Chernobyl - Pripyat - Ukraine

April 26, 1986 the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. The population was not ready for an adequate perception of the current situation and an assessment of the risks associated with the accident that occurred. The project aim to help those people to achieve social wellbeing and to educated society about the human mistakes.

The site for the project is located at the city Slavutych. It becomes a tremendous challenge to not only create a public space to connect the uses of the site but also a memorial powerful enough to display the importance which the Chernobyl represents to humanity. The project has three design goals. First, is to balance the psychological by using architecture and art as a tool for healing. The healing design include small outdoor gardens, which provide the connection between existing buildings and art spaces. Three art studios, as a shelter for an art therapy, design to have connection with nature. Long mix-use art space don’t have any specifically program, is provide the shelter for self-creator artists. The challenge was to have buildings that have natural sunlight, the roof of mix-use pavilion has the winter sun angle to allow the sun path through and have natural light all over the year. Second aim is the site must be open to the public as a social space for everyday interactions. The public area feet of amphitheatre, museum, cafe, exhibition space, art pavilion and public plaza. Finally, the site must present itself as a Chernobyl memorial, to educate the public on the horrors of Chernobyl and the impact it makes on our past, present and future. The memorial design include the interactive wall where people able to express their feelings. Stepped platform have view of the city in contrast with memorial wall, which is symbolise the past, present and future. The meditation space created out in the open area, under the stepped platform, surrounded by water. Dark underground space to represent the horror. Dark room without exit and continuity represent the feelings of the victims, anxiety and hopelessness. The light in the middle of the space as an element of the hope for the better future. The project will create a more hostile and dramatic experience for the users, by represent humankind’s mistakes in a contrast with positive experience by represent hope for the better future. The site can work as a public space to some, and to other a place of remembrance and contemplation.