As the walls of the international community begin to cave in on Vladimir Putin and his acolytes in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more prominent architecture and design firms have joined the effort to isolate Moscow from the rest of the world economically. 

The past 24 hours saw the addition of David Chipperfield and Zaha Hadid Architects to the list of practices that includes BIG, UNStudio, MVRDV, Herzog & de Meuron, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Foster + Partners in either refusing to continue work on ongoing projects or issuing statements of solidarity which have resounded across the professional design world.

“As a practice, we are affected twofold. Our projects in Ukraine have sadly been put on hold by the atrocities,” began the statement published Monday by MVRDV. “Right after the start of the invasion, we began contacting our Ukrainian friends and partners in support, and we try to remain in touch. They are brave, and they are experiencing incredible hardship. We have stopped our Russian projects, even though this means we have to stop collaborating with people we have known for years and who are dedicated to bringing a more collaborative international outlook to Russia.” MVDRV had previously been pursuing a Constructivist-inspired tower block in central Moscow.

"Given the invasion of Ukraine, and with the full understanding and support of our clients, David Chipperfield Architects has decided to suspend all work in Russia," the studio's contribution read. "We condemn the actions of Putin and the Russian government and stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its people. As a practice, we believe in dialogue, openness, and engagement; values that are directly opposed to the ongoing war. We call for an immediate end to this human tragedy and our thoughts are with the innocent victims of this unjustified action." The firm had been working on a restoration of the historic Central Telegraph building located in Moscow.

Amsterdam-based UNStudio added its own commentary, stating that, as an office, they are "deeply saddened" by the events and currently "considering how best to handle this situation and are assessing the impact it has on our staff and projects in both countries." The firm had been planning a residential complex for Moscow in addition to their long-awaited overhaul of the Sochi waterfront that was until last week being overseen by UNStudio. 

The list of recent Zaha Hadid Architects projects in Russia includes Moscow sites like the Sberbank Technopark, Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye 'smart city', and the new Klenoviy Bulvar 2 Metro Station as well as the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg. "[...] we are deeply shocked and saddened by the conflict in Ukraine and have placed our two ongoing projects in Russia on hold," a ZHA spokesperson shared in a statement.

Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron expressed in their statement, "the violent actions of Putin and the Russian government are against every value we hold as an international, collaborative practice." With projects like the "horizontal skyscraper," a redevelopment project in Moscow, the firm shared their practice has also decided to suspend work on Russian projects in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and "the citizens of Russia who reject this violent takeover."

Foster + Partners joined the appeal rather late with a March 4 tweet that stated: "We deplore the Russian invasion of Ukraine and as a result we have stopped work on all our projects in Russia."

New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro, whose Zaryadye Park design in Moscow won an international competition in 2013 and opened to the public four years later, announced on social media that the team was "horrified by Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, especially the indiscriminate destruction of civilian areas," adding their hope to "converge expertise from the architecture community in support of international agencies and local governments as they provide emergency housing for the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the war."

While BIG is not currently engaged in any projects in Russia, their comments express unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty, democracy, human rights, and territorial integrity.

Other prominent arts organizations, artists, and fashion designers have joined ranks with the International Union of Architects and the Royal Institue of British Architects in condemning the Kremlin’s actions. 

International architecture competitions organizer Bee Breeders has also stepped in, stating that they will be removing Russia from the list of eligible countries and says no new participants from Russia will be allowed to enter their competitions until further notice.

The question of whether international development within Russia will ever fully return after this has also come to the fore. Archinect is monitoring the situation closely and will share any further updates as they become available.

Editor's Note, March 4, 2022: This article has been updated to include the statements from Herzog & de Meuron, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Foster + Partners.