NEW YORK
Urban home interior design. We combined the kitchen, living room and lobby into a single space, separating them visually with bold colors and embellishments. The accent of the whole interior is the burgundy cube. It sets a unique mood for the entire room, and at the same time, the cube plays an important role: it hides the bathroom and kitchen appliances. The pastel color bedroom and the authorial parquetry flooring fully reflect the customer’s character.
Park Lake City
The project area is located on the outskirts of Kyiv, about 50 km from the city center. The site is connected to the city by trains from a nearby station. Currently, the area for development is a large number of peat bogs that often catch on fire in the summer, which pollutes the air. The creation of a residential community there will help solve this problem, as well as create a residential area outside the city that will be comfortable for new tenants. The main value of this project is nature, reeds, existing canals, and views of the surrounding hills. All the project work was carried out in the format of creating a symbiosis of a hotel relaxation park and housing. The existing water structures on the site have been cleaned and expanded. This is a large lake and one of the central canals, which has been widened to 20-25 meters. The challenge was to solve the automobile issue on the site. We wanted to minimize the access to the site by motor vehicles. Therefore, parking lots were created at the entrances, which form a public space by placing cafes and restaurants on the ground floors. The idea is that the loud function of public spaces should not interfere with the relaxation of the residential neighborhoods. A common circular promenade connects all the building blocks, with two main public spaces located in places with the best views of the Grand Canal. The general master plan consists of 3 parts: a development area around the lake, 2 semi-islands on the eastern part of the Grand Canal, and 4 semi-islands on the western bank of the Grand Canal. The first floors of the buildings are dedicated to apartments either with their own private garden or with access to the water. The location of the buildings is designed in such a way that the apartments have the best view over the water. The entire building has a height of 4 floors. This establishes regularity, and the variety provides by different solutions for the facades in each zone. It was important to provide the architecture with individuality. So that each subsequent building does not look like the previous one. Some buildings are stretched over the canal, forming bridges and houses with internal atriums where the canal runs. The upper apartments, due to their different shapes and heights, set a unique silhouette for the entire development. The landscape of the project is proposed to be preserved with maximum preservation of existing plants and grasses.
RESPUBLIKA
Respublika 302–304 houses are the latest phase of the Respublika residential complex. Given the large scale of the project, a key challenge was to balance diversity and unity — in function, lifestyle, and design.Each new phase builds on shared principles from earlier stages, while introducing distinct functional and aesthetic features.The main principles of the complex are: 1. Priority to the pedestrians; 2. Structure of opened blocks (torn perimeter allows to maximize the amount of corner-flats and to create more diverse silhouette of the block); 3. Diversity of public spaces for different needs (places for different types of activity for people with different preferences); 4. Encouragement of street businesses through the concept of active first-floor facades (retail, cafes, co-workings etc.); 5. Diversity of living units layouts to meet the most different needs of different types of families; Houses 302-304 are one of the latest commissioned iterations of the complex. Design of this stage was started during the covid time - and the detailed design and construction was finished during the full-scale war of russia against Ukraine. This project was designed and commissioned in 4 years of great turbulence. What differs this stage of the project from the others — is the promenade scheme. While in previous stages of the project the urban blocks were organized around plaza, here they are “stuck” on a promenade. We implemented the promenade scheme for the first time at Fayna Town RC, and it has proven its benefits through the exploitation and the feedback of users. The pedestrian promenade is designed to “pulse” - to avoid the monotony effect and to guarantee the maximum number of different usage scenarios. Its irregular width creates a “beating” effect which makes the space more dynamic and interesting to interact with. Combined with open-blocks, the promenade structure encourages people to walk around the complex, which enhances social connections in the neighborhood, liveability of the place, and creation of a sustainable community of the dwellers.
Residential complex 31
The plot is located in the residential area of Kyiv on the Left Bank of the Dnipro. It is dominated by residential buildings with diverse, chaotic, and indistinct architecture.It’s surrounded by residential buildings on two sides. Their architecture is metric and "dry". Typical solutions are clearly traced in the architecture. We tried to fit into the context of the existing building development. The chosen concept is two volumes of 9 and 16 floors, united by a stylobate part. We divided the two volumes into smaller "boxes" and turned each of them to a detailed calculated angle. These angles are formed by insolation restrictions, view characteristics, and orientation relative to the loud avenue. Due to the rotation of the sections, it was possible not only to provide beautiful views from almost every apartment in the house but also to cover more green space and get a variety of views: some windows can face the park, others - the lake. Also, turning the facades at an angle from the avenue, managed to protect it from direct noise from the avenue to the windows of the house. It also reduced the noise pressure on it. The complex consists of the following functional blocks: • two residential blocks • commercial unit • underground unit The commercial block contains: • offices • commercial premises • public catering • sports hall for the residents of the complex • music school for the residents of the complex • lobby for residents of the complex 134 apartments with an area from 44 to 163 m2 are planned in the residential blocks. We designed the volume of the stylobate part of the complex in such way as to get a nice access to the driveway with a green island in the middle. Due to the stylobate, we got two categories of space. The first space is public one. Here we concentrated the main infrastructure: cafes, restaurants, etc. not only for the residents of our complex but also for the whole district. There’s a promenade along the lake to which we have provided with a barrier-free transit from the complex. The second one is private space. This space is above ground level, on the exploited area of the stylobate part, and is accessible only to residents of the complex. Because there is a playground, chamber recreation areas, lots of greenery, and private terraces on the first floors for a comfortable pastime.
