Lessons in History, the Phoenix and Circular Architecture

History repeats itself, with lessons for all of us. A recent exhibit in Warsaw, Poland, reminds us of the legend of the phoenix. The tale reveals that this immortal bird died by fire, only to be reborn again out of the ashes. After World War II, Warsaw was, quite literally, in ashes throughout many areas of the city. Today, cities in Ukraine are in ashes, suffering from Russia’s invasion and extended bombing.

The Museum of Warsaw’s exhibition provides examples of how after the war, people reused or repurposed the rubble to create new buildings. They take pride in their city’s allusions to the phoenix. The hope for this exhibition is, in part, a sharing of the techniques and ideas that might inspire the Ukrainian people to do the same once Russia is forced to end their inexcusable war.

Earlier posts in this space have shared examples of sustainable building practices and repurposing building materials salvaged from the careful demolition of an older building.

The Warsaw exhibit provides examples of early sustainable architecture.

Photos and exhibits show how mass numbers of bricks were salvaged from the Warsaw rubble and repurposed for use in new buildings. Also, rather than hauling away all the remaining piles of crumbled stone and rock, much of it was recycled and crushed to create a new building material mixed with concrete for use in reconstruction efforts.

According to a piece in the Guardian, by Shaun Walker (9/2/23) about the Warsaw exhibit:

“Warsaw was subjected to a planned programme of destruction by German forces in late 1944, as retribution for the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi rule earlier that year. Several neighbourhoods were razed to the ground, with 84% of the buildings on the left bank of the Vistula River destroyed.

When people began trickling back to the city in early 1945, they found a landscape of mounds of bricks and craters.”

It is no secret that Russia has needlessly bombed nonmilitary civilian areas, like city centers, apartment buildings, hospitals and children’s schools as a form of retribution for Ukraine’s defiance of their invasion. A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report stated that: “According to UN estimates, around 90 percent of high-rise residential buildings and about 60 percent of private houses in Mariupol were destroyed or damaged during the siege of the city, which Russia occupied in May 2022.”

Much rebuilding will be needed.

Care will need to be taken when sifting through Ukraine’s rubble because of the hazards contained in modern building materials. Just as the US used asbestos and lead, those contaminants are found in Ukrainian building materials. Recycling will take that into consideration.

It is hoped that this circular architecture concept will help Ukraine rebuild. We can all learn from it.