UREHERIT. Architects for heritage in Ukraine: recreating identity and memory
«UREHERIT. Architects for heritage in Ukraine: recreating identity and memory» -- is a three-year project international European cultural project with the aim to build competence on the heritage protection, regeneration of culturally meaningful plans and projects and empowering of local communities as a tool for building the new, democratic, and sustainable Ukraine with a unique yet European cultural DNA.
European and Ukrainian heritage specialists, architects, planners, engineers, other professionals, officers of local authorities and communities of Ukrainian cities will will share their knowledge and experience and analyze topics of protection and restoration of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The project will address heritage as a resource for sustainable cultural, social, environmental, and economic recovery, while solving challenges of preservation, re-definition and highlighting the national and local cultural identity and reflect the memory in the rebuilding.
Project duration -- 3 years (August 2023 -- April 2026 року)
The project will initiate a platform for long-term cooperation between architects, urbanists, landscape architects and antiquarians from Ukraine and other European countries to protect and develop the natural and heritage as a resource for the recovery of Ukraine
Two–way knowledge -- Ukrainians learning from Europeans, Europeans learning from Ukrainians
The program will contain:
«With this project we want to contribute to recovery of an artistic sector – architecture – inviting Ukrainian architects (and heritage protection specialists in particular) to collaborate with European architects on an equal footing: to share knowledge and experience and together search for a new, Ukraine-suited, methodology and ways to preserve and recover Ukrainian urban and architectural heritage in a sustainable, inclusive manner.
Ukraine, as any other place, requires tailor-made, and not copy-paste solutions. Together with other project partners, we agreed from the very beginning to adhere to the principle that all the methodologies, recommendations and proposals will be created together with Ukrainian architects, culture experts and communities, trying to adapt the best European practices to the unique Ukrainian context.”»
Rūta Leitanaitė, the initiator and coordinator of the project, a member of the Council of the Architects Association of Lithuania
The project will result in a set of recommendations on:
The first public event – public conference “UREHERIT: architects for heritage in Ukraine” took place on 13th of October 2023, in Lviv, Ukraine
During the conference, all the activities were presented by Consortium partners, also calls for applications of Ukrainian participants were launched during the conference. The conference also featured a high-level round table discussion with Ukrainian government, international architectural and heritage protection organizations representatives.
The second public event of the project took place in Stockholm: an international conference within the framework of the European cultural project “UREHERIT. Architects for heritage in Ukraine: recreating identity and memory”, together with the Architects Sweden (Sveriges arkitekter).
This year's theme is “Reconstructing the culture of architecture in Ukraine”. During one day, 30 experts shared their knowledge with the aim to build competence on the heritage protection, regeneration of culturally meaningful plans and projects and empowering of local communities as a tool for rebuilding sustainable Ukraine with a unique yet European cultural DNA.
Learn more here.
The third public event – public conference “Reconstructing Ukraine: Heritage is Home” took place on 11th of April 2025, in Vilnius, Lithuania
It began with the image of buildings shattered by Russian missiles—and ended with visions of restored palaces and empowered communities. This international gathering, organized by the Architects Association of Lithuania and UREHERIT partners, brought together over 400 participants on-site and online to showcase two years of transformative work.
From damage assessment on the frontline to community-driven planning tools and housing policy reform, the conference charted a path forward for Ukraine’s cultural and urban recovery. Experts shared methods for inclusive reconstruction, heritage-led renewal, and sustainable housing—from youth-engaging tools like HER City to student-led modernist renovation pilots and bold CPD training initiatives.
UREHERIT Urban Forums in Zhytomyr for participants and team leads
“Urban Forums” are hackathon-like two-day events focused on solving specific spatial issues and breathing new life into urban territories. The Forums involve bringing together diverse local stakeholders - municipal politicians, architects, developers, entrepreneurs, representatives of state agencies and the local community – in order to discuss local contested spatial issues, build trust between stakeholders, and come up with concrete joint proposals for improving the common living environment. Such Forums are relatively fast-paced and „huddly“ events, usually involving long nights, continuous rapid prototyping and visualization.
The final product of a Forum can vary – sketches and drawings in presentation format, a brief for an architectural/urban planning competition, a Youtube video recording or a series of radio shows – but in any case, it is an exercise in imagining and visualizing possible development scenarios for a particular territory. Urban Forums are first of all a platform for open and public discussions on values and vision of a place.
