Faced with a stark, orthogonal layout, the design team introduced a series of overlapping sheer curtains in slightly rounded tracks that softly envelop the reception and the adjacent classroom. The white curtains are harmoniously paired with microcement flooring and concrete ceilings in grey tones, creating an immersive environment. In the reception, a cast-in-concrete reception desk stands out against the smooth surfaces thanks to its jagged form and rugged textures, with a curvaceous sofa-bench serving as a sculptural counterpoint.

In the classroom, the use of sheer curtains serves to conceal auxiliary spaces like wash counters and storage shelving, while a flexible lighting setup enhances the space’s versatility. Bespoke wooden lockers, custom-designed by the team including the numbering and key tags, and white mosaic tiling in the adjacent shower rooms inspired by the modernist aesthetics of public bathrooms, add to the project’s minimalist elegance.

Constructed during the ongoing war, the designers had to contend with frequent electricity blackouts and limited resources – sourcing materials from abroad was a no-go, for example. “When we initiated the project, there was virtually nothing available,” the practice’s founder and lead designer Natalie Dubrovska explains. “We literally pieced the project together from leftovers we found around Kyiv.” From the custom-designed sofa in the reception lounge, which is upholstered in a Gobelin fabric from the 1970s that the team painstakingly unearthed after scavenging numerous second-hand stores and fabric warehouses, to the sculptural side tables crafted from leftover stone chunks, every element has a story behind it.

The artful reuse of found materials is a testament to Dubrovska Studio’s creativity and resourcefulness, as well as its sustainability-focused ethos, and also serves as a poignant reminder of the country’s resilience in the face of Russia’s aggressions.