Prosp. Chervonoi Kalyny, 109 – Zubra-Center Public and Shopping Center

The public and shopping center building forms the core of the microdistrict number 22 that belongs to the town planning complex of Sykhiv-III. In accordance with the step-by-step service system that was applied in the complex project of the residential district of Sykhiv, both primary service institutions, which meet the needs of the microdistrict center, and occasional and periodic service institutions, which meet the requirements of the town planning complex center, were envisaged to be arranged in the building. The project documentation was completed in 1990; the building was put in service in 1994.

The public and shopping center was built under an individual project drawn up by a group of architects (Vasyl Kamenshchyk, Anatoliy Vashchak, Yevheniya Minkova). Some parts of the building were designed with the participation of V. P. Marieva (‘A’ and ‘C’ blocks) and V. B. Piashko (‘B’ block) as well as constructors Y. M. Tsapov, M. N. Yatsyshynets, L. M. Pashko, V. A. Kulykovskyi. The project was ordered by the Administration of Capital Construction of the Lviv city executive committee. The public and shopping center building was constructed in the southern part of the residential district where the main transport artery of the district, Chervonoi Kalyny Boulevard, comes to an end; it has become an active public center. The public center complex consists of the Zubra-Center public and shopping center itself and of extensions adjoining residential buildings that are also constructed under individual designs. The public and shopping center complex, together with residential 9-story (84-Л series) and 15-story buildings with extensions, which fulfill public functions, and the school building, forms an ensemble of the main public space in the microdistrict and in the town planning complex of Sykhiv-III, all this due to spatial and functional organization, proportionality and common motives applied.

Functionally and spatially the building of the public center is divided into three blocks, ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’, forming an interior service yard with two entrances from the southern and eastern sides. The entrances are arranged between the ‘A’ and ‘C’ blocks and ‘C’ and ‘B’ blocks respectively.

The ‘A’ block is the main part of the construction which occupies a half of the area outlined by its contour; it consists of three stories and a basement. According to the project, the following facilities were envisaged there: a supermarket with a commercial area of 469.4 sq. m., a department store with a commercial area of 237.04 sq. m., a 52-seat cafeteria, a distributing center, a pharmacy with a commercial area of 29.5 sq. m., a housing office, a 6-job knitted wear sewing and repair workshop. A lift shaft was also envisaged. The total area of the ‘A’ block premises is 4,063.87 sq. m.

Compositionally, the ‘A’ block consists of a single one-story volume and a three-story square in plan volume adjoined to it. Close to the vertical communication unit a double-height space is arranged. The main entrance to the building is accentuated by two enlarged segmental arches and a pent visor from the western side. The ground floor premises can be entered from the three exterior façades, including the gallery; the technical premises are accessed from the interior yard.

The ‘B’ block forms a grocery store. It has one story and a basement; its building area is 755.3 sq. m. The main entrance is made from the north; the additional entrances are from the eastern side and from the interior yard.

The ‘C’ block was to consist of a recyclable materials collection center, a laundry and housing office workshops. This block has two stories and a basement; its total area is 995.5 sq. m. The main entrances here are from the east and from the south; the additional entrances are from the interior yard.

Virtually on the whole perimeter, some parts of the eastern façade excluded, the volume of the building’s ground floor is encircled by a gallery with an arcade of semicircular arches.

The building has prefabricated strip foundations. The ground floor walls are made of M-100 brick; partitions are made of hollow brick. The brickwork of the first and second floors walls is made of red brick. The exterior walls surfaces are faced with lime sand brick. The interior walls were to be decorated with white artificial marble slabs, covered with plaster, distempered and painted with water-based and oil paints. The lower part of the walls or partitions was to be decorated with oil-painted panels, plaster or glazed tiles. The ceilings were to be covered with lime plaster, water-based and glue coating. For the floors in various premises the following materials were used: mosaic concrete slabs, concrete slabs, linoleum, ceramic tile.

The façade was decorated with cream-colored and dark brown terrazite plaster and faced with lime sand brick. Also Marseille tile was used. Some elements of the aluminium window blocks and the exterior entrance doors were anodized in imitation of bronze. The gallery arches and bedplates were covered with white paint mixture. The wooden elements of the exterior entrance blocks were painted with white oil paint; the wooden elements of the exterior entrance doors and the interior yard gate were painted with grey oil paint.

The building was given the second grade of fire resistance.

Today, the building is used as a shopping center. The list of its functions has changed and been expanded substantially. In the rearranged ‘A’ block premises, there are a household chemicals shop, a grocery, a second-hand wear shop, a jewelery shop, a building materials shop, a tourist agency, pharmacies, a hairdressing salon, a billiard club, a sauna, a hotel, a pawnshop, a notarial office, Lviv municipal services, an internet-café, a restaurant. In the ‘B’ block one can find household appliances repair shops, workshops, a children’s goods shop, a computer club, a grocery, a few cafés, a photoshop. In the ‘C’ block, there are a police station, English courses, an insurance company, banquet rooms, a sauna, cafés.

These functional changes have made their impact on the building appearance. The façades are overloaded with various signs and banners. Functionally, the boundaries of the shopping and services center have expanded to include the neighbouring territory as a lot of the so-called small architectural forms intended for commerce and spontaneous points of sale have appeared there. Under such conditions, it is rather difficult to appraise the original ensemble of the public center space. In the daytime, the activity of this space is provided by public transport as the last stop of over ten bus routes and a trolleybus route is situated here.

The building can be considered to belong to the late modernist style. Though the construction was built after Ukraine became independent, it is a part of the complex project of Sykhiv-III planning district drawn up in the mid-1980s, just like the draft design of the public and shopping center.