Between Tradition and Innovation: The Search for Modern Architectural Forms and Structures in the Design of Wooden Churches

Western Ukraine is known for its numerous examples of historic sacral wooden architecture, referred to as “tserkvas” in Ukrainian. In the Halychyna region alone, more than 1,100 wooden tserkvas are listed in government registers. Other regions have an approximately equal number. 16 of these are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, some as joint trans-border nominations of Ukraine and Poland. This historic heritage attests to a long tradition of wooden architecture in the region. Although architectural historians distinguish five primary stylistic groupings that have developed over time, all the groupings share a similar structural approach - horizontal wooden log construction. It would seem that with such a stable historical building tradition in place, and a bountiful supply of timber, the construction of new wooden tserkvas would continue indefinitely. However, that has not been the case. Very few new tserkvas have been built, and all of them have adhered to traditional construction methods. Lately, a perception has formed that the traditional horizontal log construction method has contributed to a lack of innovation and stylistic development in this notable architectural heritage. In light of that, a new initiative was formed with faculty from Vienna Technical University, to research new wooden materials and structural techniques that would permit a design evolution of contemporary tserkvas. An additional goal was to ensure a sustainable, environmentally sympathetic approach, much like the tserkvas of the past.