Building back better: Sustainable architecture in Ukraine
With expertise in architecture and a passion for sustainability, Anna Pomazanna returned from Germany to Ukraine in 2022. She now leads innovative projects and trains the next generation of architects, contributing to the country’s rebuilding amid the ongoing war.
Steckbrief
- Name:
Anna Pomazanna
- Education:
Bachelor and Master’s degree in Architecture
- Professional Background:
Architect; lecturer and curator in urban planning and architectural typologies; project manager and researcher
- Place of Assignment:
NGO Materia Lab (formerly Circular Laboratory), Lviv, Ukraine
- Duration of assignment:
September 2022 - Present
My main motivation was to use my skills and knowledge to create something meaningful and help people in my country during the war (…). I felt that architecture and city planning could help people in the places destroyed by the war.
Anna Pomazanna studied architecture in Ukraine and Germany, completing her Master’s at the Technical University of Berlin. She then gained professional experience at the Berlin-based architecture studio Kleihues+Kleihues, where she contributed to commercial and cultural projects, including several prize-winning entries in international competitions. Her experience in Germany provided the expertise she now applies to Ukraine’s recovery.
When Anna returned to Ukraine, she first worked as a lecturer at the Kharkiv National University of Construction and Architecture. Since March 2025, Anna has been a project manager and researcher at the NGO Materia Lab, where her work focuses on bio- and geo-based materials for Ukraine’s recovery. She emphasises the broader impact of her work: “I am now focusing on research and the materiality of the built environment, as this is key to making architecture genuinely environmentally friendly. My goal is to create architecture that restores nature rather than harms it.” She believes that education can multiply this impact. By teaching students and young professionals, Anna trains a new generation of architects dedicated to sustainable and responsible rebuilding.
At Materia Lab, Anna manages the organisation’s ongoing projects, with a particular focus on “Grunt”, an initiative that develops earth-based materials from soil polluted by military activity. She also leads efforts to identify new projects and secure funding. One of the team’s pilot initiatives, a pavilion in Lviv built from compressed earth blocks, showcases sustainable construction methods. Through workshops, outreach and collaboration with Ukrainian and German experts, Anna promotes eco-friendly materials and advances a “green recovery” for Ukraine’s architecture and building industry.
For Anna, returning to Ukraine was both exciting and demanding. After six years in Berlin, she faced the challenge of rebuilding her life in a new city and adapting to an entirely different working environment, amid the uncertainties of wartime. “I felt excited to start a new job and be back in my home country,” she recalls, “but there was also a lot of pressure in working in a completely new environment and taking on new tasks.” Support from colleagues and friends in Lviv helped her settle in and she credits the GIZ special offer "Returning Experts for Ukraine's Recovery" for providing stability through financial assistance and training opportunities.
I believe it is crucial to support people who are willing to contribute their skills to Ukraine in these difficult times. (…) However, the work that has the most urgent and lasting impact is often not well paid, and the fear of being unable to meet basic needs, such as paying rent, prevents many from returning.
Further information on the offers available to the Ukrainian diaspora can be found below.