Norman Foster Foundation Kharkiv Housing Challenge competition 1st prize winners - Cundall, in collaboration with Gensler

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st prize winners of our "Norman Foster Foundation Kharkiv Housing Challenge" competition – Andrew James Jackson and John Edward Badman from United Kingdom!

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

CUNDALL: Cundall is an international multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with over 1,200 staff in 28 locations around the globe. Established in 1976, Cundall’s engineering expertise, coupled with creativity, innovation and a deep-rooted understanding of people and communities, has allowed us to develop the best possible solutions for our clients’ projects for nearly 50 years. Sustainability is integral to our approach. We provide our clients with practical advice and solutions, which reduce the environmental impact of developments, provide better spaces for people and add value for the wider community.

GENSLER: Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm founded in 1965. With 55 locations spanning Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas, our 6,000+ professionals collaborate with clients across more than 100 countries each year. Guided by the mission to create a better world through design, Gensler integrates creativity, innovation, and research to solve complex challenges and improve the human experience. Our One-Firm Firm culture emphasises collaboration, shared values, and diverse perspectives, enabling us to drive positive change in the communities we serve.

NEO-ECO: Neo-Eco Ukraine has years of experience in the circular economy and eco-materials and has been leading a range of sustainable reconstruction and community regeneration projects across Ukraine since May 2022, including in Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk. We have ten team members in Kyiv, Mykolaiv and France, taking a holistic approach to the circular economy, including civic participation and capacity training in our projects.

PASHENKO ARCHITECTS: Pashenko Architects is a leading architectural and engineering practice in Ukraine founded in 1996. With over 50 professionals and main headquarters in Kyiv, the company has successfully delivered numerous projects of various programs and scales across Ukraine and abroad.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

CUNDALL: Cundall’s expertise spans across many disciplines and sectors and we work at all scales, ranging from acoustic surveys to international airports to city wide masterplans and national policy. Some of the projects where we have truly pushed the boundaries of how we work include Eden, New Bailey, the first new build in the UK to achieve a 5.5 NABERS ‘Design Reviewed’ Target Rating and the largest living wall in Europe at 36,000 ft2. Additionally, the Peninsula – London’s first £1bn hotel and 21 Moorfields, Deutsche Bank’s newest headquarters, where our team overcame challenging infrastructure conditions to successfully have a high-specification office development over a London underground station.

GENSLER: Gensler is renowned for its extensive portfolio, encompassing a wide array of practice areas. Our projects span across various sectors including architecture, interior design, urban planning, and strategy. This diversity allows us to address the unique needs of different industries, from corporate offices and retail spaces to educational institutions and healthcare facilities. By leveraging our multidisciplinary expertise, Gensler consistently delivers innovative and tailored solutions that enhance the built environment and meet the evolving demands of our clients.

We prioritise projects that push the boundaries of architecture and challenge conventional ideas about the built environment. One significant endeavor is our Ukrainian Task Force, a team dedicated to rebuilding war-torn cities like Mariupol, Irpin, and Melitopol. This initiative combines our experience in urban resilience, community planning, and sustainable design to aid communities in rebuilding and renewing their environments amid adversity.

NEO-ECO: Some project examples:

Pilot Circularity Project in Hostomel (2022 – 2023)

Neo-Eco Ukraine’s initial circularity pilot project started in Hostomel, the symbolic northern suburb of Kyiv, which showed extraordinary resilience despite massive destruction at the beginning of the invasion.

Dual use bomb shelters for schools, where children are actively involved in the choice of the dual use and make the design/ material choices (2023) Thanks to the UBS Optimus Foundation, Neo-Eco Ukraine and charity Ukraine Resilience worked to improve the living conditions, education and protection of children with the implementation of a “Design of a dual-use shelter created by children” project in Zelenyi Hai (Mykolaiv).

Low-carbon cement demonstrator (Mykolaiv) (2023 – 2027)

Neo-Eco Ukraine in cooperation with Mission East are working on the project "Circular Economy Demonstration of Low Carbon Cement and Green Concrete Production in Ukraine". This project aims to establish a demonstration plant for the production of low-carbon cement and green concrete using recycled materials. Key points include production to be scaled and replicated, with  the circular economy widely prioritized in  rebuilding efforts with 12,750 tons CO2  emission avoided per year.

PASHENKO ARCHITECTS: Housing, offices, shopping malls, renovation of historic heritage buildings, masterplans

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

CUNDALL, Andrew Jackson, Partner: For me, architecture is about hope and optimism. I personally believe that well designed buildings can have a transformative impact upon the lives of the people who experience them. Building designers must approach every new project with the aim of improving on what has gone before.

GENSLER: For Gensler, architecture is a powerful tool for enhancing human experiences. We view architects as leaders in shaping societies and sparking bold solutions that address current and future challenges. Our work goes beyond creating buildings—we reimagine cities and communities, striving to foster equity, resilience, and well-being. Through a people-centric approach, we prioritise sustainable and impactful design, seeing every project as an opportunity to enhance lives, adapt urban environments for the long term, and contribute to the planet's health.

NEO-ECO: Architecture as the shelter of any kind of activity, articulates a space (with given characteristics such as landscape type, climate, geology and so on) with its current and future potential inhabitants (whether human or not). It is the technical response, shaped by the means of time, to a necessity. With respect to the pre-existing conditions, architecture offers an improved spatial appreciation and experience thanks to idealistic and higher engagements such as equality, accessibility, ecology, and freedom. In every society, architecture is simultaneously the heritage of past approaches to this articulation, the representation of current ideologies and the expression of the builder’s relation to power. There is no hierarchy in architectural objects - their validity and existence depend on attachments, care and necessity. An architect decides on their role in society by affiliating to certain ideologies. An architect gives them visibility, by convincing organs of power of the necessity of building according to certain principles. To do so, the architect uses beauty, structural performance, durability, innovation and much more, as tools of persuasion.

PASHENKO ARCHITECTS: The role of architects in Ukraine is to balance interests of clients with those of the society and cities.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

CUNDALL: Fundamentally building designers want to give something of quality back to the world.  Architecture competitions are important because they allow designers to play and experiment without the same constraints that exist in live projects. This freedom provides an opportunity to explore new ideas so we always take something away from these competitions that we can use in our day-to-day projects.

GENSLER: Although we rarely enter architecture competitions, this one resonated with us because of our connection to Ukraine. With our Ukrainian Task Force having already made significant contributions in cities like Mariupol, Irpin, and Melitopol, the opportunity to participate in a competition focused on rebuilding Kharkiv felt meaningful.

NEO-ECO: Architecture competitions allow us to offer ourselves a moment of reflection, to team up with others and test our tools of persuasion.

PASHENKO ARCHITECTS: Architectural competitions ensure the best outcomes for projects, and continuous learning for the team.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

CUNDALL: It’s important to be selective and enter competitions that are well administered and align with your areas of interest and expertise. Also view it as an opportunity to innovate and collaborate with other design partners rather than purely with the expectation of winning. Winning is a bonus!

GENSLER: Participating in architecture competitions can be highly rewarding if you are passionate about the topic. Choose projects that inspire you and align with your values, as this will drive innovation and perseverance throughout the process. Embrace challenges as learning experiences; competitions often require new ways of thinking and working, providing invaluable opportunities for growth. Most importantly, even if you don't win, you will gain insights and skills that will benefit your future work.

NEO-ECO: The time invested in reflection and the contacts made is largely compensated by future projects and inspiration.

PASHENKO ARCHITECTS: Focus on the big picture impact-wise first - finer detail and constraints can be resolved after.