Kharkiv, the second most populous city in Ukraine, is among the urban areas most affected by the war and has been the target of intense shelling over the last weeks. Despite these hugely challenging circumstances, Kharkiv is looking ahead and planning for its future.
As part of the new concept Masterplan for Kharkiv developed under the UN4UkrainianCities initiative led by UNECE, the Norman Foster Foundation, in collaboration with Kharkiv City Council, Arup, and a group of local and international professionals, is launching an international competition to reimagine the heart of the city and create a new landmark.
Through the UN4UkrainianCities initiative, UNECE has been supporting the city of Kharkiv and the government of Ukraine since the start of the war against Ukraine to build back better and to address housing challenges.
The competition invites innovative design solutions for two key components: the iconic Regional Administration Building, which was heavily damaged in March 2022, and the public realm of the adjacent Freedom Square.
Freedom Square has long served as a central venue for public gatherings and cultural events in Kharkiv. However, despite its historical importance, the square's current design and huge scale – approximately 115,000 square metres – have resulted in a lack of human-centric interaction, rendering it underutilized in the daily life of the city. The challenge now lies in transforming this space into a hub of activity that resonates with the people of Kharkiv.
The proposals should take a holistic approach that envisions a vibrant, prosperous future while enhancing Kharkiv’s historical significance and urban identity.
Participants will be tasked with developing concept-level design proposals. After the winners are announced 13 December 2024, the selected proposals will have the opportunity to be further refined into detailed designs for construction.
The competition presents a unique opportunity to contribute to the revitalization of Kharkiv’s city centre, harmonizing respect for its rich heritage with a vision for the future.
This builds on the strong interest in designing solutions to Kharkiv’s damaged modular housing through a separate competition launched as part of the UN4UkrainianCities initiative in May 2024, which has received over 450 submissions.
The UN4UkrainianCities initiative has supported the development and operationalization of the vision master plans for the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv following the establishment of dedicated interagency Task Forces and partnerships with international architects, in cooperation with local and national architects and stakeholders, since 2022.
Details on the competition are available at Norman Foster Foundation Kharkiv Freedom Square Revival International architecture competition (architecturecompetitions.com)
Photo credit: Kharkiv City Council