In response to the conflict in Ukraine, in 2022, Ihor Terekhov, the Mayor of Kharkiv, asked Norman Foster to lead the masterplan for the city’s reconstruction. The Norman Foster Foundation convened the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Arup to form a core group, led by the Foundation, to spearhead the development of the master plan.
As part of this initiative, the Kharkiv Housing Challenge was launched as an international architectural competition in May 2024, aiming to enhance housing and residential neighborhoods in the city. The competition drew 259 entries from 53 countries, including 27 submissions from Ukraine. The Norman Foster Foundation, in collaboration with the Kharkiv City Council, UNECE, Arup, and the Kharkivproject Institute, has just announced the winners.
Kharkiv was the first city in Ukraine to initiate planning for its reconstruction. The master plan’s goal is to serve as a ‘blueprint’ for rebuilding other Ukrainian cities. Embracing a bottom-up approach, the concept incorporates the citizens’ requests, strategic insights from local architects, urban planners, and transport engineers, and the vision of the broader Kharkiv City Council. This blend of local guidance and expertise from top international specialists culminated in a pilot project addressing five key areas: heritage, rivers, industry, housing, and a new science neighborhood.
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Read on to discover the winners of the competition, along with brief descriptions of their proposals. After this phase, selected teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with key stakeholders to further develop the scheme.
Healing Kharkiv: From Rubble to Renewal’ / Andrew James Jackson (United Kingdom)
1st Prize Winner
The proposal uses locally sourced concrete and materials from destroyed structures to reinforce existing residential buildings. It integrates alternative evacuation routes, new elevators, enhanced thermal insulation, and additional living areas such as winter gardens and terraces. In new low-rise constructions, modular blocks offer design flexibility. Additionally, public spaces are redesigned to include underground shelters and rainwater collection systems, all while preserving the existing green areas.
‘Blooming Towards The Sun’ / Zigeng Wang (China)
2nd Prize Winner
The project aims to address two major losses: the destruction of homes and the decline in agricultural production. To tackle these issues, the proposal includes a restoration of the building volume with a self-supporting structural frame. Combined with a renovated façade, this frame provides additional spaces hosting vertical gardens, planting balconies, and community spaces. With this system, the proposal offers different interventions based on the damage sustained by the building.
‘Modus Vita’ / Melek Serra Saral, Oleksandr Kinash, Didem Arman, Elif Ilgi (Turkey)
3rd Prize Winner
Developed in collaboration with the Yıldız Technical University, the project proposes an adaptable modular system that can infill and replace the damaged sections of housing structures. The adaptable system can also be used to create various ground-level structures for community needs, including children’s play areas, sports courts, or bus stops. The project also includes a system of underground shelters constructed with high-strength concrete panels to serve as protective areas during wartime and public amenities such as cinemas during peacetime.
Chaired by Norman Foster, President of the Norman Foster Foundation in Madrid, Spain, the panel included Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv; Ammar Azzouz, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford; Olga Demianenko, Advisor to the Mayor of Kharkiv on International Relations; Farshid Moussavi, Director of Farshid Moussavi Architecture in London; Yurii Spasov, Head of the Kharkivproject Institute; Stuart Smith, Director of Arup Berlin; Anna Soave, Head of Country Programme at UN-Habitat in Azerbaijan; and Belinda Tato, Professor at Harvard GSD and Founding Partner of Ecosistema Urbano in Madrid. Their diverse perspectives and expertise ensured a comprehensive evaluation process, ultimately contributing to a vision that supports Kharkiv’s path toward sustainable and resilient urban development.