Riverdale
The concept of our new project is aimed at maximizing the preservation of objects of historical value. The historical context and the "genius" of the place. At the location of the former shell factory (later a rubber factory), the concept provides the preservation of an arch built in 1897 by the former chief architect of Kyiv, Volodymyr Nikolaiev, as well as a brick chimney around which an amphitheater with public areas and playgrounds is planned. In addition, we decided to preserve and leave the columns from the abandoned unfinished stadium as an art object and design element. However, the main feature of the project will be the recovery of the Sovka River, which was closed into a sewer during the Soviet period. The river will become a formative accent in the composition of the object. Hydrotechnologists have developed a project that will restore the river's ecosystem and bring it outdoors. The space along the river is pulsating - it narrows and has 2 places of expansion in order to make it diverse within the block and create a large water spill. The public pedestrian space near the water is full of various areas where you can enjoy the view of the river. In terms of composition, the increase of the number of storeys of the complex was built outward, which improved the insolation rates, and increased the number of apartments overlooking the river, where we plan to install a swimming pool. A mid-rise building was formed along the water, which made it possible to create a more comfortable and fully pedestrianized space, and the traffic flow was allowed along the perimeter of the complex. Parking lots are partially underground and partially located under the courtyards. This creates an opportunity to form amphitheaters from which you can enjoy the view of the river. Elements of the arch are used in the architecture, but with the added functionality. We moved the active first floors deeper into the building and created a comfortable space - a walkway with a roof. The shape of the arch set the approach to the architecture's form. The facades are as minimal as possible, but realizing that the river is the central element of our project, we reflected this in the architecture and designed a large number of open terraces overlooking the water. The design of the balconies and terraces is individualized in appearance to emphasize the minimalist architecture. The expression of the project is reflected in the design of the balconies. Some of them are planned to have parametric curved elements, some made of curved blue and orange glass, and others of flat red glass. In addition, we have designed a large arch inside one of the buildings, which will become an accent and form the central passage to the kindergarten. At the entrance, we plan a large public space - a pedestrian square with an accent historical arch, a modern saturated landscape, mature trees, playgrounds with interesting designs, and landscaping.
Gymnasium A+
Gymnasium A+ continues educational institutions series in Comfort Town living complex (this complex we created few years ago). There were a lot of restrictions in building process, such as sanitary requirements. As a result, we created an optimal planning shape: square. One of the main features of Gymnasium is roof. It continues theme of pitched roofs of Comfort Town. But this roof is asymmetrical, so there are no identical angles of view on facades. When we started the creation of Comfort Town, the environment was grey and gloomy. According to our projects, now we can see colorful and bright buildings of Comfort Town. We cut out all the greyness by our bright colors. So, when we were thinking about Gymnasium project we asked ourselves: “What, if we create a contrast between greyness and color again?” And we decided to repeat our experiment, and constructed a completely achromatic composition on the background of multicolored Comfort Town. Facades Earlier, in case with residential complex around, we worked with color, but in this project we had been working with materials: unusual texture of metal, special stucco and an Armenian basalt. The building of school is achromatic, but it is based on colorful courtyard. Also, it creates a contrast with residential development on the background, in this way we accentuate interesting shape of building and functional specialty of Gymnasium. Planning When we had finished basic composition decisions, we begun planning variations design. In connection with square shape the most suitable conclusion was a corridor plan system. The foursquare shape permitted us to create not impasse corridors but connected, non-interrupted halls. This school oriented on 600 students, from 3rd to 11th academic form. Functional building planning scheme is: 1.Ground floor. There are dining room-cafeteria, which is suitable not only for children, but for adults/parents too, large gym and big open-spaced teacher’s room on this floor. 2.Second floor. There are situated an assembly hall, that has a capacity of 200 people, and second gym, which is smaller than first one and was created for fighting kind of sports. Also, there is a separate block of studying zone for junior classes, with its own recreation space and wardrobe. 3.Third floor. It includes lecture hall, which is not necessary for school building but will be perfect for events with big amount of students. One of the main feature of school territory is a little garden outside. Energy The main theme of project was to create the best school in town. That’s why, building is not only an architecture innovation, but also an engineering one. We created a huge field with 160 numbers of thermal pumps, the lengths of each is 60 meters. So, they completely provide school with heat and cold, and allowed us to disconnect from main city heating network. It provides saving resources on maintaining of school in the future. Thermal pump is useful for city also, because of its ecological facilities.
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Public university in Kyiv, Ukraine.
