the former Arsenal plant, the military commandant's office building, and the Mykyl Gate. The photo shows the residence of the educational platform TUMO Kyiv in the building of the former commandant's office. Photo: Yuriy Ferendovych
There are many options for raising cultural awareness in the world: for example, in Great Britain, the preservation of historical and cultural heritage is taken care of by the church, the monarchy, the national trust, groups of "friends", and individual citizens are also involved. And in France, there is the concept of "cultural heritage pedagogy" as an interdisciplinary direction that expands the local community's awareness of heritage resources, implemented through educational and educational lessons, trainings, seminars, visits to museums, historical sites, etc. That is, in Europe, the problem of preservation of cultural monuments is not entrusted only to the government, the public is actively involved. Similar processes are taking place in Ukraine.
"Today, 90 percent of stopped construction at monuments or their destruction is a victory for activists, not the state," - Mykola Vikharev
In 2021, thanks to the publicity and active actions of the public, the educational and methodological pavilion "Flowers of Ukraine" in Kyiv, which the developer tried to demolish, received the status of a cultural heritage object. The photo shows the "Flowers of Ukraine" building, built in 1985 according to the project of architect Mykola Levchuk. Collage: Yuriy Ferendovych
"Over the past few years, an interesting thing has happened: in fact, the functions of the state in terms of monitoring monuments and illegal actions of developers are performed by the public. Today, 90 percent of stopped construction at monuments or their destruction is a victory for activists, not the state," says Mykola Vikharev.
In view of this, the preservation of the national cultural and historical heritage of the Ukrainian people should become a key, strategically important task not only of civil society, but also of the state, because a modern approach to the preservation of cultural values is impossible without organizational and structural changes, improvement of the state administration system, effective mechanisms of interagency cooperation interaction and search for new ways of partnership and cooperation with non-governmental cultural and artistic organizations, foundations.
Hanna Bondar, People's Deputy of Ukraine, architect, political activist
"Ukraine really has certain problems in the field of restoration. We are several steps behind the modern European market. Why? Because in Europe for many decades, any object that is a historical monument is a valuable find and a certain "sign of quality". A lot of effort and money is invested in its preservation. The state takes into account the fact that if the object is restored, it has many more advantages, including added value during operation. We still treat this with great fear, many do not want to deal with it. For example, in Kyiv, only a few strong developers have felt this vein and started working with architectural monuments, - Oleksandr Kumeiko believes. "We should not forget that in European countries, several generations have already been brought up on the fact that respect for cultural heritage is the norm."
"Of course, work with the restoration of monuments is a complex process that requires not only funds, but also a professional approach, an understanding of what exactly needs to be preserved. In addition, we do not have the proper experience of collective work to simultaneously take into account the state and public interests, as well as the interests of the economic efficiency of the development," Oleksandr notes.
"A monument is not a monument, it is a building that should bring some income. Without this, the object loses any value in the eyes of the investor," Oleksandr Kumeiko
Edelburg Architects, the co-founder and chief architect of which is Oleksandr Kumeiko, is currently working on the restoration of the Rychkovo station building in Kyiv. Photo: Oleksandr Goncharov / Apostrophe
"Investments should work and bring profit. This rule also works in the restoration of architectural monuments. We still have very little understanding of how to make such a project economically attractive. Ukrainian architects often act from the point of view of preserving the monument, taking into account the interests of the state, but few look at the project from the point of view of an investor: how to get additional profit from this restoration? In Europe, on the contrary, they look from the point of view of both preservation and interest for investors. This is the main difference, says Oleksandr Kumeiko. — Today, we have quite successful examples, the same Arsenal, the River Station... In my opinion, the same can be done with the abandoned buildings on Sichovyh Striltsiv Street, making a modern pedestrian retail street food zone there. Perhaps even by combining it with Landscape Alley.
I believe that after the victory, we will have a big increase in investment, and the government will be able to make Ukraine attractive for investment. I hope that in 5 years it will be quite difficult to find an object of cultural heritage that will stand idle."
Oleksandr Kumeiko, architect-restorer, co-founder and chief architect of Kumeiko Architects and Edelburg Architects studios
According to Mykola Vikharev, it is important to consider this issue also from the point of view of public-private partnership. "Over the last 10 years, the progress of the restoration industry, at least in Kyiv, is quite significant. A conscious civil society is actively forming, there are fewer officials who sign "what happened", as it was, for example, 15 years ago... And from the point of view of restoration, one wants to believe that the best is yet to come. Although, of course, there are problems. One of them is the lack of real public-private partnership mechanisms. For example, in the west of Ukraine there are many historical castles and estates, which will simply fall apart in 6-10 years. Although it would be possible already now, following the example of European colleagues, to restore these objects and make them tourist attractions. But, unfortunately, even the Pidhoretsky Castle, which is an important cultural and historical monument of Ukraine, is currently undergoing significant destruction, although before the war it was part of the state program of the Great Restoration," says Mykola Vikharev.
