IBA Ukraine






IBA Ukraine is an initiative to establish an International Building Exhibition in Ukraine as a campaign to foster a social-democratic, sustainable and inclusive building culture in Ukraine. IBA Ukraine is conceived as a de-centralised event, collecting innovative and exemplary projects across the country under the umbrella of IBA values and quality criteria. Its projects comprise a broad spectrum of types and scales following the themes comprising the working clusters of the Swiss Network with Ukraine. The IBA concept and organisation will be based in Ukraine, connected to a host organisation, and managed by a Ukrainian-International steering body. 

IBA Ukraine has recently become an official partner of the New European Bauhaus—an initiative launched by the European Commission to promote sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusivity in the built environment.

For more information, see: https://iba-ukraine.org

Who supports the idea to organise IBA Ukraine?

Floris Alkemade, Architect, Former State Architect of the Netherlands, St Oedenrode, The NetherlandsMarc Angélil, agps architecture, Los Angeles, USAOleksandr Anisimov, on behalf New Housing Policy NGO, Kyiv, UkraineAlejandro Aravena and the entire team of Elemental Architectos, Providencia, ChileWiel Arets, Wiel Arets Architects, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsThomas Auer, TU Munich, Transsolar Stuttgart/Munich, GermanyShigeru Ban, Shigeru Ban Architects, Tokio, JapanYaryna Bakhovska, COSMOS in, Lviv, UkraineDonald Bates, LAB Architecture, Melbourne, AustraliaLouis Becker, Henning Larsen Architects, Copenhagen, DenmarkStefan Behnisch, Behnisch Architekten, Stuttgart, GermanyJürgen Bruns Berentelg, emeritus CEO HafenCity Hamburg, GermanyChristine Binswanger, Herzog & de Meuron, Basle, SwitzerlandPeter Bishop, Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London, UKXavier Blaringham, KCAP, Zurich, SwitzerlandStefano Boeri, Stefano Boeri Architetti, Milan, ItalyMicheal Braum, director of IBA Heidelberg, Berlin/Heidelberg, GermanyJürgen Bruns Berentelg, former CEO of Hafencity, Hamburg, GermanyRicky Burdett, LSE Cities, London, UKMarianne Burkhalter, burkhalter sumi, Zurich, SwitzerlandJoan Busquets, GSD Harvard University, BAU, Barcelona, SpainJulian Chaplinsky, AVR development, Lviv, UkraineMykola Chepelev, National Union of Architects of Ukraine, Odesa, UkraineBohdan Cherkes, Lviv Polythecnic National University, Lviv, UkraineMichael Cholod, Peer Social Foundation and the Peace Coalition, Vancouver/Kyiv, Canada/UkraineJakub Cigler, Jakub Cigler Architekti, Prague, Czech RepublicJo Coenen, Joe Coenen Architects & Urbanists, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsTomáš Ctibor, 4ct s.r.o, Prague, Czech RepublicXaveer De Geyter, XDGA, Brussels/Paris, Belgium/FranceDoris Grondke, Counselor of the city of Kiel, GermanyPierre de Meuron, Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, SwitzerlandJulien De Smedt, JDS Architects, Brussels/Copenhagen, Belgium/DenmarkNatalie De Vries, MVRD Architects, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsOleg Drozdov, Drozdov&Partners, Kharkiv School for Architecture, Ro3kvit, Kharkiv, Ukraine Jakob Dunkl, querkraft architekten zt gmbh, Vienna, AustriaFrédéric Duvingage, Eurodistrict Trinational de Bâle, Village-Neuf, FranceWerner Durth, Urban Sociologist, em Prof. TU Darmstadt, GermanyBarbara Ettinger-Brinckmann, ANP, Kassel, GermanyKristin Feireiss and Hans-Jürgen Commerell, AEDES, Berlin, GermanyChristof Felger, David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin, GermanyStefan Gabi, SLR Consulting Limited, Frankfurt, GermanyAndreas Garkisch, TU Weimar, O3 Architects, Munich, GermanyManuelle Gautrand, Manuelle Gautrand & Associés, Paris, FranceKaye Geipel, architecture critic, em. Chief Editor of Bauwelt, Berlin, GermanyAnnette Gigon, Gigon Guyer Architekten, ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandChristophe Girot, em Prof. ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandUndine Giseke, BGMR Landscape Architects, Member of IBA Heidelberg, Kuratorium Berlin, GermanyGIZ / Integrated Urban Development in Ukraine II, Ukraine/GermanyTadej Glazar, Prof. University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaSarah Graham, agps architecture, Zurich / Santa Ynez, Switzerland / USAMike Guyer, Gigon Guyer Architekten, Prof. ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandTigran Haas, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SwedenBalz Halter, CEO Halter AG, Zurich, SwitzerlandPeter Head, Former partner Arup, Chair of Resilient Brokers, London, UKDirk Hebel. