In the heart of a city scarred by war, a team of volunteer engineers led by Emmanuel Durand is collaborating with the Italian company Move Solutions to preserve Odesa’s historical monuments through a wireless structural monitoring sensor system.
The initiative combines technological innovation and civic commitment to safeguard cultural heritage in one of Europe’s most fragile contexts.
Following previous collaborations for monitoring the Beirut Silos in Lebanon, partially collapsed after the port explosion in August 2020, and earthquake-damaged buildings near the Syrian border in Turkey in 2023, Move Solutions continues its partnership with Durand in Ukraine as well. In Odesa, bombings and drone attacks have already damaged several historic structures, prompting UNESCO to include the city’s historic center in the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The first monitoring system was installed in September on the bell tower of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (Kirkha), while further installations are planned at key sites such as the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Passage Gallery, and several residential buildings affected by explosions.
Each site is equipped with tiltmeters and accelerometers connected to MyMove, an online platform developed by Move Solutions that collects and displays the acquired data, generating charts, correlations, and sending real-time alerts to support evacuations, rescue operations, and quick decision-making based on concrete information, even when on-site access is limited.
“Continuous monitoring allows us to act before damage becomes irreversible,” explains Emmanuel Durand, who collaborates with the Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. “In these conditions, technology becomes a real form of protection.”
The project also has strong educational value: with the support of Professor Vladislav Demchenko and Architect Sergey Revenko, students from the Academy actively participate in the monitoring activities, gaining hands-on experience with modern tools and methodologies for structural diagnostics.
From Beirut to Odesa, this collaboration demonstrates how digital innovation can be a tangible ally for civil safety and cultural heritage preservation.
Thanks to long-lasting wireless sensors and the MyMove digital platform, Move Solutions enables continuous and reliable monitoring, with real-time alerts that allow timely action and help prevent major damage. Knowledge and technology thus become practical tools of protection, capable of safeguarding what history has built, even in times of war.
For more information, visit: www.movesolutions.it
Source: Move
Pictures’ credits:
First picture – Emmanuel Durand
Second picture – Oleksandr Gimanov
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