Ukrainian Catholic University
Location
17 Svientsitskoho St, Lviv
Status
finished
Total area
7 422 м2
Start of pre-design phase
2015
Start of construction
2023
End of construction
2025
Services:
- collection of initial data
- concept
- pre-design works
- general design
- author's supervision
Some buildings do not merely preserve history—they continue it.
The Ukrainian Catholic University building at 17 Ilariona Svientsitskoho Street is one such address. This site remembers different eras of Lviv: interwar educational architecture, the Soviet period, the revival of the Lviv Theological Academy in the 1990s, and the establishment of the modern UCU.
Built in 1924–1926 according to the design of Lviv architect Władysław Derdacki, the building originally served as the King Casimir the Great 8th Gymnasium. During the Soviet period, it housed Secondary School No. 14, and in the mid-1990s, the building was transferred to the Lviv Theological Academy. It was from this very address that one of the most important chapters in the history of the modern Ukrainian Catholic University began.
The architecture of the building retains features of late Art Nouveau: a monumental four-story volume, plastered brick facades, three avant-corpses on the main facade, a central triangular pediment, and a high hipped roof with dormers and red tiles. Adjacent to the building is also a chapel with an apse and a figurative relief on the southern facade.
Over time, the university began actively developing new spaces in the park campus. Against this backdrop, the historic building on Svientsitskoho Street gradually became less active, overshadowed by new scenarios of university life. The goal of the project was to restore this building’s full role within the UCU structure—transforming it into a modern, comfortable, and multifunctional building with its own charisma and appeal for both university programs and external events.
We viewed this project not as a simple renovation of an individual building, but as a delicate continuation of its history. It was essential to preserve the historic context, character, and scale of the building while adapting it to the modern needs of an international university and the city.
To fully adapt the building to its new functions, the project provides for the construction of multifunctional spaces in the inner courtyard. These will house a student dining hall, a cafe, spaces for learning and leisure, a conference hall, and additional classrooms. This solution allows for expanding the building’s capabilities without interfering with its historical structure.
The inner courtyard itself became one of the key points of transformation. Previously, it functioned more as a technical and secondary area. In the new scenario, the courtyard becomes a full-fledged part of university life—a place for meetings, relaxation, studying, informal communication, and further site development.
The new extensions are arranged between the risalits of the courtyard facade with a set-back from their walls. These set-backs form shadowed niches and emphasize the dominance of the historic volume. Modern architecture does not obscure or imitate the historic one; instead, it acts as a delicate, transparent layer between the past and the present.
Volumetric Composition
Facade Articulation
Highlighting with shadow seams
Revealing the Silhouette
Ground Floor Setback
Final Volumetric Solution
The facades of the extensions are designed using translucent light-transmitting structures. They maintain visual connection with the historic facade of the building, while glass—as a neutral contemporary material—highlights the monumentality of the historic risalits. As a result, the new spaces interact more actively with the inner courtyard: activities in the classrooms, dining hall, and public areas become visible from the courtyard, and vice versa.
This transparency carries not only aesthetic but also social significance. It helps activate the space, making it more open and vibrant. What was previously concealed inside the building now engages in a dialogue with the courtyard: studying, socializing, movement, breaks between classes, and the daily rhythm of university life.
To make these extensions possible, the existing attached boiler house will be dismantled, replaced by a new standalone boiler house facility with auxiliary technical premises. This allows for streamlining the site’s functional structure and freeing up the inner courtyard for new public use scenarios.
before
after
An equally important part of the work was researching the building itself. Before introducing new functions, the team worked with its history, character, and surviving elements. For a building that has shifted roles for nearly a century—from a gymnasium to a university space—restoration was not about reverting to a single frozen moment in time. Instead, it became a thoughtful engagement with the layers of history.
As part of the restoration program, the historic facade was preserved and restored, lost stucco elements were reconstructed, and surviving authentic interior details were meticulously restored. The facades, cornices, roof, and historical interior features shape not only the architectural value of the building, but also its distinct voice.
In parallel with the restoration work, the project rethought the building’s internal logic. The spaces were streamlined, the authentic layout of the rooms was restored, and the number of classrooms was increased. The new additions in the inner courtyard made it possible to incorporate a spacious dining hall, a cafe, a conference room, and extra classrooms without disrupting the historic structure of the building.
Thus, the building gained modern functionality without losing its identity. The modernization addressed not only functional needs but also the quality of daily use: convenient circulation routes, accessibility for people with reduced mobility, intuitive navigation, flexible spaces, as well as areas for studying, waiting, meeting, and taking breaks between classes.
Ground floor
First floor
Second floor
Third floor
Forth floor
General view
One of the fundamental changes was accessibility. Historic university buildings often retain their beauty and character, but remain challenging for daily use by people with diverse needs. As part of the project, an elevator was installed in the building, allowing students, faculty, and visitors with reduced mobility to move freely between floors and access classrooms and public spaces without barriers.
Landscaping was another key component of the project. The area within the site boundaries was redeveloped with respect for the historical character of the surroundings. A pedestrian green zone, free of cars, was established along the northeastern facade—creating a space for UCU students, staff, and visitors to relax.
In the inner courtyard, an outdoor terrace adjacent to the dining hall, bicycle parking, and green recreational areas were introduced. As a result, the courtyard ceased to be merely a space between walls. It became an integral part of daily university life—a place to have lunch, meet after lectures, work quietly, or simply step away for a few minutes from the intense rhythm of the academic day.
The project on Svientsitskoho Street was not an attempt to make the historic building “new.” Its true value lay elsewhere—in helping it become relevant and vital once again.
To preserve memory without turning it into a museum. To add modern functions without erasing its character. To open the building to a new chapter of university life while retaining the sense of place where an important chapter of UCU’s history began.
