Belarus: Lyubov Usova

Born in 1921 in Irkutsk, Union Soviet Social Republics (USSR, modern day Russia), Lyubov Usova was a Russian-born Belarusian architect who participated in the restoration efforts after World War II. She held a diploma in architecture from the Moscow Institute of Architecture in Moscow (1947). After graduation, she worked for the Minskproekt Institute, a state design institution; her work focused on reconstruction efforts in Minsk, Belarus. Her career earned recognition from the Belarusian State Archives of Scientific and Technical Documentation, which organized an exhibition of archival materials to celebrate the her 100th birthday (2021). The Belarusian State Archives of Scientific and Technical Documentation also featured her work in the virtual exhibition “Family Business in the World of Architecture” (2023). Usova was awarded diplomas from the Supreme Council of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR), certificates of honor and diplomas from the Minskproekt Institute, and recognition from the Union of Architects of the USSR and the BSSR. She died in 2015 in Minsk.