New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most

Email user
renata.jozwik@pw.edu.pl

Basic information
Initiative title
ProModSe - Modular Refugee Settlement

Full initiative Title
ProModSe – Modular Refugee Settlement Project. Proposals for citizen engagement

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
The design of a modular settlement in Lviv for a Ukrainian community displaced by the war was developed at three scales: macro, mezzo and micro. The urban-architectural concept was created by academic architects and developed in design classes in the European Bauhaus spirit. Students were involved in a collaborative process with a modular building factory. The project resulted from a grant awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community New European Bauhaus.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Cross-border/international

Where was your intiative implemented?
Location 1
Poland

Location 2
Other

Which other country?
Ukraine

Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
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If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Poland, Warsaw, Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology. Principal place of initiative.Ukraine, Lviv, Riasne (district of Lviv). A site that has been developed by design.

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
Horizon2020 / Horizon Europe

Here you can provide more details about the name of the specific programme, strand/action line as relevant, and the year
EIT Community New European Bauhaus. Proposals for Citizen Engagement Activities. Grant of EIT Urban Mobility.

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
Yes

What was the prize?
EIT Community New European Bauhaus. Proposals for Citizen Engagement Activities. Grant of EIT Urban Mobility: 30,000 Euro

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual in partnership with other persons
Please provide the contact details for the intiative promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the intiative).
- First name: Anna Maria
 Last name: Wierzbicka
 Gender: Female
 Nationality: Poland
 Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation) Street and number: 55 Koszykowa Street (Faculty of Architecture, WUT)
 Town: Warsaw
 Postal code: 00-659
 Country: Poland
 Direct Tel: +48 605 938 088
 E-mail: anna.wierzbicka@pw.edu.pl
 Website: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
- First name: Yuriy
 Last name: Kryvoruchko
 Gender: Male
 Nationality: Ukraine
 Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation) Street and number: 55 Koszykowa Street (Faculty of Architecture, WUT)
 Town: Warsaw
 Postal code: 00-659
 Country: Poland
 Direct Tel: +48 22 628 28 87
 E-mail: yurikryv@gmail.com
 Website: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
- First name: Paweł
 Last name: Trębacz
 Gender: Male
 Nationality: Poland
 Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation) Street and number: 55 Koszykowa Street (Faculty of Architecture, WUT)
 Town: Warsaw
 Postal code: 00-659
 Country: Poland
 Direct Tel: +48 602 679 760
 E-mail: pawel.trebacz@pw.edu.pl
 Website: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
- First name: Renata
 Last name: Jóźwik
 Gender: Female
 Nationality: Poland
 Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation) Street and number: 55 Koszykowa Street (Faculty of Architecture, WUT)
 Town: Warsaw
 Postal code: 00-659
 Country: Poland
 Direct Tel: +48 608 828 006
 E-mail: renata.jowik@pw.edu.pl
 Website: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
- First name: Magdalena
 Last name: Duda
 Gender: Female
 Nationality: Poland
 Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation) Street and number: 55 Koszykowa Street (Faculty of Architecture, WUT)
 Town: Warsaw
 Postal code: 00-659
 Country: Poland
 Direct Tel: +48 509 202 263
 E-mail: magdalena.duda@pw.edu.pl
 Website: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.arch.pw.edu.pl/
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
NEB Newsletter

