MODERNIST APPROACH IN THE ARCHITECTURE AND LIFE OF NATALIA CHMUTINA (To the 110th birthday anniversary)

Abstract

The article reveals the essence of the modernist approach to the design of architectural objects based on examples of facilities built under the leadership of Natalia Chmutina, head of the experimental design sector at the Kyiv Zonal Research and Design Institute (KyivZNDIEP), professor of National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. A new powerful wave of the search for the identity of Ukrainian architecture is actualized in connection with Russia’s aggression. The considered projects are: Hotel “Dnipro” (1957), the first in Ukraine multi-story frame-panel building made of precast reinforced concrete with hinged facades; experimental hotel “Tarasova Gora” in Kanev (1962); “Pereval” tourist base on the Veretsky Pass in the Carpathians (1965–1966); Hotel “Tourist” in Cherkasy (1965–1970); experimental indoor market in Cherkasy (1965–1970); Hotel “Lybid” (1965–1970); “Furniture house” in Kyiv (1967–1970). The criteria for the assessment and historical value of Soviet modernism/postmodernism buildings are highlighted to help preserve monuments close to us in terms of the time of their creation. Gender issues in architectural activity are regarded from the first historically recorded official mentions of women architects to the problems of today. The case of Chmutina shows the path of a successful female architect who managed to persevere and stand first in many issues thanks to her iron will, perseverance, and hard work. Gender inequality complicates the professional growth of female architects but does not make it impossible. Today’s women have much more opportunities to realize their professional ambitions than fifty or a hundred years ago. And at any time, the profession of an architect requires full dedication to one’s work and a lot of talent from both women and men.