Chilean architect: Chile’s infrastructure was also collapsing, but due to earthquakes, not lack of intelligence of the person in power

For the fourth month, Irpin has been under de-occupation, recovering from the Russian invasion and beginning to return to its usual pre-war life. According to UN data, the city suffered 76%, and this is the most compared to the neighboring settlements of Irpin region.

Representatives of the Investment Council of Irpin have already calculated how much money is needed to restore the city, and this figure is simply amazing, because it is about 1 billion dollars.

Currently, the city management is doing everything possible to attract foreign investors and the best architects from around the world to the reconstruction. That is why at the beginning of May, about 120 architects and designers from all over Ukraine and different parts of the world came to Irpin to assess the level of destruction and plan new development strategies and possibilities of rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure.

Senior International Consulting Architect from Chile Cristián Alfredo Wittig Grell was among the participants. He is a senior consultant architect in charge of the Thought, Integral Infrastructure and Urban Planning Solutions office, and a strategic consultant for Fundación La Fuente, a foundation in charge of the design and implementation of new educational spaces, especially libraries, and which had an outstanding participation in the reconstruction of more than 80 libraries after the great earthquake of 2010 that destroyed an important part of Chile.

The editors of “Irpinskyi Visnyk” managed to communicate with this foreign architect and ask about his impressions of Ukraine and Irpin in particular.

 

Is it your first time in Ukraine? What are your impressions? Did the architecture of Kyiv, Irpin, and Lviv impress you? Which city impressed you the most?

It’s my first time in Ukraine, but I hope it won’t be the last. Impressions from your country are incredible. The people impressed me the most. I went to Ukraine with the idea that very “cold”, closed and unfriendly people live here. This is the image I have had since the days of the USSR, but this trip completely changed my vision and perception of Ukraine and its inhabitants.

For the first time, I realized that Ukrainians are not what I imagined them to be when I was traveling by train from Warsowa to Kyiv, it was a very long trip which took more than 23 hours. Two old women, who was returning their homes after more than 3 months living in Switzerland, were sitting next to me who spoke almost no English, but despite this, they tried to communicate with me, although they took a long time to find words, and what they could not say, they showed with gestures.

All the way, the Ukrainian women asked me if I was hungry or if I needed something… and even though I was not hungry and had food, they still fed me and gave me something to drink. During this train trip, we became very good friends and that’s when I realized that people in Ukraine are not at all like they are portrayed, and that you and us (Chileans and Ukrainians – ed.) actually, have a lot in common.

Speaking of cities, I was very impressed by Irpin and the surrounding settlements. Especially the way you integrate green areas, parks, forests into your urban planning is very cool.

Have you tasted Ukrainian cuisine? Which dish did you like the most?

I tried Ukrainian cuisine for the first time on this trip and was simply delighted with it. I liked red soup and soup with fish the most (borscht and Uha – ed). I would eat them and eat them (laughs).

And even food that does not belong to Ukrainian cuisine is tastier than anywhere else. I tasted the panna cotta; it was very tasty.

What does a modern person feel, who in the 21st century sees destroyed infrastructure and disfigured cities due to war?

It is very scary… To understand that this is happening in the 21st century, that the infrastructure is being destroyed, houses are being destroyed, that families are left without housing, that people are dying… it is scary.

It is a horror that we as Chileans do not have it in our DNA. In this sense, I have learned, my body has learned a new fear, a fear that was felt in the environment, everywhere, in the expressions of all the people with whom I had to work and interview; the fear of being exterminated. This is very horrible, and for that very reason it made me feel extraordinary pride in the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people.

Of course, the infrastructure and houses were also collapsing in Chile, but that was due to the earthquakes, not the lack of intelligence of the person in power. In Chile, we have adapted to this and started using stronger building materials, this helps to protect the structures from destruction, because earthquakes are something we are used to.

However, I was very struck by the lightness and the truly flammable nature of a large part of the construction materials used in Irpin, which was a factor that obviously greatly helped the fires caused by the Russian attacks to spread more widely.

Returning to the question, what is happening to you is scary, but the way Ukrainians are resisting it is extremely inspiring. You have shown and continue to show an example to the whole world. You have something to be proud of.

How did you get to the architects’ forum in Irpin?