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
The ProModSe project is a prototype of a modular settlement designed with the population displaced in Ukraine due to the war in mind. Knowing that people in Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Mykolaiv and other cities lost their homes, we assumed that this migration would not be temporary but longer - even covering the life cycle of a generation. Therefore, the social standards of housing must correspond to this - be high. The first developed project is located in Lviv, in the north-western part of the outskirts - in Riasne. Based on this, the authors developed solutions and standards that should be applied in subsequent projects.
The settlement (for approximately 3,500 people) has been developed in three scales of advancement: macro, meso and micro. A group of 5 architects and academics created the urban and architectural concept - Prof. Anna Maria Wierzbicka, Prof. Yuriy Kryvoruchko (Lviv), PhD Paweł Trębacz, PhD Renata Jóźwik, and M.Sc. Magdalena Duda. It was then developed in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus during design classes, in interdisciplinary cooperation, and in cooperation with a Polish factory of modular construction that has experience in modular houses in Europe. Students in the last year of studies (just before graduation) developed the concept through the projects of two centres - a social centre (kindergarten for children) and a commercial - multifunctional one. We organised a factory visit where students could show their work's effects at architectural meetings. The whole project was presented at meetings, NEB conferences (Barcelona, Berlin), in university circles (Valencia, Barcelona), at meetings within the Polish Government and architectural exhibitions (Warsaw, Katowice).
The project resulted from a grant from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community New European Bauhaus. The project was presented at meetings in Europe and received great recognition.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Sustainable housing in a crisis of war;

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Sense of community in a crisis of war;

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Integrating NEB ideas in architectural design - in teaching;

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Empathy building and outreach activities in academia;

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
European integration in project-centred interdisciplinary activities;

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The authors have developed standards for modular buildings. The standards for the modular settlement for refugees are based on three principal values, which lie at the core of the NEB concept. These include aesthetics linked to functionality (Beautiful); maintenance of developmental balance (Sustainable); inclusion of all groups, especially those at risk of marginalisation within the society (Together).
Sustainability may be seen as the efficient management of available resources and non-renewable natural goods, such as space and soil.
Macroscale: The natural component should serve as an integral part of the urban fabric, ensuring the continuity of natural connections to various biological, hydrological, and climatic functions.
Mesoscale: Within the quarters and public spaces, the appropriate share of biologically active areas should be maintained, whereas water retention should be ensured
Microscale: Construction materials should, as much as possible, be of natural origin; they should be available in the construction region and easy to dismantle, recycle and reuse.
We integrated these principles into the course programme. The students were very active in proposing different sustainable solutions