A-Station
The A-Station is the one of a kind in terms of Ukraine redevelopment project. Its importance as of the scope of work, the value it creates and social impact is hard to overestimate. The revitalization of a former restricted area – the thoughtlessly rebuilt workshops of a military plant, that used to be spart of Kyiv Fortress built over several centuries - was the challenge we couldn’t decline. The unique historic buildings of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries were hidden behind the ugly high fence of the industrial area. And this happening in the city center! The industrial complex comprises a number of facilities built at different times, each with its own design features and history. For many decades, these historic structures served as factory workshops. However, as the buildings were exploited, the preservation of the historical heritage was not taken into account at all. Therefore, many decorative elements were destroyed, authentic windows and doors were replaced with typical soviet solutions, premises of the buildings were restructured and utility supply networks were placed in the arches. Thus, the architectural monuments of national importance were in an awful condition. We are proud to present the result of our work – the A-Station. The historical buildings renovated in their authentic aesthetics have gained the new contemporary function. They are not just empty neglected monuments of architecture anymore, but the coworking, food hall, educational hub, IT school for teens, popular restaurants run by the best operators of Ukraine, beautiful public spaces and many more. They generate revenue and create value. They are the new beginning of the old city. They are the A-Station Project.
Smart Plaza
Concept In the beginning of design process we start to think how we can combine three towers, if their foundation disappear in stylobate. After long hours of searching we got a simple and elegant idea: a white line, coming around all the complex. It looks like a real thread encircles the whole building, somewhere harder, somewhere thinner, and somewhere it disappears and then appears again. It covers all the complex, so you can see it as one unified form. Also, “white lining” has a practical sense: it hides the condition system, so the form is justified. In that way we found scheme that creates the biggest number of apartments with the best view, on park or on the city skyline. Site This mix-used complex in Kyiv has excellent neighbourhood – Goloseivsky park, a monument of landscape art with lakes, alleys, playgrounds, and even with Goloseivskiy forest. Also, not far from complex is situated “Goloseivska” metro station. It locates between two avenues and has excellent transport accessibility. Increasing the human traffic towards this avenues - it was one of the goal of this project, to bring more life and communication into transit street. Public spaces Smart Plaza is a place, where you can find anything you need for a comfort life. Three towers with excellent view of the city landscape, connected with two-story stylobate. All sport and entertainment functions are situated in stylobate. Also, on the top of it you can find private yard for inhabitants. First floor of stylobate is a commercial zone, where anyone, not only inhabitants of complex, can buy anything they need. On the second floor there are a cinema and a fitness center. Planning Smart Plaza conception includes all necessary functions for any people needs, from housing to cinema. All of public spaces are suitable for family with children – here they can not only walk in Goloseivsky park, but even take a sunbath in private solarium or play basketball on the stylobate roof. Looking for this type of customers, we created planning suitable for them, some apartments even has a second light living-room. Every square meter of apartment is created with extra attention,so all the space is used rationally and with comfort. Especially in complex with such committed name as “Smart”.
JOLLY Beauty Salon
The object is located on the 1st floor of the 1950s building. Exterior blends with the historic character of the building, its color and style. The facade was cleaned from signboards-graffiti, to emphasize the visual rhythm of the object. The renovation of the space and the entrance group took 6 months. The employer aimed at a comforting environment — a beautiful oasis of self-care. Natural materials, raw textures, soft color palette and wavy shapes of the decorative elements call to mind the image of a sandy beach. Vintage furniture, wooden details and lighting design create coziness inside of a clean minimalist interior. The monolithic reception table is made of quartz stone. The reflection in the mirror creates an additional dimension of geometry and a T-shaped look of the table. The waiting area is decorated with vintage Walter Knoll chairs in beige velvet and the coffee table, which is made of travertine and stainless steel, according to our draft drawing. The wardrobe and walls are painted the same color, so the space seems seamless. Makeup mirrors are made of oak veneer and provided with additional lighting. Inspired by the traditional three-piece vanity set, these mirrors create the common cozy narrative together with the vintage chairs. The stand itself is made of an oxidized metal with its signature colorful stains. Inside of the stands there are hidden electrical cables. The wooden furniture and the massage table are made of the similar oak veneer. One of the main accents in the interior is the illuminated ceiling, which opens to the mirror. The latter visually expands the area, where we have the maximum quantity of functions on the minimum quantity of square meters. The ceiling is made of net with warm and cold diodes, mimicking the natural daylight effect. The net is covered with PVC canvas, and the precise contour is created with the black framing details. The ceiling level gets lower on either side of the lightbox — the ventilation and air conditioning system are hidden in this niche. Actually, the ventilation solution was one of the most challenging in the whole project. Still, we used the “thin gap” technique, and our engineers managed to efficiently set the indoor climate, considering all the limitations. We paid special attention to the process of design and realization of the entrance group. Since the salon is located above the ground on the hill, our target was to develop a comfortable entrance with a staircase wide enough . We came up with the idea of a staircase and awning with no visible fasteners. Our constructor developed the cantilever staircase and the platform, covered with travertine. We were searching for this material all over Ukraine, and we succeeded just in time. Drawing upon the belief that great design can help people feel better and the philosophy of Rina Lovko Design Studio, our team uses several "healthy" materials as natural stone element's such as red and grey travertine, quartz, oak veneer, vintage chairs, .