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, GermanyFlorian Hertweck, University of Luxembourg, LuxembourgAndreas Hofer, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, AustriaFrancine Houben, Mecanoo, Delft, The NetherlandsLouisa Hutton, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, Berlin, GermanySerhii Ilchenko, Studiia Ilchenka, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts, Kharkiv, UkraineKrzysztof Ingarden, Ingarden & Ewy, Kraków, PolandBjarke Ingels, BIG CPH, Valby, Copenhagen, DenmarkPetra Kahlfeldt, State Secretary for Building of the City of Berlin, GermanyMarian Kardash, on behalf Contest, Lviv, UkraineJan Kasl, Česká komora architektů, Prague, Czech RepublicRegine Keller, Uniola Landscape Architects, Dean Architecture Department, TU Munich, GermanyBernard Khoury, Bernard Khoury / Dw5, Beirut, LebanonEtan Kimmel, Kimmel Eshkolot Architects, Tel Aviv, IsraelAndreas Kleinau, CEO HafenCity Hamburg, GermanyOlga Kleytman, SBM Studio, NGO "Through the War", Kharkiv, UkraineMattias Kohler, Gramazio-Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandMichal Kohout, UNIT architekti, Prague, TU Prague, Czech RepublicOleksandr Kolesnikov, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts, JSC Nice-Project, Kharkiv, UkraineOleksandr Korotkykh, Agency of Spatial Development, Vinnytsia, UkraineNazar Kovalenko, on behalf of Municipal Enterprise "Institute of Urban Development", Vinnytsia, UkraineKateryna Kozlova, Dnipro, Ukraine Anouk Kuitenbrouwer, KCAP, Zurich, SwitzerlandVittorio Lampugnani, Baukontor Architekten, em Prof. ETH Zurich, Zurich/Milano, Switzerland/ItalyDieter Läpple, HafenCity University Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyChristopher Lee, Serie Architects, London, Singapore, Mumbai, UK/India/SingaporeRegine Leibinger, Barkow Leibinger Architekten, Berlin, GermanyHilde Leon, em Prof. TU Hannover, Leon Wohlhage Architekten, Berlin, GermanyMaria Lezzi, Director federal agency for spatial planning, Bern, SwitzerlandDaniel + Nina Libeskind, Studio Libeskind, New York, USARegula Lüscher, former State Secretary for Building of the City of Berlin, Die Stadtmacherin, Winterthur/Berlin, Switzerland/GermanyDominique Lyon, Dominique Lyon Architectes, Paris, FranceWiny Maas, MVRDV Architects, TU Delft, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsRainer Mahlamäki, Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, Helsinki, FinlandVolkwin Marg, gmp Generalplanungsgesellschaft mbH, Aachen, GermanySebastian Marot, EPFL Lausanne, Paris, FranceAriella Masboungi, Ateliers Projets Urbaines, Ministry of Urbanism, Paris, FranceIryna Matsevko, Kharkiv School of Architecture, Kharkiv, UkraineRaul Mehrotra, architect, Dean Harvard GSD, Cambridge, USAPhilipp Meuser, Meuser Architekten GmbH/DOM publishers, Berlin, GermanyPhilip Misselwitz, TU Berlin, founder of Bauhaus Earth, Berlin, GermanyLudovica Molo, WE Architects Lugano, president of the Federation of Swiss Architects, Lugano, SwitzerlandElli Mosayebi, ETH Zurich, Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin Architekten AG, Zurich, SwitzerlandRomea Muryń, Locument, Ziemia, Vutbr FA, Warsaw/Porto, Poland/PortugalJuergen Odszuck, Vice Mayor City of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, GermanyOsamu Okamura, Technical University Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicHenk Ovink, Special Envoy for Water Affairs, Dutch Government, The Hague, The NetherlandsMaria Pashenko, Pashenko Works, Kyiv/London/Brussels, Ukraine/UK/BelgiumCarme Pigem, RCR Arquitectes, Olot, SpainDmytro Reifschneider + Olena Dzhula-Reifschneider, Reifschneider Bureau, Khmelnytskyi, UkraineMartin Rein-Cano, Topotek 1 Landscape Architects, Berlin, GermanyIan Ritchie, Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd, London, UKSaskia Sassen, Columbia University, New York, USAMatthias Sauerbruch, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, Berlin, GermanyRuth Schagemann, Vice Versa Architects, Stuttgart, president of Architects Council of Europe (ACE), GermanyGerhard Schmitt, em Prof. ETH Zurich, em director Future Cities Lab Singapore, Zurich/Singapore, Switzerland/SingaporeUte Maria Schneider, KCAP, Zurich, SwitzerlandAlexander Shevchenko, ReStart Ukraine NGO, Kyiv, UkraineValentina Shulimborska, Architect, coordinator of Ro3kvit, Kyiv, UkraineWalter Siebel, em Prof. Urban Sociology University of Oldenburg, GermanyBrinda Somaya, Somaya & Kalappa Consultants, Mumbai, IndiaDmyro Sorokevych + Kris Badzyan, replus bureau, Lviv, UkraineLaurent Stalder, ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandLudek Sykora, Charles University, Prague, Czech RepublicGeorgeen Theodoor, NJIT Newark, partner Interboro, New York, USAHubert Trammer, member of the New European Bauhaus Round Table, Warsaw/Lubin, PolandKristina Ullmanova, Prague Institute of Planning and Development, Prague, Czech RepublicJakob van Rijs, TU Berlin, MVRDV, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsJuhana Vartiainen, Mayor of Helsinki, FinlandStepan Valouch, OVA - opočenský valouch architekti, Prague, Czech RepublicFrancesco Veenstra, State Architect of the Netherlands, The Hague, The NetherlandsEls and Derman Verbakel Architects, Tel Aviv, Head Architecture Faculty Belazel University, Jerusalem, IsraelIvan Verbytskyi, on behalf of CEDOS Think Tank, Kyiv, Ukraine Paola Vigano, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland, Studio 023, Milan, ItalyJörn Walter, former City Architect of Hamburg, GermanyAriane Widmer, Cantonal Planning Director Geneva, SwitzerlandRiken Yamamoto, Riken Yamamoto, Yokohama City, Japan


