Given Lviv’s historical scarcity of water bodies, Duck’s Lake introduces a new urban typology for the city: its first Business Waterfront. Commissioned by developer Asgard, the 40,000 m² development transforms a previously neglected urban site into a mixed-use ecosystem where business, public life and nature operate as one interconnected environment.
The existing lake became the organising core of the masterplan rather than a landscape feature surrounding the architecture. A continuous waterfront promenade and pedestrian network connect office and coworking spaces with retail, restaurants, healthcare, education and cultural functions, including a Science Museum and business school. Vehicular traffic and parking are largely moved underground, allowing the ground level to remain focused on pedestrians, public space and direct interaction with the water.
A defining challenge was the site’s complex karst geology, which had left the territory largely unsuitable for development for decades. A programme of 180 penetration tests was used to create a detailed digital model of the subsurface conditions, allowing structural loads and building heights to be precisely optimised. Engineering constraints therefore became an active generator of the architectural solution rather than a limitation imposed upon it.
Long-term adaptability is embedded in the buildings through a universal 3.8-metre structural grid. Based on the Long Life — Loose Fit principle, the system allows spaces initially designed for Grade A offices to be adapted to residential or medical uses without fundamental structural reconstruction. The same grid establishes a shared architectural rhythm across the development while allowing individual buildings to retain their own identity.
Following the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the project was further adapted around resilience and civil protection. Reinforced concrete protected zones based on the MAMAD principle were integrated directly into the cores of the buildings, providing immediate access from every floor, while underground parking levels were designed to function as civil-protection shelters. Safety thus became part of the everyday architectural structure rather than an additional layer introduced afterwards.
The landscape operates as environmental infrastructure as well as public space. Permeable surfaces and a Sustainable Drainage System manage stormwater, with filtered rainwater directed back into the lake. Together with the car-free waterfront, barrier-free pedestrian routes and mixed programme, these strategies transform a former urban grey zone into an adaptable, resilient and publicly accessible destination for Lviv.
Developer: Asgard
Architecture: ARKHO Group
