Belonging to the Wetland
I am an architect from Ukraine, driven by a lifelong passion for creating meaningful spaces and exploring how architecture shapes people’s lives. I chose this profession at an early age, and my journey has always been connected with a continuous search for responsible, human-centred, and innovative design solutions.
I graduated from Lviv Polytechnic National University and began my professional career in Kraków, Poland, where I worked for five years at Horizone Studio — an architectural practice focused on energy-efficient and sustainable architecture. This experience allowed me to develop a strong understanding of contemporary design approaches, technical solutions, and the relationship between architecture and the environment.
Later, I founded my own practice, Cosmos Creative Group, where I work on projects that combine creativity, functionality, and a strong sense of context. With the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, I returned home and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Alongside my military service, which has already lasted for several years, I have maintained my architectural practice through smaller-scale projects that keep me connected to the creative process and architectural community.
This experience has deeply influenced my understanding of space, resilience, and the importance of architecture in people’s lives. Today, I am open to new collaborations and international exchange, bringing together my architectural background, practical experience, and a renewed perspective on communities, safety and human needs. My goal is to create thoughtful spaces that improve everyday life and contribute positively to society.
Reimagining Protected Nature as Public Value
In the heart of Lutsk lies Hnidava Wetland Nature Reserve—one of the city’s most valuable ecosystems. Despite its protected status, the area continues to deteriorate. Seasonal reed fires, development pressure, and years of neglect have created the perception that this landscape has little value. Legal protection alone has proven insufficient when people feel disconnected from a place.
This project proposes a new approach to conservation: not turning nature into another urban park, but redefining the relationship between people and the landscape. The intervention is deliberately minimal. The route follows existing informal paths, while lightweight timber boardwalks cross only seasonally flooded areas, preserving natural processes and minimizing ecological impact.
The project shifts conservation from restriction to public stewardship. People protect places they know, experience, and value. By making the wetland accessible without domesticating it, the project transforms an overlooked reserve into a shared civic asset and creates long-term social support for its preservation.
Beyond ecological restoration, the trail addresses urban connectivity. It creates the shortest pedestrian link between the two banks of the Styr River, offering an alternative to noisy traffic corridors. Walking becomes not only movement through the city, but a daily encounter with nature.
The wetland also provides a rare space for silence, reflection, and mental restoration. It is not a designed park, but an authentic natural environment where visitors remain guests rather than owners.
The best way to protect nature is not to make it untouchable, but to make it essential to people’s lives. This project demonstrates how conservation can emerge through emotional connection, transforming a forgotten landscape into a shared future for the city and its ecosystem.