RE:UKRAINE HOUSING | balbek bureau

According to the UN, more than 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. These are 3.5 million refugees who have had to go abroad in search of safety, and 6.5 million internally displaced persons who have found refuge elsewhere inside Ukraine. Some of these people have been forced to relocate for the second time in eight years since Russia annexed Crimea and temporarily occupied regions in East Ukraine.

balbek bureau has developed the RE:Ukraine Housing temporary accommodation system for IDPs. The main task we have set ourselves is to maintain a decent lifestyle for temporarily displaced Ukrainians. It is possible to take away one’s house, but never one’s dignity.

We analyzed the experience worldwide in the development, construction and maintenance of temporary settlements. Therefore, we have developed a flexible system that can be adapted to different types of terrain and settlement density.

Since time plays against us, the system is designed to be implemented in a short timeframe. Families who have spent several weeks sheltering in school gyms and metro stations need to find homes as soon as possible, even if those homes are temporary.

RE:Ukraine Housing module has four modifications:

- residential (private rooms with different planning options);

- kitchen (communal space for cooking);

- sanitary (bathrooms, laundry, baby care room);

- public (common recreation area).

The modules, regardless of layout, have the same area (6.6 m x 3.3 m) and are grouped into self-sufficient residential sections. For the basic comfort of the residents, each section has at least one bathroom, kitchen, and a common space for relaxation and socialization.

Residential sections are grouped into full-fledged neighborhoods with playgrounds and green areas. If necessary, the quarter can be scaled to the size of a town, which can comfortably accommodate more than 8,000 people.

For the module’s construction, we propose to use a wood-frame system. 

According to the RE:Ukraine Housing system, the target place of construction of the towns are regions of Ukraine where there is no active fire. However, provided there is space and funding, the settlement can be constructed abroad as well.