Education and prospects
At one time, the Department of Architecture and Restoration, created at the Faculty of Architecture of the Lviv Polytechnic in 1992, was the first department in Ukraine that started training restoration architects. With the establishment of the department in Lviv, the ancient tradition of conducting monument protection research and training personnel for the implementation of restoration projects was restored. In general, since 1992, the department has graduated about 400 architect-restorers.
Tetyana Ladan, Candidate of Architecture, Associate Professor of the Department of Fundamentals of Architecture and Architectural Design of the Kyiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine renewed the specialty of restorer in the state list under the changed name "Restoration of architectural monuments and urban planning and reconstruction of architectural objects". This important event gave hope for the improvement of the restoration work in Ukraine. However, in 2017, for unknown reasons, the specialty was again deleted from the ministerial list, although the relevance of training specialists of this profile has only grown in recent years. The Ministry did not notice the fact that according to the requirements of the Law "On the Protection of Cultural Heritage", the restoration and conservation of architectural monuments can be provided only by architects-restorers who have received appropriate professional training.
"Such a profession as an architect-restorer, unfortunately, still does not officially exist in Ukraine. The previous minister of education promised and did not do it. Currently, this issue is being lobbied at the level of legislation and relations with the ministry by Hanna Bondar, for which I am very grateful," says Mykola Vikharev.
"Professional universities of Ukraine currently almost do not have such a specialty as an architect-restorer. Often, the teaching of restoration work is included in the program of specialties of the Faculty of Architecture, which, in my opinion, is not enough. It is also worth noting that we do not have such a concept as certification of architects-restorers," notes Oleksandr Kumeiko.
The restored hall of the Lviv Polytechnic National University. Photo: Dmytro Grigorchak
Tetyana Ladan also points out the need to introduce updated disciplines related to restoration work into the educational program of the architectural specialty: "There is still no complete, so-called "alchemical" component of restoration of details, materials and elements of architectural objects in the curriculum of architectural students. objects, probably because it is more related to artistic and technological activity. In the programs of disciplines for masters of architecture, these issues are covered only partially. Since the programs of disciplines and the curriculum are updated every year, I hope that they will be included in the structure of lectures and practical classes in the future."
"A restorer is a kind of doctor who keeps architecture from dying. And we have a lot of work ahead of us to preserve the life of our cultural monuments," — Marko Savytskyi
A fragment of the brickwork of one of the workshops of the former "Arsenal" plant has been preserved to demonstrate the condition of the buildings before the restoration. Photo: Yuriy Ferendovych
Architect Marko Savytskyi emphasizes the need for special attention during the training of qualified personnel right now: "During the war, hundreds of architectural monuments were damaged or partially destroyed, so after our victory, we will face such restoration challenges that we have not had to deal with yet. Accordingly, competent specialists in the field of restoration will be simply necessary. Funds and budgets will appear, which will make it possible to carry out high-quality restoration works. And any restoration work is expensive, because it is a complex process that includes many stages: complex scientific research, laboratory, field work, fixation, development of a restoration plan, selection of materials, etc."
"What should be understood in order not to be disappointed at the beginning of the journey? That restoration is not easy. But this can be said about the beginning of any business, especially if you are going to do it extremely qualitatively and professionally. It is worth understanding that restoration is work not only with materials, it is work with history. Because a successful restorer is not the one who changes the windows in the house, but the one who understands what people saw through these windows tens or hundreds of years ago. A restorer is a kind of doctor who keeps architecture from dying. And we have a lot of work ahead of us to preserve the life of our cultural monuments," says Marko.
Marko Savytskyi, architect-restorer, founder of architectural bureau SavytskyyDesign, cultural and public figure of Lviv
In addition to the problems of the educational field, young architects-restorers in Ukraine face many restrictions that do not allow them to fully express themselves. "One of the problems is the polarity of requirements in the legislation. For example, take an ordinary house in Podil, which has the status of background historical building: it has, according to the current legislation, the restoration requirements, as if we are restoring a laurel, no less. Accordingly, financially and technologically, these are such requirements that it is easier not to undertake this project. And the problem is that the young generation of restorers, which could be formed on such objects, simply does not visit them," says Mykola Vikharev.
"Young architects need to understand that society distrusts architects and any restoration work. And this mistrust has a basis, because many monuments were destroyed when Ragul cosmetic repairs were carried out under the guise of restoration. So it's good if you're a young architect and your mission is to really preserve the monument, not make a sham. But if you still encounter public resistance, you should understand that such actions are precautionary and demonstrate society's determination to fight," says Marko Savytskyi.
