Ukraine Enlists Architect Norman Foster To Give Its Landscape A Modern Rebirth

In recent months, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left much of the country in ruins, and it even backed a faux tourism campaign to highlight the state of devastation left behind by the ongoing war.

Now, in order to restore the nation to its former glory, the Mayor of Kharkiv, one of the hardest-hit areas, has tapped famed British architect Norman Foster to work on the reconstruction of the urban landscape. 

According to a statement, Mayor Ihor Terekhov has revealed that residential buildings, hospitals, schools, cultural centers, and historic structures have been “completely destroyed,” and hopes to recreate the city’s recent push towards technology and healthcare with “new high-tech architecture,” in addition to repairing and preserving key cultural sites and public spaces. 

To take on this herculean task, Lord Foster put out an overarching plan called The Kharkiv Manifesto, and will recruit a team of “world-leading experts” to begin work “immediately.”

“I undertake to assemble the best minds with the best planning, architectural, design, and engineering skills in the world to bear on the rebirth of the city of Kharkiv,” pledged the document.

Lord Foster said he plans to create a “city masterplan” of the region, combining beloved historical heritage with new elements of green infrastructure, in order to deliver what he called “the city of the future.” 

“A masterplan is an act of confidence in the future for generations still to come,” he added.

[via Reuters and Norman Foster Foundation, cover image via Denisismagilov | Dreamstime.com]