Ukraine well represented in top EU architecture award with 11 nominated projects

11 Ukrainian projects were nominated for the prestigious EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award, according to the website of the award.

Ukrainian architectural studio Balbek Bureau was nominated for the MOT project, or Module of Temporality.

MOT is a temporary cultural space built from 27 shipping containers that can be disassembled, transported and reassembled in less than 10 days.

A multimedia exhibition was held here, where the works of 28 artists from 10 countries were presented. The project started in Kyiv in February 2023 and has since traveled around three cities of Ukraine. The "Module of Temporality" is an attempt to capture the fluidity of life and time in art, according to the studio.

Among the Ukrainian nominees is also the "Reitarske Kolo" gastromarket. It is located in the cylindrical building of the former Polyclinic "Union of Writers" on Reitarska Street in central Kyiv. The building was restored by Emil Dervish's team.

Also, three Ukrainian projects for internally displaced persons were included in the longlist of the architectural award:

• CO-HATY is a pilot project to adapt a free dormitory into housing for IDPs.

At the end of March 2022, the METALAB team, together with the "Second House IF" volunteer initiative, renovated the university's dormitory, which had been empty for the past five years.

Within the scope of the project, 24 rooms, as well as common areas, were renovated and furnished. These spaces contained four kitchens, a dining room, a children's room, bathrooms, a laundry room, a co-working space and an entrance area.

"CO-HATY serves as an example of an urban design studio adapting to a crisis, providing emergency housing while upholding key housing rights principles for marginalized internally displaced communities," says the award's website.

• 13 detached family houses for IDPs by District #1 and architect Oleksandr Petrenko.

These are 13 private residential buildings for displaced persons in the de-occupied village of Stariy Bykiv, Chernihiv Oblast.

"This construction was more than just bricks and mortar; it was about: breathing life into the village in post-war devastation, achieving this on a shoestring budget, in fact, within traditional temporary module plastic house costs, and infusing the village with fresh energy and skills," the description to the project reads.

• Temporary housing for refugees "Unbroken Mothers" by Sulyk Architects.

The complex is located in a quiet area of Lviv. Two building, which are mirror images of each other, are united by a common yard. The space between the houses was turned into a park with a playground, sports facilities, footpaths and a lake.

Two-story houses have a mirror layout structure with a total area of 1,300 square meters. Each building has 13 rooms and can comfortably accommodate from 26 to 52 people.

According to the authors, the project aimed not only to facilitate the integration of new residents into the urban environment, but also to foresee the adaptation of these buildings for communal needs in the future, when the function of temporary housing will lose its relevance.

Other nominees include:

• Residential complex "Club Town 12" in Ivano-Frankivsk by GaidART and Atelier Architecture+;
• a shopping and office center on Petrushevych Square in Lviv by Andriy Asanov architecture & design studio;
• dwelling house "Baltiyska Hall" in Lviv by Sheremeta Architect Group;
• Residential complex "Katerinoslavskyi" in Dnipro by Filimonov & Kashirina Architects;
• administrative services center in Nova Kakhovka from Anna Kyrii Architectural Projecting Group;
• Fayna Town residential complex (stage 5) from the KAN BUD & Archimatika company.

The European Union Award for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award – is given every two years by the European Union and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation to recognize and reward the quality of architectural works in Europe.

The prize has been awarded since 1988 for "conceptual, social, cultural and technical excellence".