BRADLEY WALTERS ARCHITECT

Bradley Walters, University of Florida

EDITOR’S NOTE: This work was presented by Bradley Walters at the 21st Annual Conference of The International Association for the Study of Environment, Space, and Place (IASESP) “(Un)precedented Times?: Reflecting on Global Disasters as Places of Destruction and Spaces for Opportunity” held at Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool UK, 29 April – 1 May 2026. Image: Conference Poster.

We are living in a time of protracted conflict and seemingly forever wars. What is the role of architects and architecture during a time of endless wars?

During the current conflict with Russia, the Oles Honchar Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library in Kherson, Ukraine has been subjected to occupation, looting, fire, gunfire, and direct aerial bombardment. As a major cultural repository sitting at the edge of occupied Ukraine, the library has been an easy and frequent target for the occupying forces. Our team recognized the tremendous loss caused by the war as well as the opportunities for libraries to serve as places of collective memory and national identity. We spent a great deal of time learning about Ukraine, and about Kherson in particular, to try to be as sensitive and responsive as possible to the very real needs of the residents. In addition, we considered myriad issues facing libraries today.

There are few precedents to address working in a time of extended conflict. Conventional wisdom, as articulated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in ICOMOS-ICCROM Guidance on Post-Disaster and Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconstruction (published 2023), begins in the aftermath of cultural trauma or catastrophe. These familiar processes include emergency response and stabilization, documentation of a priori heritage conditions, documentation of the catastrophic events, and recovery planning including extensive community engagement.

Our work, however, has developed while the fog of war is still thick, as the people of this place are continuing to struggle under the weight of a seemingly never-ending conflict. Domicide is taking place daily, and there is no opportunity to wait for a deferred future, free of war. We see in Kherson and Ukraine more broadly a future world not free of conflict but rather immersed in it. How do we live with such trauma? What does it mean to build in such times? How do we respond to these kinds of conditions?

Given the ongoing conflict, the story of the Kherson library is one that continues to be written. Our team was unable to benefit from immersion within the richness of Ukrainian culture, but we have probed some responses to these weighty questions. We have learned a great deal, but we still recognize the inadequacy of our approaches to date. The team was also insulated from the direct horrors of war. As a result, the proposals developed are at best incomplete and partial, contingent on further understanding and input from librarians, community leaders, and neighbors. And while we pursue peace in Ukraine, we recognize the urgent need to advance community even as the bombs continue to fall. It cannot wait. This work aims at developing approaches for living libraries, continuing culture even amid unimaginable human tragedy.

For information about the conference: https://iasesp.org/conferences/

Acknowledgements

Portions of this work were completed through studios in the graduate program of the University of Florida School of Architecture. The work of our students and faculty is developed through a carefully-coordinated curriculum, involving the close collaborations of our faculty and students. The work benefits from many minds and many hands, over many years. Thanks to the students, faculty, and staff of the UF School of Architecture who contribute to the life and vitality of our school, everyday.

Principal Investigator
Bradley Walters, University of Florida

Project Team
Kylie Eubanks, Christopher Fettes, Micah Fitzgerald, Aaron Karr, Colby Marcoux, Juan Miri, Hunter Oropeza, Davison Oser, John Eric Phipps, Tessa Register, Jamilah Roman, Vincent Boone Schroder, Sofia Sousa

External Peer Reviewers
Robert (Skip) Yauger, Senior Vice President, Gresham Smith Architects
Alexander Thomas, Designer, The Beck Group
Mark McGlothlin, UF School of Architecture
Amanda Rutherford, UF School of Architecture

Financial, technical, logistical, and human support for this work was provided by the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning and the UF School of Architecture. Thank you for providing this critical support.