BIORHYTHM
“Biorhythm” residential complex is located in Kyiv’s Pechersk district — a dense, dynamic, and prestigious area with fragmented high-rise development. The project not only offers high-quality housing in the city center, but also strengthens the neighborhood structure by extending and connecting existing public spaces. Instead of acting in isolation, the complex integrates into the existing urban fabric. A key idea is to continue the pedestrian boulevard of the nearby French Quarter and reinforce the pedestrian route along McCain Street — helping restore street-level continuity and walkability in an otherwise disjointed area. Unlike many central developments that prioritize density over livability, “Biorhythm” preserves a spacious, sunlit courtyard — both a public core and a calm urban retreat. Two levels of underground parking reduce aboveground infrastructure, maximizing pedestrian comfort. This is a bold move for Kyiv’s center: rather than compressing life into towers, the project opens up space to walk, play, and connect. The sloped terrain of the site posed a challenge, but also an opportunity. By adjusting the height of the stylobate (with commerce and parking) and grading the courtyard surface, we achieved a flat, inclusive, car-free inner space that remains connected to McCain Street. At ground level, the active facade and multi-story lobbies animate the street, creating a safer and more vibrant environment. The facade becomes a mediator between private life and public space. The towers are arranged to recompose the fragmented Pechersk skyline, offering a more harmonious silhouette. A “dual-level rooftop” concept introduces shared recreation zones — including a rooftop swimming pool, BBQ areas, and panoramic terraces. The 16th–18th floor bridge connects the towers and adds more communal spaces, while the 30th-floor rooftops offer additional leisure zones. For the first time in Ukraine, four levels of public space are introduced: the street, the stylobate, the bridge, and the rooftops.
Respublika Community Center
RC "Respublika" is the largest project in the country. On the outskirts of Kyiv, not far from the new Teremki metro station, in fact, a small city will be built with more than 14 thousand apartments on average - 7-9 residential floors each. Special attention is paid to public areas in the project. The entire complex is subject to a thoughtful hierarchy of spaces. Closed yards of urban blocks, with a natural environment and paths among the lawns - only for residents. Outside, between the quarters, there are walkways that lead to squares where social life will be concentrated: these can be sports and playgrounds or gardens, places for recreation with elements of landscape design, or, as in the first stage, a community center. To accommodate the community center, the architects had an area of.
Comfort Town
Glance out of the aeroplane window as you descend into Kyiv’s Borispol airport and you are likely to spot a 40-hectare explosion of rainbow-coloured concrete on the ground below. This is Comfort Town, erupting from its drab surroundings like Lego on a shabby grey carpet. Comfort Town’s 180 low-rise apartment buildings are indeed inspired by children’s building blocks; a playful response to the sprawling 1950s and 60s communist-era housing that encircles them. The secured grounds operate as a city-within-a-city, housing everything needed for modern life, from shops and restaurants to schools and gyms. “Your little slice of Europe in Kyiv,” declares the brochure. Indeed, for the most part, its 8,500 apartments and manicured courtyards have been embraced by a generation of young families and urban professionals who feel culturally closer to Europe than to the country’s Soviet heritage. The first residential complex in Ukraine based on the block development principle, instead of customary Soviet micro-district type. Different number of stories of adjacent buildings (ranging from 2 to 16 floors) forms a picturesque image of every street. A restored park with perennial trees, sculptures and a fountain, block development, pedestrian courtyards where you can play with children – all that makes this residential neighborhood intimate and cozy. It has set a new level of quality in a residential building due to the block development. Thus, the industrial territory turned into a good living environment and the status of the district as a whole increased. Residents have received a complex, comfortable environment with green pedestrian courtyards. Full infrastructural service includes fitness clubs, stores, kindergartens and schools. Comfort Town is one of the most successful residential property projects in Ukraine. Sales indicators peaked at over 200 apartments per month. Objective: • Creating a residential block that would sell itself even in the time of crisis, with the optimal cost price and attractive environment for future residents. • Optimizing both construction cost price and technology • Finding a technique that would use several standard sections to create a district from 150 repetitions of these sections while making it non-boring and comfortable • Preserving existing green areas left after demolition of factory Challenge: • Transforming an industrial zone into ideal housing for happy people • Creating the first medium-rise neighborhood and the first block development project in Kyiv • Finding an image for an attractive residential neighborhood consisting of several types of repeating sections Solutions: • Block development helped divide the space into two types: streets (allowing for motor traffic) and courtyards (located inside the block and featuring children’s playgrounds, benches and alleys). Motor vehicles cannot enter these inner courtyards, with the exception of emergency service vehicles which can use widened passageways paved with grass paver. • Block development allowed to increase the length of passageways, thus providing more parking spots comparing to the micro-district type of development. • Having preserved all green areas that existed on this site and all existing landscape elements, we have received a habitable environment ready for development and featuring a garden park and a recreation area. • In the conditions of limited cost price, we have created sections from simple geometric shapes and made flat facades, thus excluding balconies and decorative elements and focusing on three techniques: o silhouette: different turns and height of dual-pitch roofs allowed us to achieve an interesting silhouette o window: we were first in Kyiv to use the French balcony system and the window shifting system, which allowed us to avoid monotonous rows o color: the first daring color solution for a residential neighborhood in the country • Gable roofs are made from grooved metal. It was the range of manufacturers of grooved metal which determined the choice of color for particular sections. To compensate the brightness of this range, we introduced pastel shades in some places, and since their share wasn’t big, we were able to order, in the conditions of cost price, the necessary colors for individual painting and achieve a harmonious combination of bright and pastel shades. Hardships: • Limited budget of the project, commencement of work during a global economic crisis • Revitalization of an industrial area for a residential complex Facts and details: • Comfort Town is the most successful commercial project in Ukraine in the residential property sector for the last 25 years • The Comfort Town area includes the Academy of Modern Education, a children’s complex consisting of a 160-seat kindergarten, a 140-seat elementary school and the 600-seat Academy А+ school • The residential complex also includes a 4500-sq.m retail complex with a supermarket, a 4600-sq.m fitness complex with three swimming pools and gyms, a 1.5-hectare complex of outdoor sports grounds, cafes, stores and offices on lower floors of apartment buildings, and an own maintenance service • The complex’s parking facilities include three multi-story above-ground parking garages for 1000 cars, and another 5 parking garages for 1500 cars are designed for the next line of construction • Comfort Town has its own active forum of residents • The initial design featured an open-access complex, but the neighborhood’s bad surroundings prompted the residents to erect a fence • The average number of stories in the complex is 8 • The total area of the Comfort Town premise (including new construction lines) exceeds 40 hectares.