In Estonia, Urban Forums appeared in 2009, and since then the 17 Forums have been organized in seven different Estonian cities and municipalities, most recently in June 2022 in Tallinn Old Town.
In the case of the two Urban Forums in Zhytomyr, the focus will be on the vision for the city in the context of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Both forums will have 5 teams with about 6-8 participants each.
The Forums will focus on two distinct areas in the city: the area surrounding the building of the “Kosmos” cinema, and the Sokolivskyi Quarry. The Urban Forums will be organized by the Estonian Association of Architects and NGO Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine in cooperation with the city of Zhytomyr. The Forums are funded by the European Union as a part of an international cultural project titled “UREHERIT”.
Urban-hack in Kalush and Lviv
In early May 2025, an urban hackathon was held in Kalush. It covered three levels: the territory of the former kindergarten (1.3 hectares), the surrounding area, and the general housing situation in Kalush. The kindergarten building is planned to be converted into housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs), so during the urban hackathon, the teams focused on mapping the challenges associated with resilient populations, especially IDPs and women, and proposing spatial solutions for them.
In June, the next urban hackathon will be held on the holistic renovation of modernist districts in Lviv. It will be attended by 5 teams that, in addition to visual ideas, will consider the challenges of the renovation process from different perspectives. All teams will work on one common task - the problems of renovation, but each team can choose a more specific point of view. With this hackathon, we aim to empower everyone to take control of their own environment and think outside the box.
UREHERIT Ukrainian-Romanian сamp in Rozdil: сollective efforts to preserve the Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace
Over 50 Ukrainian and Romanian volunteers involved in conservation work at Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace, in Rozdil, Lviv region, Ukraine.
The intervention and educational programme took place during the International Volunteer Heritage Camp / International Summer School organized within European project UREHERIT by two of the 11 partners in the consortium – Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine and the Romanian Order of Architects (ROA) – with the involvement Heritage UA, Building Ukraine Together BUR, ProPatrimonio, Monumentum / Ambulance for Monuments, and Studio Govora. An Ukrainian-Romanian Volunteer Heritage Camp / Summer School took place between July 28 and August 11, 2024, in the Western Ukrainian village of Rozdil, Lviv region. More than 50 volunteers - Ukrainian architecture and cultural studies students, members of renowned heritage-specialized NGOs, and professional experts from both countries contributed to the educational program and on-site interventions. The main focus was that of testing various methods and participatory actions for heritage protection and recovery.
Human Resource Needs for Sustainable Rebuilding with Heritage Report
Amidst the ongoing destruction inflicted upon Ukraine's heritage by russia over the past two years and the pre-existing deterioration of historic structures, urgent efforts are directed towards both safeguarding cultural assets and recognizing heritage as a catalyst for community rebuilding and recovery. Recent estimates by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine reveal that 18% of the nation's cultural inventory, totaling 1750 objects, has suffered damage, with the Donetsk region bearing an unprecedented 83% devastation. This includes approximately 800 heritage sites of local, regional, national, and even international significance, including UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The UREHERIT "Human Resource Needs for Sustainable Rebuilding with Heritage" report outlines crucial insights into rebuilding efforts in Ukraine, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable approaches. Amidst the ongoing destruction inflicted upon Ukraine's heritage by russia over the past two years, coupled with the pre-existing deterioration of historic structures, urgent attention is directed towards both safeguarding cultural assets and recognizing heritage as a catalyst for community rebuilding and recovery.
To facilitate these transformative efforts, the report advocates for legislative reforms aimed at elevating the standards of architectural services in Ukraine, thereby incentivizing excellence and ensuring adherence to best practices in planning, sustainability, and heritage conservation.
The project is a cooperation between the consortium of 11 organizations: ● Architects Association of Lithuania (LT), ● Architects Sweden (SE), ● Federal Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineers BKZT (AT),● Royal Danish Academy, The Institute of Technology and Architecture IBT (DK), ● Romanian Order of Architects OAR (RO), ● The National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservationists CNAPPC (IT), ● Federal Chamber of German Architects BAK (DE), ● Estonian Association of Architects (EE), ● The National Union of Architects of Ukraine (UA), ● Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine (UA), ● Kharkiv School of Architecture (UA) with the Architects’ Council of Europe (EU) as associated partner.
“UREHERIT: Architects for heritage in Ukraine. Recreating identity and memory” is a project co-funded by the European Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors.
GRP-EACEA-CREA-2023-COOP-UA-EXT