- Project: Cube Building
- Architect: ArchObraz
- Location: Ukraine, Dnipro
- Year: 2024
- Area: 2500 m2
- Photography: Andrey Avdeenko
A Seamless Integration of Modernity and History
Standing at the heart of Dnipro, the Cube Building by ArchObraz reflects the city’s transformation — a careful balance of heritage and modern progress. Designed by Oleksii Obraztsov and his team, this 2,500-square-meter project is more than a new structure; it’s an architectural dialogue between past and present.
With its refined cubic geometry, minimalist language, and contextual sensitivity, the building emerges as a symbol of Dnipro’s evolving identity, integrating contemporary design within the historic urban fabric while upholding the city’s architectural legacy.
Design Philosophy: A Dialogue Between Past and Future
At its core, the Cube Building seeks to honor Dnipro’s architectural memory while envisioning a future defined by clarity, structure, and community.
Its 20-meter cubic volume fits seamlessly within the historic scale of its surroundings. The façade, measuring 20 by 20 meters, features carefully proportioned window openings that echo the rhythm and diversity of neighboring historical buildings.
By maintaining a clean, orthogonal silhouette, the design achieves timeless simplicity, bridging local tradition with modernist restraint. The solid end walls of the structure were purposefully left blank to allow for future urban expansion, demonstrating both foresight and adaptability within the city’s developing landscape.
A Multifunctional Ground Level for Urban Interaction
The Cube Building’s ground floor serves as an active urban interface, thoughtfully designed to enhance community engagement and pedestrian activity.
A broad sidewalk wraps around the perimeter, integrating organized parking, pedestrian pathways, and green zones in compliance with municipal urban design standards.
The main façade opens toward a potential summer café terrace, envisioned as a vibrant public hub that connects the architecture to daily urban life.
This integration of functional and social layers reflects ArchObraz’s broader commitment to human-centered urban architecture — spaces that invite interaction, comfort, and continuity.
Materiality: Crafting Continuity Through Contrast
Material selection plays a key role in mediating the relationship between old and new. The Cube Building’s façade is clad in dark brown brick, whose earthy tone complements the white silicate brick of the adjacent Soviet-era residential buildings.
This material dialogue reinforces the building’s sensitivity to context — its darker tone grounding it visually, while subtle brickwork variations introduce texture and shadow.
The architectural language pays homage to Dnipro’s industrial past, referencing traditional red clay masonry found throughout the city, but reinterpreted through a minimalist, contemporary lens.
Architecture in the Time of Conflict
The Cube Building reached completion during one of the most turbulent moments in modern Ukrainian history — the onset of the Russian invasion in 2022.
Despite the challenges, the project became a symbol of resilience for Dnipro’s citizens.
During frequent power outages, the building’s staircases served as vital circulation spaces and communal connections between floors. In this context, ArchObraz infused art into daily life: stairwells were adorned with illustrations by Andriy Vorkola, taken from his book 26 Samov and One Blue Kitten. These artworks transformed moments of necessity into moments of reflection — uplifting morale and turning architecture into a canvas of hope.
Symbolism and Urban Identity
Beyond its physical form, the Cube Building stands as a metaphor for Dnipro’s resilience and renewal. Its geometric clarity mirrors stability, while its functional adaptability represents the city’s forward-looking spirit.
Every design decision — from the modular proportions to the tactile brick surfaces — reflects a respect for continuity, context, and community.
Through deliberate restraint and thoughtful composition, ArchObraz demonstrates that contemporary architecture can coexist with history, not by imitation but by interpretation. The Cube Building thus becomes a narrative of transformation, embodying the essence of modern Ukrainian architecture: pragmatic, poetic, and profoundly human.
Conclusion
The Cube Building by ArchObraz encapsulates the architectural journey of modern Ukraine — a blend of precision, endurance, and optimism.
It not only redefines how new architecture interacts with historical surroundings but also stands as a symbol of Dnipro’s cultural strength amid adversity.
Through simplicity, proportion, and purpose, the Cube Building affirms that architecture has the power to heal, connect, and inspire, even in times of uncertainty.