Faina Town
Faina Town is a project of a residential complex located on a 40-hectare plot on the right bank of Kyiv, in the area historically known as Nyvky. The landscape park in the middle of the housing has a length of 2.5 km, but its width is constantly changing, depending on the functions of the zones of this promenade from 35 to 45 meters. The courtyards of the residential neighborhoods all have pedestrian contact with the promenade. All active functions are located in the promenade, namely: Playgrounds, public areas, and the main project square. The places of maximum expansion are reserved for playgrounds. Also, the large existing spruce trees located on the site became the initial requirement around which the landscape space of the promenade was formed. As for the traffic on the site, the scheme is designed in such a way that an entrance is provided to each entrance to the building, but the intersection of roads with the pedestrian promenade is carried out only in 2 places. It is there that a special pedestrian bridge crossing was designed in order not to interrupt the pedestrian route. There are 3 large playgrounds on the promenade, which will be completely different in terms of functions and style. Also, the main idea of the stylistic appearance of these playgrounds is to make them look different, stimulating the imaginative development of the child. A large sports area is located away from residential buildings and is formed together with a noisy recreation area. There are places for BBQs and a 25-meter outdoor pool. The plant range is represented by species that are resistant to the effects of the urban environment and are easy to maintain. Walking areas are always emphasized by decorative flowering species, while quiet areas are formed by trees. The assortment of plants is selected in such a way that seasonality can be traced: bright color in spring, green mass of leaves in summer, bright yellow and scarlet colors in autumn, grains in combination with evergreens keep the structure in winter. The landscape is also integrated into the landscaping as an ecological structure. part of the promenade area is designed as a rain garden, whose main function is to absorb excess rainwater. Large lawn areas allow residents to relax on sun loungers on sunny days.
FOREST OFFICE
Loft style IT company office. The customer’s principal needs and wishes were next: many plants, maximum functionality, and nature-inspired color palettes. At the same time, there should be a sense of free space for many people present. These were achieved with the help of the two things: the successful internal layout and the exact combination of materials, both natural and artificial - glass, stone, wood, and concrete.
KHLEBNY
Two-storey interior with panoramic windows overlooking the beautiful streets of Ukraine. There is plenty of lighting and more than 100 seats. Each element of the interior design style preserves the house’s antiquity in which the institution is located. There’s a tiny secret about the interior style being a pastiche of the subway signage. It’s not only about being stylish and having a calling card. But also about following the owners’ primary goal - to open their bakeries at each metro station.
Office building "Art in IT"
Elements of art were an integral part of ancient architecture. They depicted the development of technology of that period. Architecture offered a means to crown the significance of each milestone in the history. The architecture of the 19-20th centuries has lost the attributes of art due to the pursuit of achievements in science and technology. With our building, we suggest integrating art into architecture by means of modern innovative methods. Office building is located on a creative site. So, we decided to add an art gallery to it, which would serve as an exhibition pavilion for prominent Ukrainian and world artists, and UNIT.city residents as a platform for their achievements presentation. The building is formed out of cubes, which are stacked on top of each other and integrated into the overall architectural concept and urban structure of UNIT.city. We constructively divided the building into 2 horizontal volumes and cut out places for terraces. The terraces were moved to another level of the building and conceptually attached to the square, thus forming an area at different levels, which is integrated into the building.
