Countries across Europe's former Eastern Bloc are grappling with how to handle the architectural legacy of the communist era, leading to innovative adaptive reuse projects that breathe new life into Soviet-era structures. Six recent transformation projects demonstrate how contemporary designers are successfully converting these buildings into vibrant cultural spaces while respecting their historical significance.
In Kazakhstan, British designer Asif Khan has transformed a Soviet-era cinema in Almaty into the expansive Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture. The renovation includes galleries, workshops, office spaces, and a rooftop restaurant. Khan added an undulating facade that he describes as "a cloud-like threshold, softening the rigidity and control of the Soviet concrete frame," creating a striking contrast between old and new architectural elements.
Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv recently welcomed the reopening of Pavilion 13, a Soviet-era exhibition hall originally built for coal-mining industry events but abandoned for more than two decades. Ukrainian architecture studio Forma carefully preserved and repaired the building's original structure while updating it for contemporary use. Studio partners Iryna Miroshnykova and Oleksii Petrov explained their approach: "We see our experience as a case study in how to engage with modernist architectural heritage without erasing its character or forcing it into a new mold."
In Tbilisi, Georgia, Chinese architecture studio Neri & Hu converted the former central post office into the 239-room Telegraph Hotel. The building stands as one of the Georgian capital's most prominent Soviet-era structures, and the renovation preserved its distinctive stone facade while adding street-level glazing to give passersby glimpses into the hotel's public spaces. Notably, just a few streets away sits another converted Soviet building, the Stamba Hotel, which now occupies what was once the printing house of Georgia's first communist newspaper.
Kazakhstan features another remarkable transformation in Almaty, where local practice NAAW Studio converted a 1950s housing block for Soviet railway workers into the Fika restaurant. NAAW co-founder Elvira Bakubayeva explained their thoughtful approach: "We wanted to ensure that the interior did not romanticize the legacy of the colonial era, but at the same time did not deny it." The design retained the original ceiling moldings in their dilapidated state without full restoration, and employed a traditional Soviet technique of half-painting walls while adding playful, clashing patterns.
Beyond the former USSR borders, Albania's Pyramid of Tirana represents one of the most dramatic transformations. Originally opened in 1988 as a museum honoring communist dictator Enver Hoxha, the building had deteriorated into a ruin that local youth would climb and slide down. Dutch architecture studio MVRDV and IRI Architecture converted it into a cultural hub, adding steps across the building's roof while preserving a section that can still function as a slide—a nod to its symbolic legacy and community use.
In Bucharest, Romania, local designers Anda Zota and Muromuro Studio created Bar Ton, a listening bar located on the ground floor of a communist-era apartment block. Viewing the building as "a landmark of Romanian modernism," they preserved as much original fabric as possible, including terrazzo floors and concrete pillars, while introducing warmth through carefully designed lighting. A folding mechanical glass wall was added to the facade to open the space to the street, creating better connectivity with the urban environment.
These projects collectively demonstrate how contemporary architects and designers are finding creative solutions to honor the architectural heritage of the communist era while adapting these structures for modern cultural and commercial uses. Rather than demolishing or ignoring these buildings, the adaptive reuse approach preserves historical significance while meeting contemporary needs, showing a path forward for similar structures throughout Eastern Europe.
