Port of Cultures is a competition proposal for a new cultural space in Marioupol, that takes the reference of the port beyond metaphor, to create a physical space that actively fosters the encounter between apparently distant realities.

The building is conceived as a “space between”, a meeting ground that welcomes the intertwining of different histories, testimonies, architectural styles, and uses. The first and most important design operation is to preserve as much as possible of the existing ruin in its current state, including walled windows and exposed brick layers. A new steel space-frame populates the main volume of the building, providing generous column-free and well lit rooms for the contemporary program while scaffolding the existing walls. Carefully selected openings pierce through the old walls to accommodate new spatial arrangements, exposing the overlapping of discordant materials and structural principles.