SEMEREY apartment by Rina Lovko Design Studio
The apartment is located on the 4th floor of a residential house, which was built in 1905, in the historical area of Kyiv. Because of the state of the building, a massive renovation of the flat was required. The process of dismantling revealed the rotten slabs and large cracks in the walls, and that flooring replacement is needed. Our client is fascinated with Paris, so our target was to recreate a flair of a vintage apartment. Our solution was not to copy the “Parisian chic” tricks, avoiding the ornamental plaster and other obvious elements of direct quotation of this style. The state of the structure of the building made us renovate the apartment, and enhance the slabs and the walls. The old wooden inner walls were damaged by humidity and wood pests, so we had to remove them completely. The original parquet was also disassembled, and the floor was upgraded with a welded structure poured with concrete. Furthermore, we enhanced the balcony, and the walls were strengthened with special ties to pull together the frame. The plaster on the ceiling above the bed is one of the most romantic details, which brings the vintage interiors to mind. This is our hint on the classic plaster, reimagined in terms of modern minimalism. This element was produced by hand from gypsum, according to our 3D-model. We always take full advantage of the space in our design process. While doing so, we ended up with a wall niche with streamlined angles, inspired by the process of smoothing out a cornice and a ceiling. Such angles make the room softer, adding to its special atmosphere. Apart from being an aesthetical solution, this wall niche is useful for storing glasses or home decor, as it is based just above the kitchen sink. The Bathroom turned out to be a special place. The marble for the shower walls was picked with precision, the sink was manufactured from the same marble, and the cabinet was made to measure. The mirror above the sink was also designed and produced according to our drawings. The window in the bathroom was one of the special requests from our client. The cabinet is placed right in front of the mirror, so the client could do her morning beauty routine with a view. The bathroom is separated from the bedroom with a glass partition and a soft tulle creating a continuous space. Drawing upon the philosophy of Rina Lovko Design Studio and the belief that great design can help people feel better, our team uses several "healthy" materials as natural stone and re-use the original parquet. The elongated window in a wardrobe is one of the details which recall the historical design schemes. For this interior, we reinterpreted and simplified the traditional design of the frame. The minimalist shape is perfectly doing its thing, which is to create extra light in the hallway. We opted for the time-tested scheme of the space arrangement, which is an enfilade.
SIERRA HOUSE
The story of Sierra House is one of synergy. Having started as a request for interior renovation it grew into creative flow, resulting in a complete interior and architectural renewal of the house allowing for the new vision. At the heart of the Sierra House’s design is a fearless exploration of modern minimalism. Defined by sharp cubic forms, clean lines, and the interplay of contrasting materials, the architecture exudes strength and confidence. The bold fusion of basalt, corten steel, and glass creates a robust yet fluid structure that harmonizes with its natural environment. By celebrating textures and materials in their raw state, the design transcends functionality to become a statement of artistic sophistication. The layout of the Sierra House is defined by its thoughtful response to the site’s topographical features. The residence is spread across three levels complementing natural levels of surrounding. The basement floor serves as a technical and utility zone for the staff, ensuring discretion and functionality. The main level opens to shared living spaces, including the kitchen and lounge, arranged to maximize openness and connection to the outdoors. On the third floor, private bedrooms provide tranquil retreats with sweeping views of the landscape. The building uses locally sourced basalt, a volcanic stone from Lutsk, Ukraine, for approximately 30% of the facade. This material is not only durable but also minimizes transportation-related emissions. The unique textures and finishes of basalt give the structure a raw elegance, creating dramatic interactions with sunlight and shadow throughout the day. A distinctive feature of the design is its extensive use of floor-to-ceiling glass walls, which dissolve the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces. The transparency allows natural light to flood the interiors, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadows throughout the day. Further enhancing the connection to nature, spacious terraces extend from the house, offering areas for relaxation and sociability. From the ultra-slim glass partitions that retain transparency without visual clutter to the custom detailing of basalt cladding, every element was executed to match the YODEZEEN’s exacting standards.
the COAT Showroom by Rina Lovko Design Studio
This project was developed for the Ukrainian brand the COAT. The women’s ready-to-wear brand was founded by Kateryna Silchenko in 2014. The designer draws inspiration from women around, who are strong, passionate, and subtle at the same time. The showroom is located on the first floor of a 1950s brick residential building. Since our commercial object was initially residential, there was not enough light. The space had a low Armstrong ceiling, and the windows and doorways were small. All the elements of the retail equipment were produced according to our drawings, exclusively for this project. Our goal was to create an exquisite yet minimalistic space filled with air and light. That said, the showroom had to stay open for visitors. We could close it only for a couple of weeks to get the renovation finalized. Striving to convey the brand’s aesthetics, we aimed to create a new and refreshing experience for the visitors. The marble floor and wall covering set a seamless background for the clothes. Since the clothes are the main object of the showroom, the interior shouldn’t be too loud. We deliberately settled on minimalist furnishing to make the clothes stand out even more. Natural copper is the element of the COAT brand book and of the initial design of the showroom, so we incorporated it into the interior as the main accent. This material was also the starting point for building the color palette. We covered the walls and the ceiling in lime plaster and poured a microcement floor. The hand-picked color — neutral grey with sandy tones — unites the walls, the ceiling, and the floor into a continuous space, elegant and not too eye-catching. The clothing racks were made from stainless steel and finished with copper details. The main cabinet with sliding doors is covered with the same plaster as the walls, blending in with the interior and not attracting extra attention. The Rosa Aurora stone element has a pink shade to it. Being integrated into the walls and the floor, it highlights the main exposition area. With the given specifications, we have enlarged the windows and doorways. This solution helped us to raise the ceiling visually and allowed the light to get in. So as not to lower the ceiling, the air conditioning and ventilation systems were placed above the cabinet. The lighting design deserves special attention. Given the low ceiling, we refrained from using busbars common for showrooms. Instead, we opted for a recessed wall washer lighting with the highest colour rendering index and no trims. The mirrors were upgraded with the built-in diffuse lighting profiles. This solution provides a flattering yet even light during the fitting, which is essential for sales. The copper-plated lamps are decorative and functional elements, supporting the aesthetic of the showroom. The visual concept of the object is based on rhythmicity and recurrence that unfold through the placement of accent lighting and clothing racks, that was made from stainless steel and finished with copper details.
