Olha Shvidenko

Architect, researcher

Kharkiv, Ukraine

Derzhprom is the heart of Kharkiv.

Biography

Derzhprom is the heart of Kharkiv. The building impresses by its monumental look, indeed reminding “artificial mountain”, as it was called by journalists at a time when Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. So let us introduce you to the researcher of this object and a scientific consultant of our website, Olha Shvydenko.

Olha grew up in the prominent “House of Chamomiles”, designed by architect Ginzburg. That is the building where many musicians of the Kharkiv Philharmonic used to live and the Kharkiv artist Vachagan Norazyan had a studio. Therefore, her future path was determined – Arts’ Lyceum, and then the Faculty of Architecture.

During student years, she discovered that the cultural movement was not only records and pictures of far-off cities in some substantial books about art, but also the life around: a colors water fountain and a light painting studio in the House of Pioneers, rock jam sessions in her neighbor's flat and a theatrical performance just for one spectator by the older brother of her friend, the beauty of Kharkiv revenue houses and the search for the best city landscapes. Then she started sharing this knowledge with the people around her, and this led her to establishing the School of Tourist Guides and developing a package of architectural heritage tours.

Scientific research has begun with Tyts readings events; Olha spoke about Oleksiy Tyts – an architect, scientist, artist, photographer, archivist and author of an architectural history textbook that all architects of the Soviet Union learned from. And this extraordinary person worked at the university where Olha studied, and lived almost next door to her, so the report about him struck Olha’s colleagues. This gave impetus to her first scientific research works.

After graduating from the university, she began seeking her own way in architecture through a job in an international company that brought to the Ukrainian market a new glass facade technology. Then she moved to the architectural firm “Nice Project”, whose staff were all creative and committed to the Kharkiv development. While searching for the modern city look, discussing the personal role of the architect or learning about the communication process in urban planning, Olha has gathered experience for further work in the field of heritage preservation.

The Derzhprom has become a real scientific challenge for Olha. The first close acquaintance with this building took place when she searched the former Prombank's hall, pictured on a historical photo. Together with the head of the Derzhprom repair team, Olha walked around all big halls of the building, but there were any hints of its existence. But after counting the columns on the photo, she was able to find the alleged location of this interior. Confirmation of this hypothesis was found only 10 years later.

After defending her thesis, Olga has started working on a project of inclusion of Derzhprom into the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Publications

  1. Историография и иконография Госпрома // Традиції та новації у вищій архітектурно-художній освіті / під загальною редакцією Н. Є. Трегуб.  Х.: ХДАДМ, 2005. №6. С. 96-101.
  2. Историческая топография застройки ансамбля площади Свободы в г. Харькове //
  3. Науковий вісник будівництва: Зб. наук. праць. Вип. 39. Х.: ХДТУБА ХОТВ АБУ.  2006. С. 21-24.
  4. Конкурс на создание Дома государственной промышленности в Харькове в контексте развития архитектуры 1920-х годов // Вісник Харківської державної академії дизайну і мистецтв: Зб. наук. пр./За ред. Даниленка В. Я. Харків: ХДАДМ, 2008. №13. С. 135 - 150.
  5. Уникальные черты Дома госпромышленности в Харькове // Науковий вісник будівництва: Зб. наук. праць. - Вип. 50. - Х.: ХДТУБА ХОТВ АБУ. - 2008. - С. 12-15.
  6. Госпром в контексте мировой архитектуры [Текст] : дис. ... канд. архитектуры : 18.00.01. Харьк. гос. техн. ун-т стр-ва и архитектуры. Х., 2009. 241 л. : табл., рис.
  7. Сравнительный анализ административных зданий 1920-х – 1930-х годов как критерий номинации Госпрома в Список всемирного наследия //The comparative analysis of 1920-1930th office buildings as a part of the nomination form of Gosprom on the World Heritage List // Український архітектурний авангард: вивчення та охорона: Тези міжнародн. Конференції 1-3 лют. 2012 р. м. Харків (Препринт)- Харьков: Раритети України, 2012. С.53-54.
  8. Пам’ятка архітектури Будинок державної промисловості у Харкові як об’єкт туризму // Праці науково-дослідного інституту пам’яткоохоронних досліджень / Випуск 7. – К.: Фенікс, 2012. С. 577 – 586.
  9. Міський парк у м. Харкові як пам’ятка садово-паркового мистецтва // Традиції та новації у вищій архітектурно-художній освіті / під загальною редакцією Н. Є. Трегуб. Х.: ХДАДМ, 2013. №1. С. 171-173.
  10. Внутрішні простори Держпрому: реалізація, зміни, збереження // Комунальне господарство міст. Вип. 116. Х. 2014. С. 55-57. 
  11. Модернистские интерьеры Сергея Саввича Серафимова в Доме государственной промышленности в Харькове // Revista ARTA. №1 (XXVI). Institutul Patrimoniului Cultural al Academiei de Științe a Moldovei, 2017. С. 69-74. 
  12. Будинок Наркомпраці у Харкові, як об’єкт культурного надбання України // Науковий вісник будівництва: Зб. наук. праць. №3 (93). - Х. 2018.  С. 104-109.