Restoring Homes and Hope: The Housing Competition

If the Heritage Competition spoke to Kharkiv’s civic soul, the Housing Competition addressed its most immediate human need: restoring safe, livable homes for its citizens. North Saltivka, the most populous and heavily damaged neighborhood in the city, became the focus of this challenge.

The brief called for modular and scalable design systems that could retrofit Soviet-era concrete panel housing blocks, rebuild those that were lost, and revitalize the surrounding public space. The response was overwhelming, 259 submissions from 232 international and 27 national participants, all eager to contribute to Ukraine’s recovery.

The winning entry came titled “Healing Kahrkiv: from Rubble to Renewal” was designed by Cundall Company, Andrew James Jackson from the United Kingdom. The concept stood out for its humane approach, retaining elements of the original structures while introducing new, energy-efficient modules and shared public areas. The design offered not only physical reconstruction but also social cohesion and resilience.

The second prize was awarded to Zigeng Wang from China, and the third went to a group of students from Yıldız Technical University in Turkey. Honorable mentions were granted to entries from the United States, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and the United Kingdom, showcasing innovative strategies that combined housing renewal with thoughtful urban integration.