Misto 3000
The city of the future - healthy urban city, it is a city for people. Principles that were used in the design of the city: 15-minute-walk city In general, there is a flooded area for construction, on which we form five archipelagos of islands and connect them by bridges. The main idea of the project is that we put people at the forefront. Taking as a basis a speed comfortable for a person of 5 kilometers per hour, and distances, based on a time of 15 minutes, we come to the main scale for portioning the site into zones for building with a radius of 1.25 km. In our case, these are islands. • multifunctionality The principle of self-sufficiency of the islands. On each island there are offices, residential quarters and everything necessary for life, which provides the shortest possible passenger connections between residential areas, neighborhoods and places of work, the center of social life, cultural and consumer services and neighborhood centers. The concept of islands provides quick access to water for all residents of the city, allows to provide the city with water transport and comfortable pedestrian promenades. Polycentricity and decentralization of the city. There is no single city center, each archipelago contains its own local centers. Each archipelago has its own special function - additional function, which is located in its center. This model of the city provides people from the same functional group to communicate better with each other. Students have their own hub and park for walking. The government quarter has a huge congress hall on the water for meetings. • a lot of water The site is located near the Dnipro River, but access to it is closed, so it was decided to slightly expand this water body and form a wide waterfront. The system of canals and islands provides great opportunities to use water transport and connects the city with Kyiv by the river. Every resident of the city can get to the beach in a few minutes. The concept provides a close connection of the city residents with nature. There is a forest on the territory, which was saved and made an official wildlife sanctuary here. Also, the sanitary protection zone from the main highway is green and is actively used for bicycle roads, the largest urban park, a network of skate zones and places for teen sports and as a walking area for people. Each island contains green pedestrian promenades around the perimeter and green squares inside the islands, which smoothly flow from each other and allow pedestrians to walk comfortably. All pedestrian green areas are connected to neighboring green areas through the canal by pedestrian bridges. The city is designed according to modern urban principles where people spend more time outdoors, have the feeling of community and do not feel lonely. To meet these objectives, we follow the principles: neighborhoods without cars, the correct traffic priority in the city.Sharing economy principle – from scooters to cars. Priority is given to pedestrians.
Be the One
Be the One – multifunctional complex in Ukraine, which is being built on the right bank of the capital - Kyiv. The creation of a new multifunctional complex is an objective necessity of social needs and urban conditions in the process of development of the modern real estate market in Kyiv. Especially in recent years, when the city's population has increased, the load on traffic and demand for housing and commercial premises has increased. Also, potential buyers have become more demanding on offers in the real estate market. For the most efficient and optimal use of the proposed site, we have done the analysis, which consists in the correct calculation of the set of components of the building, the maximum increase in efficiency and return back financial investment. This is the way the complex with a hotel-type apartment, a class A business center, a training center and conference halls, and an operated roof appeared. As for architecture, they wanted to visually distinguish the office part from the residential part, but at the same time, so that it looked harmonious. And also, so that the overall exterior fits into the environment and is a continuation of it. The complex consists of two main parts (office and residential), which are located on a common stylobate with underground parking. At the ground level around the perimeter of the building are the entrances to the residential and office part, the entrance to the underground parking for 45 place and a summer terrace. On the ground floor there is a spacious lobby and commercial premises. A sports club is planned on the 2nd floor to maintain a healthy lifestyle. On 3 - training and conference halls, and coworking, which will promote active learning of the population. Higher there are offices with panoramic glazing, some offices will have their own spacious terraces. In the living area - apartments of various layouts with terraces on the upper floors. Over the residential part there is an exploited roof, which will be provided places for camping, a barbecue area and a recreation area. In this way, Be The One will become a point of attraction for progressive youth and businessmen, which will reduce the load on passenger traffic to the center, provide new jobs, space for living, sports, education and recreation. Multifunctional double-glazed windows and ventilation systems with heat recovery will be installed in all building to save on heating and air conditioning. LED lamps with motion sensors will be installed for interior lighting of the building to save electricity. The "smart home" function will be available for installation in any apartment. This systems will control the temperature, lighting and operation of electrical devices only when they are needed. Also, there are video surveillance systems, alarm systems, access control and security posts at the main entrances to the office and residential parts of the building will be installed for the safety and comfort of residents and visitors of the complex. Therefore, the complex provides all the conditions for comfortable work and recreation in the urban space.
