FORMOGRAFIA

RESEARCH & DESIGN

DESIGN AS A SYSTEM,
SPACE AS A NARRATIVE

Our studio works at the intersection of spatial, object, and graphic design, collaborating with businesses, communities, NGOs, and government agencies to create meaningful projects.

Rooted in urban, historical, and cultural contexts, our work carefully integrates preservation with contemporary design. From public spaces and exhibitions to visual identities, we see design as a transformative tool where aesthetics, functionality, and social impact converge.

We embrace digital craftsmanship, computational design, and modern manufacturing at our workshops to push the boundaries of efficiency and expression. Prioritizing versatility and sustainability, we develop adaptive and multifunctional solutions often using recycled and locally sourced materials.

For us, design is more than function—it is a political act, a catalyst for change, and a means of strengthening communities.

OUR STORY

The studio was founded in 2013 by Roman and Kos, shortly after graduating from the Faculty of Architecture. In response to the education crisis in Ukraine, we established Ostriv—a research platform in design that combined a FabLab workshop, an educational initiative, and a local cultural center in Chokolivka, Kyiv, at KNUBA. Our early projects focused on interactive installations that encouraged collective engagement, shaping new practices for public spaces. Over the next three years, we collaborated with local activists in Eastern Ukraine through the City Code program, developing public spaces and forming our approach as practicing architects.

As we grew, our focus expanded to urban revitalization and community-driven projects. We participated in and won competitions aimed at improving cities, launched the revitalization of the Elektrovymiruvach plant in Zhytomyr, where we helped create an ecosystem that integrated various players, spaces, and processes—going beyond traditional architectural practice. Committed to knowledge sharing, we organized the School of Object Design, hosted regular Constructions of Interaction School, published books, and recorded lectures.

With the full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine, we shifted our efforts to urgent infrastructural needs. Drawing on previous experience with BUR-mobile, we designed Tolocar—a network of mobile workshops supporting reconstruction efforts. We explored the potential of migration to rural areas, repaired and improved shelters, and enhanced living conditions with safety infographics and tactical medicine instructions. Currently, we are preparing methodological recommendations for shelter design and working on scaling up the Ostriv_Lab workshops to continue our mission of design as a tool for transformation.