A former school located in Stavyshche, central Ukraine, is being transformed into a shelter with 42 homes for families displaced by Russia’s invasion.
Called Dvir, the 1,900-sq-m building will have studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, including accessible ones for those with disabilities.
The building will have 200 sq m of common areas, children’s play areas and gathering spaces.
It has been designed by Italian and Swiss architect Office for Future on behalf of charity, Housing for IDP.
The school will be crowned with a newly built timber roof with 800 sq m of photovoltaic panelling.
A central courtyard which was once fully paved will be converted into a permeable green space, with existing asphalt acting as pedestrian pathways through the new garden.
Speaking to GCR, Paolo Russo, Office for Future’s founder, said: “From the very beginning of the design process, we tried to identify the limitations imposed by the existing building and integrate them with the objectives we had established together with the client.
“The building itself did not present any particularly critical issues, and we were able to minimise interventions to the existing internal layout. This was one of the main goals from the outset, together with introducing a modular external structure, maximising the usable floor area in order to accommodate as many families as possible while still providing durable, high-quality living spaces, and optimising the available surfaces for photovoltaic panels and on-site energy production.”
In a press release, Russo continued: “We asked ourselves how this place could best welcome people who have experienced the trauma of losing their homes.
“We wanted a new community to be born here, capable of integrating into the broader community of Stavyshche. We worked on a building that is already a landmark for the citizens, a former school that is part of their memory.
“Our goal was twofold: to guarantee high-quality private living spaces for the new residents and, at the same time, to offer the city meeting places where the two communities can get to know each other and experience shared moments, transforming the architectural project into a true social project.”
The project is due to be completed by 2028.
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