Saint Andrew's Church
Baroque church located in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Unit.Home
The Unit.City innovation park, the first such site for Kyiv, is being built on the territory of a former motorcycle plant, a 20-minute drive from the city center. It should become something like an ecosystem in which a special infrastructure helps a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. Companies that are engaged in, for example, augmented reality, cybersecurity or eco-technologies gather at one site; various schools and accelerators, laboratories, conference rooms, and regular thematic events are at their service. The master plan for Unit.City was prepared by the Polish bureau APA: the cluster is divided into “business”, “innovation”, “education” and “life” zones, which allows you to work and fully relax without leaving it. To date, an IT school and three office buildings have been built, in which 108 residents have settled. More than half of them have already launched joint projects - the system is working. Almost half of the territory by 2025 will be occupied by residential areas of the Unit.Home complex. The principles for housing were laid down the same as for the entire innovation park - housing should be, first of all, comfortable. Unit.Home consists of seven quarters and two separate buildings. The height is humane - only six or eight floors, but each block has an accent tower of serious 20-22 floors. To solve the “coziness/innovation” problem, after sorting through a dozen and a half options, we settled on an expressive plastic technique: each room is a separate cell, a unit, which is easily read on the facade due to projections and recesses of various sizes. In Unit.Home there will be no standard solutions: within the same apartment, the height of the rooms can even change. Emphasis on the day or night zone, a large kitchen or bedroom - the future tenant will be able to choose exactly what suits his lifestyle. In total, UNIT.Home will have about 2,500 apartments. The first floors of the buildings are reserved for commercial premises, which should save time for residents: they will not need to travel outside the block to eat, go to the doctor, take the child or relax. In addition to the usual infrastructure set, there is also a skate park, a digital library, an art gallery, barbecue areas, an amphitheater and a hotel. Parking spaces are hidden underground, every tenth is equipped with a charger for electric cars. The security system is another reason to be surprised. There will be no fences on the territory of the cluster, only innovative technologies: a system for recognizing faces, license plates and atypical behavior, as well as patrol drones and panic buttons. High-speed Internet will be protected from cyber attacks and natural disasters. Unit.Home is like a utopia that you immediately want to be in: a beautiful white-and-green city where, under the supervision of friendly technologies, people live and meet to invent new things.
Unit.City
The UNIT.Home residential complex is located on the territory of the UNIT.City Innovation Park, on a former motorcycle factory territory between the Kyiv metro stations “Lukyanovska” and “Dorogozhichi. The objective of the innovation park was to create a mod- ern urban district, the center of economic, technological, so- cial, and cultural development. The project transforms the abandoned territory of the former motorcycle factory into a completely new, modern, and efficient urban environment. The complex includes offices, dwellings, commercial spaces, park- ing (with charging for electric vehicles), and public spaces, provid- ing quick accessibility to all facilities and service areas. Thus, traf- fic in the city is optimized, unloading the transport infrastructure. UNIT.Home does not have repeating houses - each building is unique, and there isn’t a standard apartment. We went through about a dozen varieties for the external appearance of build- ings. The result of the research was clear, but at the same time, the diverse structure of regular geometric cells - units. Simultaneously, the units do not line up in a dull box but form a plas- tic composition. Their configuration and location are not subject to any strict order; at first glance, the facade grid looks chaotic. Such an image simultaneously symbolizes order and freedom — a par- ticular structure of thinking and unpredictability. The visual solution displays three main qualities: openness, structuredness, and diversity.
Slavutich
Living complex Slavutich is perfectly situated – near the Dnipro river, with magnificent view from windows and slavutich metro station in front of complex. Complex is staffed with five trapezoidal in plane towers, from 12 to 26 number of storeys, connected with stylobate. It was important task for us to create a living complex in one smooth form. That’s how five towers have appeared, connected with stylobate. It’s not five standard towers, repeated one by one, it’s a unified composition of forms, and exactly this idea was a leitmotif of complex. Everything you need is situated here: a kindergarten, fitness center with swimming pools, shopping mall, restaurants, cafes, and even hospital. And, of course, public space. The territory of living complex is compressed, but we still wanted to fill it with big amount of important and helpful functions. So, a creation of a public space on the roof of fitness center was perfect decision. Here are situated playgrounds, sports ground, a platform for basket, etc. To create a green zone on the top of parking was interesting decision to do. There are two types of parking in this project: underground and overground. On the top of second, which we call stylobate, are situated flower beds, and gardening. Condition system was developed for each apartment separately. Our client, was open for everything new, and even for experiments. From the very beginning of our collective work, we joined the atmosphere of understanding and harmony, and it provided us to realize courageous and irregular solutions in planning and facades. Performing planning structure, where facade columns are situated not within, but outside the building was first time in our practice. In result we got free planning decisions, without any constrains along facade wall. it provided a good quality of planning and volume facades.
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Open in Atlas MapFrequently Asked Questions
How long does the Kyiv architecture walking tour take?+
The self-guided walking tour covers approximately 3.8 km with 5 stops. Allow approximately 3 hours including 20 minutes of viewing time per building.
Is the Kyiv architecture tour free?+
Yes, this is a completely free self-guided walking tour. You can view the route on the interactive map, export it to Google Maps for navigation, and explore at your own pace.
Do I need to book the Kyiv architecture tour in advance?+
No booking is required — this is a self-guided tour that you can start at any time. All buildings can be viewed from the outside. For guided tours with expert commentary, we recommend checking GetYourGuide for local architecture tours.
What is the best time to do the Kyiv architecture walking tour?+
Morning light (before 11am) is ideal for photography of building facades. Weekdays tend to be less crowded around commercial buildings. Allow a full morning or afternoon for the complete tour.