We are delighted to announce that ‘Healing Kharkiv: From rubble to renewal’, a collaborative proposal from Cundall and Gensler, has won first prize in the Norman Foster Foundation’s Kharkiv Housing Challenge. The success of this submission is also attributed to Pashenko Architects, Neo-Eco, Never Such Innocence, Andrii Hirniak and Renderek, who all collaborated with us on the project.
The challenge sought to find solutions for rebuilding the housing and public spaces in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, which has been severely damaged by the ongoing conflict. What was key to the success of this proposal was working alongside companies and people who were in Ukraine and had a lived experience in the conflict-ridden area. In doing so, the people of Kharkiv were integral to the design proposal.
Glenn Wilson, Senior Associate at Gensler, notes: “It was a privilege to design a solution for rebuilding and repairing communities in Ukraine. This was realised through our collaboration with Ukrainian design and construction consultants. Our collective aim was to enrich the lives of those living close to the front line and give them hope for the future.”
Understanding local needs allowed the team to propose impactful design interventions such as material reuse to form concrete prefabricated modular systems, rainwater collection, green space preservation, and passive energy efficiency solutions.
“A key theme that emerged early on was that the needs of the community will change over time from an immediate need of safety and protection, through healing and recovery to a future in which the occupants can thrive. This idea runs as a thread throughout all components of the scheme,” comments Andrew Jackson, Partner at Cundall.
The proposal envisages that the rebuilding of Kharkiv will embody healing, resilience, and community empowerment. It will stimulate social cohesion, emotional recovery, and a strong sense of identity.
The judges highlighted the importance of community in the proposal. Ammar Azzouz, Research Fellow, University of Oxford, explained: “This project moves beyond material reconstruction. It puts at its heart questions of belonging, identity, healing, and social cohesion. These aspects have been reflected in the design of the welcoming public space, and the emphasis on repair of damaged buildings, rather than erasure and demolition.”
Cundall and Gensler would like to express their thanks to the collaborators.
The €10,000 prize money will be used to support further charitable work on rebuilding Ukraine.