Attention: spatial planning



The cluster attention: spatial planning has to its goal supporting Ukrainian local and regional governments in introducing innovative and collaborative planning methods tailored to tackle the combined challenges of prolonged planning reforms and impacts of the war. Drawing experiences from the Swiss culture of test planning and a participative procedure in the city of Vinnytsia in 2018, this working group is currently active in setting up the test planning method’s broader introduction in Ukraine, with pilot projects underway in Lviv and Vinnytsia.
Photo by Janmaat Fotografie

Photo by Janmaat Fotografie

Photo by Daniel Kiss

Photo by Daniel Kiss

Housing



Switzerland offers various modular wooden residential construction systems. Specifically, emergency tiny houses, envisioned by firms like Huber and Uffer and funded through crowdfunding verein-ukraine-hilfe, are currently being built in Ukraine, with more than 80 units already completed across the country. The cluster is engaged in a comprehensive exploration of how modular wooden construction can be refined to create affordable housing suitable for urban contexts, serving both as emergency shelters and permanent accommodation. This ambitious endeavor unites the aforementioned firms, collaborating with architects and urban designers from KCAP, along with researchers from the Digital Fabrication at D-ARCH of ETH Zurich. The overarching goal is to pioneer the construction of rapid, sustainable, innovative, and enduring housing ensembles in Ukrainian cities undergoing reconstruction and growth.












