Architect Elena Zabunova was born in 1951 in Ceadîr-Lunga, a town in the south of Moldova, near the border with Ukraine. Between 1968 and 1973, she studied architecture at Chişinău Polytechnic Institute. Her Bachelor thesis was awarded a diploma at the national competition of student works. Upon graduating, she proceeded to work at Moldgiprostroy in Chişinău, moving to Chişinăugorproekt two years later. Between 1980 and 1989, Zabunova was the head of architects’ group and head architect of projects at Chişinăugorproekt. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zabunova worked at a private architecture office, where she became the director in 1998. In 2000, she founded her own office, Architecture Institute, heading it until her death in 2012.

Zabunova authored multiple projects in Moldova’s capital, among them residential, public, and cultural buildings. She participated in the design of the iconic “Camomile” tower in Chişinău (project architect Oleg Vronsky). Inspired by Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City in Chicago, the 22-strorey, circular-plan tower was finished in 1986. In independent Moldova, she designed private residences, churches, and commercial spaces.