In Ukraine, a city waits to rebuild a symbol of resistance

Within a year of being pummeled by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Irpin’s prestigious State Tax University had been mostly repaired. But not its main building. The symbol of an institution that for decades has prepared many of Ukraine’s top public finance officials and ministers sat bomb-blasted and unusable. University and city leaders had decided that the building’s reconstruction was a special case requiring special treatment. They wanted a rebuild that would serve as an example for the country’s broader national reconstruction, incorporating elements of sustainable and inclusive construction they hoped would exemplify an advancing and more democratic Ukraine. Why We Wrote This The Ukrainian city of Irpin was one of the first places to be attacked during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Now, the rebuilding of its prestigious university is being seen as an example for the country’s national reconstruction. But that kind of reconstruction project would take more time, and more money – something the national government could not even consider with the war monopolizing resources. “There can be two approaches in a case like ours. There is the quick rebuilding, like replacing blasted windows, which we did with some buildings,” says Dmytro Serebrianskyi, rector of the State Tax University, known widely as STU, that sits northwest of Kyiv. “But then there is strategic rebuilding.” University leadership “decided we wanted not just a rebuilding of the old structure but something symbolizing a new future first for our university,” he adds. The building was severely damaged in the intense fighting for Irpin during the first weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion. But how to even start such a broader rebuild project, with the war continuing and resources required for that effort?Enter Build Forward Ukraine.Half a world away, in San Francisco, an organization bringing together Ukrainians, Americans, and others interested in promoting elements of sustainability, inclusivity, and democracy in Ukraine’s vast rebuilding effort were looking for what could be a demonstration project for their vision.The search led to a collaboration between Build Forward Ukraine and STU that aims to culminate in a rebuilt – and reimagined – main building.Moreover, cooperation blossomed when both sides realized they were engaging with partners who shared a vision for the qualities and values that should underpin Ukraine’s reconstruction. “The amazing thing was our realization that we all wanted this project to go beyond rebuilding a university building to advancing the values Ukrainians want for their national reconstruction and future,” says Margie O’Driscoll, CEO of Build Forward Ukraine. “We realized this when we heard from Ukrainians themselves that rebuilding institutions like STU also had to serve the purpose of forming new leaders to implement the road to democracy and European Union accession.”Build Forward Ukraine’s inspiration to foster reconstruction even with war raging came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says Ms. O’Driscoll. She recalls that just six weeks into the full-scale invasion, Mr. Zelenskyy was urging the nation to start rebuilding. “We were struck by a leader talking about defense and rebuilding at the same time; it inspired us to think there could already be a role for us.”The Build Forward Ukraine team was also aware of Irpin and the special role the city had played in the dark early days, repelling the Russian ground offensive aimed at taking Kyiv, 14 miles south. They would learn later that Irpin’s university had held the line between the 30% of the city that fell under Russian occupation and the 70% that remained free. “The first victory in the Kyiv region was in Irpin, and our university played an important role in halting the Russian advance and saving Kyiv,” says Oleksandr Markushyn, who was Irpin’s mayor in 2022. “I recall seeing the main building burning,” he adds, “so I feel strongly about rebuilding it as a symbol of a free Ukraine standing firm on the Western values we aspire to.”Once the Russian troops retreated, Mr. Markushyn oversaw the “quick” type of reconstruction of Irpin’s damaged and destroyed residential buildings. But he would later meet with Build Forward Ukraine representatives and Dr. Serebrianskyi to discuss the rector’s vision of a “strategic” rebuild at the university.Ms. Driscoll and several others from her organization visited Ukraine in the summer of 2023 – a tour that included Irpin – and then invited a group of Ukrainians, including Dr. Serebrianskyi, to San Francisco. There they met with experts in such areas as sustainable building practices and efficient energy systems from Berkeley, Stanford, and other Bay Area universities.The experts shared what worked or not in other international reconstruction projects, including Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Once Build Forward Ukraine decided on the Irpin university main building as its demonstration project, it was Dr. Serebrianskyi who insisted that the building’s redesign plan be selected from among entries in an international competition and not just awarded behind closed doors to a handpicked design group.“It was Dmytro who remarked to us that opening up the selection of an architect and making it part of a public process of reconstruction would really change the way buildings were built” in Ukraine, notes Ms. O’Driscoll. Project planners realized transparency would be an important element in a country battling a long heritage of corruption.They also realized that they were now part of not just one building’s reconstruction, but a process where following and instilling democratic practices and acknowledging cultural sensitivities was going to be just as important as the final product.Earlier this year, an international jury of architects and construction experts chose the design entry from Canadian company Stantec out of 49 entries from 18 countries for the STU project. Then, in April, the Build Forward Ukraine team brought together representatives of Stantec and Ukrainians in a London conference that included visits to the area’s great universities.Project planners estimate it will still be at least three years before the STU main building reopens, because of the time it will take to finalize the design, line up financing, and carry out the construction. Both the World Bank and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development have expressed interest in participating in the project.Meanwhile, the process by which Irpin’s university joins in the larger project of rebuilding Ukraine will continue, the project’s enthusiasts say.“Of course we are anxious to see our beloved main building open and serving our university and our community once again,” says Dr. Serebrianskyi. “But the great universities we visited, including Oxford and Cambridge, were not built quickly. We understand,” he adds, “that the steps we are taking to reach that final goal are an important part of building the new Ukraine we all want.”