Sofiia Halat, a PhD student and engineer at the Department of Theory of Architecture and Architectural Design at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (KNUCA), works on projects focused on inclusivity and psychological rehabilitation. The architect collaborates with international organizations on the restoration of villages in the Mykolaiv region. Sofiia and her colleagues conduct academic research on the use of sustainable technologies in the reconstruction of Ukraine. They create urban planning maps of affected settlements. 

The architect speaks about her hometown of Mykolaiv. She shares memories of missile strikes and the destruction suffered by her home and school. She feels the “wounds” of buildings as personal losses. The death of her close friend, Yevhenii Kovalenko, who was killed during a missile strike in Vinnytsia, was especially painful for her.