Enlarge image
Architect Foster and Mayor Terechow: Here comes the master plan
Photo: owner / Norman Foster Foundation
Sir Norman Foster is without doubt one of the most prominent architects in the world.
In 1999 he was awarded the Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious honor in the industry.
His best-known buildings include the high-rise office building "The Gherkin" in London, "Apple Park" in Cupertino, California, and the converted Reichstag with its dome in Berlin.
In recent years, however, Foster has come under criticism for placing his architecture at the service of authoritarian regimes.
A spectacular tower in Kazakhstan, a new airport in Beijing, the soccer World Cup final stadium in Qatar - Foster's company was always there.
Now, however, Norman Foster would like to cause a stir with a job that he does
pro bono
: In April 2022, he offered to make his expertise available for the reconstruction of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which was partially destroyed by Russian attacks.
Sir Norman exchanged views with Mayor Ihor Terekhov via video link.
Foster therefore presented a plan to rebuild the city, which is known for its Art Nouveau architecture.
Before the war, Kharkiv was the second largest city in Ukraine with around 1.5 million inhabitants and is only around 40 kilometers from the Russian border.
While Mayor Terekhov has since emphasized in interviews that he is in regular telephone contact with Foster, criticism has come up in the city itself.
Architectural historian Ievgenija Gubkina told the Neue Züricher Zeitung that the master plan for Kharkiv's reconstruction was never presented to the public.
The discussion about it is “completely inappropriate – takes place behind closed doors.
Only sometimes details leak out.«
One of these details is the planned conversion of the regional administration building, which was badly damaged by a spectacular rocket fire on March 1st.
The historic façade of the modernist building from the 1920s, rebuilt in the Stalinist style after the Second World War, is to be preserved and the interior rebuilt from scratch – as with the Reichstag in Berlin.
At least that's what the Ukrainian urban researcher Iryna Sklokina reported to the "taz".
On Friday, the 87-year-old star architect traveled to eastern Ukraine to discuss the master plan on the spot with Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Norman Foster's foundation emphasizes that the population was involved through questionnaires.
There have also been weekly working sessions with the Kharkiv Group of Architects, a group of ten local architects, urban planners and historians.
Five pilot projects have been identified with which the reconstruction can be tackled.
With the "Heritage Project" they want to create a new architectural landmark in the city center.
The "Rivers Project" will develop a six-kilometer-long area between the rivers Kharkiv and Nemyshlya as an ecological link between parts of the city for bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
With the "Industry Project" a coal plant is to be converted into a more environmentally friendly industrial plant.
The "Housing Project" aims to make existing blocks of houses safe, modern and energy-efficient.
And finally, technology companies and start-ups are to be settled in a new »science neighborhood«.
Mayor Terekhov imagines the future Kharkiv as a »magnet for entrepreneurs, tourists and representatives of various industries«.
Traditions would form the basis for modern solutions.
He expressed his personal thanks to Norman Foster "for this extremely important visit to Ukraine."
This shows not only his support for the development of the city, but also "trust in the future of our beautiful Kharkiv".
Feb