Community Centre in Voznesensk

The devastation caused by the war in Ukraine is enormous, and so is the reconstruction work ahead. When the war eventually ends, the work of rebuilding the country will begin, which is expected to have a very large climate footprint unless there is a focus on climate-friendly construction.

In this project, Architects Without Borders introduces the fully certified and bio-based building system EcoCocon to the Ukrainian market to demonstrate that environmentally friendly building methods exist and can be used in line with conventional cement-based and highly CO2 emitting building materials. In doing so, we want to show concrete ways in which Ukraine’s own visions of zero-carbon construction and rational design can be realized.

The pilot-project is realised in collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders, including Ukrainian architects in both Ukraine and Denmark.

Development goals

• Raising awareness among Ukrainian architects and contractors about the applicability of bio-based building materials in the upcoming reconstruction
• Showcase modern Ukrainian architecture designed by Ukrainian architects that can counteract the perception of building materials such as straw and wood as old-fashioned and irrelevant
• Introduce a fully certified and therefore insurable bio-based building material (EcoCocon) to the Ukrainian market.

Project updates

Update October 2026: The community center has been fully designed by the AUG team and handed over to our partner, the city council of Voznesensk, which will conduct a bidding process to find a local architect to design the building. A fundraising campaign will then be launched to secure the remaining funds needed to make the construction possible.

We also refer to this article in Politiken about the project.

Read below our opinion piece on the reconstruction in Ukraine, January 2026

The project is funded by Dreyers Fond.