Refurbishment and Material Supply



Cluster members are actively engaged in the transformation and revitalization of vacant public buildings, converting them into emergency shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). An exemplary project within this cluster is the CO-HATY initiative by the Ukrainian NGO Metalab in Ivano-Frankivsk. This remarkable endeavor closely collaborates with local governments and an extensive network of agencies, successfully offering shelter to over 1300 individuals through the revitalization of six structures. Additionally, organisations like Re-Win contribute by dispatching refurbished materials, especially windows, from renovation projects to support Ukraine. The ongoing collaboration within this cluster aspires to evolve beyond providing emergency housing for IDPs into establishing an innovative and affordable long-term residency housing initiative.




Capacity Building and Education


Capacity building and education occur on many levels and are coordinated with schools, municipalities, or platforms like Ro3kvit. An interesting initiative is led by Professor Thomas Rohner from Bern University of Applied Sciences—School of Architecture, Wood, and Civil Engineering in Biel. He established a CAS (Certificate of Advanced Studies) Program named CAS Rebuild Ukraine, where Ukrainian women with a background or professional affinity in the construction sector are trained in sustainable rebuilding, circular economy, energy efficiency, damage assessment, supply chain planning, water, and electricity management. Additionally, various courses, based in different institutes of ETH Zurich, are taking place in collaboration with Ukrainian educational, research, and government institutions to exchange knowledge and enrich capacities for a more resilient future reconstruction of Ukraine.



Mapping Ukraine



Mapping Ukraine (MU) is a virtual platform initiated at the ETH Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry which aims to provide independent, open and intuitive access to verified, comprehensive, geo-referenced information on the impact of war on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Images, videos, 3D models, publicly available data as well as geographic information provided by volunteers are automatically collected, verified, tagged, integrated and made available on the platform. This information constitutes the spatio-temporal evidence and a register of damage to be used by professionals such as researchers, engineers, journalists, and the broad public.

The alpha version of the platform demonstrates its use and versatility through a variety of thematically- and geographically-organised cases. It shows how the platform can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as documentation of property damage, supporting a resource-efficient and sustainable reconstruction, and providing information necessary to claim compensation for the war damage and destruction. 

The platform is not yet public at this time.




Ukrainian Community and Culture




Various network members are actively participating in organizing a diverse range of events aimed at promoting awareness of Ukrainian culture and fostering discussions on the current war, with a focus on the values inherent in Ukrainian heritage. One notable initiative comes from Ukrainian architects and planners, currently residing in Switzerland, who have established a platform known as the 2402forum. This platform serves as a foundation for organizing Community & Culture activities, providing them with a sense of home and a space to shape their vision for their stay and future. The 2402forum plays a central role in this initiative, actively engaging in cultural resistance against Russian military aggression. Notably, on February 24 (24.02), the 2402forum launched a nomadic film and discussion series titled "On Films, Discussions, and Ukraine." The series unfolded at various locations in Zurich, hosting 19 discussions that explored the intersection between culture and the realities of life during wartime.
In addition to the 2402forum, the Ukrainian Association of Students and Academics in Zurich (UASAZ) was founded in 2022 with the goal of fostering the development of the Ukrainian academic community, promoting Ukrainian culture in Switzerland, and organizing diverse activities centered around Ukraine. UASAZ aims to bring together like-minded individuals interested in Ukraine by organizing educational, cultural, charitable, recreational, and networking events. The association also utilizes various information channels to disseminate crucial information within the community, amplifying the voices of Ukrainian students and academics in Switzerland.












Agriculture and Energy

Ukrainian scientists, presently affiliated with ETH Zurich, are actively involved in research on the war’s impacts on agriculture and energy sectors. Some focus on assessing farmland and ecosystem impacts in North-Eastern Ukraine post the Russian invasion, others analyze Ukrainian agriculture during war, considering consequences, policies, and future directions. Research extends to mapping Ukraine's energy system, evaluating war impacts, and exploring green energy potential. Concurrently, scientists explore innovative paths, including concrete recycling for postwar reconstruction. Leveraging ETH’s infrastructure, they collaborate with Ukrainian research, educational, and governmental entities, fostering international partnerships. These multifaceted projects aim to provide insightful studies and sustainable development pathways for Ukraine’s future through collaborative efforts.