The Norman Foster Foundation, alongside UNECE and Arup, has collaborated with Kharkiv City Council and local and international experts to develop the masterplan for the reconstruction of Kharkiv, intended as a blueprint for the reconstruction of other Ukrainian cities. As part of this effort, the ‘Kharkiv Freedom Square Revival’ Heritage Competition was launched in September 2024, attracting over eighty entries—including twenty-one from Ukraine.

The ten jury members hailed from Ukraine, United Kingdom, India, Spain, Israel and the United States, representing fields such as Architecture, Urban Planning, Transport and History. Collectively, rather than identify one clear winner—and second and third places—the jury decided to give equal weighting and prize money to three projects of equal standing, whose ideas would contribute to a second stage competition, open to new entrants as well as those who had competed in the present competition.

The competition is seen as a success, particularly by the local representatives, who found it valuable in starting to redefine their needs—symbolically as well as functionally. The importance of gravitas in any proposal was a theme that recurred in the discussions. The intention now is to create a second competition which will be open to new entrants to further develop the ideas proposed in the first stage. The jury were mindful that, for example, the final design for The Reichstag in Berlin evolved from a competition that morphed into a second stage; a testament to the impact of striving for the future of our cities.

To learn more about the prize-winning projects, presented by teams from Australia, Israel, and the United Kingdom, please visit architecturecompetitions.com/kharkivfreedomsquare/