I was contacted by the Irpin authorities through the United Nations Global Marketplace and invited to join a team of international consultants to develop a plan for the reconstruction of Irpin.

At one stage, it was an online job, and then I received a formal invitation from the City of Irpin to start the work on the ground and visit Irpin. I got support from an educational foundation to pay for a trip to Ukraine, and I flew to meet with the professional team of Irpin.

What is your mission in Ukraine, in Irpin?

My team is tasked with developing the design and economic support for the construction of the Memorial to the Civilian Victims of Irpin and Bucha, the new library and cultural center of the Union of Writers and Poets of Irpin, the reconstruction of the Irpin public library, as well as helping with the General Development Plan for the future strategic development of the city of Irpin (based on the current Regulation Plan of Irpin).

Will Irpin manage to rebuild and become attractive for tourists?

This is a very good question. I was lucky to visit Berlin and Warsowa, to see that city, which was destroyed by bombing during the war. And to see how successfully they managed to rebuild it. In some cases, building identical copies of historical buildings, in others – adding new ones.

Regarding your city, here the question should be a little different, because in my opinion, rebuilding your city is quite a simple task, if we are talking about possibilities.

From the tourist point of view, the question should be – how to build. And here we need to refer to the concept of “accessibility” – in your case, accessibility to water, rivers, lakes, forests. You need to pay attention to roads and trails because Irpin still has a lot of unusable paths where you have to walk on dirt. And pay attention to the infrastructure that will allow access to nature.

This is very well illustrated in the hotel I lived in (Skipper – ed). That is, reconstruction is possible and real, but you need to think very carefully about the infrastructure and increase accessibility to your tourist resources – forest and water. And in my opinion, it would also be good to increase the use of wood in the construction of tourist buildings.

What would you advise Ukrainian architects who are embarking on the reconstruction of Ukraine?

First, I would advise you to avoid the construction of high-rise buildings, as a sign of respect for your landscapes, for nature, which is rich in Ukraine. It would also be a good idea to continue that wonderful initiative that you took before the war began – the construction of city parks. Therefore, it would be good to demolish the old Soviet buildings and houses damaged by the war, which cannot be restored, in order to build parks with memorials, playgrounds for children, and green areas in their place.

If we talk about houses, then they should be built not in height, but in extension. Contact with nature is very important for Ukrainians, so new houses, in my opinion, should be built with patios, with areas of nature in the middle of residential complexes.

An idea that I have already proposed for your community, and which the city leaders agreed with, is to build a system of parks in Irpin connected by bicycle routes. This will allow cyclists or people on electric scooters to move around the city without leaving the distance.

I also advised to strengthen your buildings, build stronger structures to protect yourself in the future, and incorporate fireproof systems and materials for its reconstruction

What would you say to the people of Irpin, Ukrainians?

The first thing I would like to say to Ukrainians is that I have no doubt that you will overcome this evil and that you will win. Because there is a big difference between attacking or invading and defending or surviving. I think that the heroism and resilience that you demonstrate is your greatest value and you should protect it.

I would also like to say that these tragedies always have a motive. But even the best magicians and prophets cannot yet predict what consequences all this will lead to in the future. But I am sure that with the passage of time, when you can stop and look back, you will understand the meaning of what happened.

This war has exposed you to the whole world! And the solidarity shown by other countries of the people of Ukraine speaks of how good people you are. Therefore, do not betray your values, carry them to the masses, show them to the world and the world will not leave you alone. We will support and help you. And the fighting spirit you have now can defeat any army.

What would you say to rashists?

Ukraine and Ukrainians evoked great love and support from the whole world. Thanks to you, since 2014 (and with the release of the Netflix film “Winter on Fire” – ed), the world has started to hate Russians Government and his Army even more. We never loved them very much, but now the hatred has become even greater. Putin, by his senseless actions, demonstrates completely and absolutely the basis of his Government and Russian Army identity, that they are very poor in culture (spiritually – ed.).

If we go to the address, then I would separate the Russian government, the Russian army and the population. It seems to me that the majority of the Russian people does not support what is happening in Ukraine. I would recommend to all that great sensible and wise majority of the Russian people, to turn to their own classics, reread “War and Peace” and understand that war in any form can only lead to bad consequences. And now with this terrible situation happening in Ukraine, Russians people have a great opportunity to remove Putin and become a better nation.

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