At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the need for comfortable and safe bomb shelters became acute, which remained neglected and often, unfortunately, unfit for human habitation.

Restoration and arrangement of the shelter on the territory of the Promprilad innovation center. Renovation is part of the “New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk” project. The METALAB team, as project partners, conducted a study of the practices of arranging bomb shelters in the world, as well as the possibilities of modernizing them in peacetime in the absence of a direct military threat.

Architect, member of Urban Curators and METALAB Varvara Yagnysheva collected information about the experiences of countries that created shelters for potential threats or converted bomb shelters from the times of the Second World War, the Cold War or local armed conflicts into art galleries, music halls, restaurants, an underground farm and even hotels and accommodation.

This study summarizes the world experience that Ukraine, and in particular Ivano-Frankivsk, can apply to modernize the approach to the construction, repair and maintenance of existing shelters in accordance with the principles of sustainable construction, universal design and circular economy. And also in order to develop the potential of these spaces in the future and use them for various needs.