With the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Balbek Bureau launched the RE:Ukraine System project. This includes the creation of the RE:Ukraine Housing system for dignified temporary housing, solutions for protecting monuments with RE:Ukraine Monuments, and the online constructor RE:Ukraine Villages.
The RE:Ukraine Villages project is aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of Ukrainian villages. The team studies the architectural features of private houses built in the last 100 years and presents these findings in an accessible digital format.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, thousands of rural houses in Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed. The goal of the RE:Ukraine Villages project by the balbek bureau architecture studio is to preserve the well-formed organic image of Ukrainian villages and safeguard it from being erased by typical buildings.
In the online RE:Ukraine Villages constructor, users can create a virtual house using the design code of the selected region and receive recommendations for construction or restoration of such housing. After completing all stages, the user receives a PDF album with isometrics, plans, drawings, facade elevations, and technical descriptions. The file also includes recommendations for finishing materials.
Currently, the design codes for houses in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions are available in the constructor.
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For example, during the expedition, volunteers from the project visited 15 villages in the Kharkiv region. The analysis was conducted using open online sources, specialized literature, and tools such as Google Street View.
Houses in Kharkiv region were mainly constructed with bricks. This is due to the rich deposits of red clay and the development of the sugar industry: people here had the resources to build quality and sturdy housing. History also played a role, as this multifaceted region was consistently destroyed throughout the 20th century.
Additionally, the constructor reflects the characteristic color schemes and decor of the Kharkiv region. Typical combinations include shades of green and blue, as well as red brick often adorned with white decorative inserts of simple geometric shapes.