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Aesthetics comprises the appreciation of the value of the local cultural products; it covers the experience of generations subjected to the rules set by the logic of functionality while deeply embedded in the code of meaning developed by the community.
Macroscale: The layout of public spaces should form a hierarchical network conducive to intensifying interpersonal contacts between members of different neighbourhood groups.
Mesoscale: Within the quarters and public spaces, the appropriate share of biologically active areas should be maintained, whereas water retention should be ensured.
Microscale: Construction materials should, as much as possible, be of natural origin; they should be available in the construction region and easy to dismantle, recycle and reuse.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Inclusion can apply to various groups. However, in the case of the settlement project, it focuses on refugees who lack both adequate material resources and an understandable cultural environment. Thus, this group is vulnerable to marginalisation and social exclusion.
Macroscale: The size of a settlement unit should be determined by the number of residents whose needs can be met in a dimension and at a socially acceptable level.
Mesoscale: A neighbourhood group within its enclave should be provided with a space for integration and protection in an emergency.
Microscale: The safety of the family community in the housing area should be ensured by using a structurally reinforced space that offers immediate shelter.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
The collaboration with local stakeholders was multidimensional, depending on the scope and type of work/activities. During the project:
- conducted surveys with groups of Ukrainians resettled in Lviv (400 people surveyed) - this scope of work was carried out by Municipal Institution City Institute, a company existing under the laws of Ukraine with offices located Rynok Square 1, office 111, Lviv, Ukraine;
- conducted surveys with groups of Ukrainians who came to Poland during the war (more than 60 survey responses) - this scope of work was carried out in several local Ukrainian groups (a group of refugees under the care of a religious community and a group under the care of ORG people from the reception points);
- the group directly collaborating on the project were the authors of the concept and experts from various communities (Architecture Department of the Warsaw University of Technology, Unihouse BP S.A. factory ) - dzięki temu mogliśmy profesjonalnie rozwiązywać zagadnienia NEB – estetyki i funkcjonalności, zrównoważoności, wspólnotowości
- a group of final-year students (master's degree) of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology was entrusted with the workshop task;
- thanks to the partnership with the Lviv authorities, we have received baseline data and an indicated location for future project implementation.
- in the course of the project's work, several official meetings and informal discussions took place to highlight the housing problem of internally displaced persons in Ukraine and sensitise the audience to this problem.
- the project was presented to the academic community (teachers and students) at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Universitat Politècnica de València) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Barcelone). As a result, we have established scientific contacts and are planning further joint activities.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
Local
Local involvement includes the community of the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology - teacher-architects and a group of students involved in the centre's design workshops.
Regional
The regional impact was realised through active cooperation with a modular house factory in Bielsk Podlaski (Unibep S.A.), which the students visited. This was a new and valuable experience for both parties. The students were able to learn about the implementation aspect of modular architecture
National
The international aspect is the basic scale of impact, as we worked with partners from Ukraine. Thanks to Prof. Yuriy Kryvoruchko in the author's team, we had contact with the leading representatives of the city, the architects' Association of Ukraine Etc.
The aspect of contact with the stakeholders themselves, i.e. the displaced population, was also important. Therefore, needs surveys were essential. This contact yielded many positive relationships in a humanitarian crisis.
European
The dissemination of the project (media, institutional and personal) was on a European scale. It resulted in the broadcast of more than 20 activities - see the attached report for a list.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
Architecture - general concept, identification of opportunities for sustainable construction, rapid implementation in an emergency of housing needs. Design of safety-related elements - shelter system. Adaptation of the design to local regulations.
Urban design - a creation of a sustainable housing estate in terms of size and form, including social functions. The project included a functional and spatial structure designed based on analyses of the site and surroundings.
Construction - integration of technical knowledge, building construction.
Materials science - use of sustainable materials for construction - renewable materials, use of post-war materials - e.g. rubble.
Sociology - surveying the needs of war-affected populations - large-scale research.
Landscape architecture - introduction of pro-environmental elements.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
The project is based on the idea of NEB, which was introduced and tested in a war crisis. Only now has such an approach been widely developed. We noticed that in addition to the three cores of NEB - Beautiful, Sustainable and Together - a SAFETY aspect was necessary.
This led us to develop a reinforced bathroom/shelter within the modular housing and a basement descent system in case of emergency. These elements should be integrated into the flats to provide psychological comfort.
The regeneration issue after the war experience was also crucial in our deliberations. The community aspect was, therefore, a priority.
We chose modular construction because it guarantees rapid assembly in a production line start-up environment.
The possibility of flexible housing programming according to the changing family structure.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
Modular construction, the creation of sustainable community settlements, is a universal idea that can be implemented wherever there is access to basic material - i.e. it does not need to be exported from distant places.
Security elements are dedicated to places that are in some way vulnerable to armed conflict. Trusting that they will not take place in a normal situation, they will fulfil essential functions - bathroom, community room, etc.
Design in the spirit of NEB and oriented towards psychological comfort is also to be implemented everywhere. It is necessary to develop the technical aspects, which are a matter of optimising the solutions presented.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
We acted according to a framework schedule (what we were doing and why):
1. Inventing and identifying the elements necessary in this type of place and program - we conducted surveys and interviews in terms of needs; In these 2 phases we established cooperation with colleagues from Lviv Polytechnic on a subcontracting basis, which we have in our financial plan.
2. Applying results to spatial forms; designing individual components - a task for the design team; We got material for the seminar in October - answers: what modules should be, what design, what settlement programme - guidelines for seminar tasks
3. Mid-report
4. Design workshops during which various configurations and settings of individual components of the settlement were tested; preparation of a brochure and research article - the task of the project team; get an answer to an assignment from the various seminar teams, which was provided with an opportunity for a panel discussion; accumulation of engagement - planned seminars with: students, academic teachers, Ukrainians, experts.
5. Realisation planning, dissemination - expert panel. Final report. To share the results with a wider audience.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
We have experienced that project collaboration can result in positive interactions on a transnational level.
Designing with citizen participation is much more effective and draws attention to irrelevant aspects.
Integration and interdisciplinarity broaden knowledge.
The design of modular settlement was designed from the outset with the possibility of universal implementation but was also given security-related elements. The layout of the dwellings assumes different family structures without issues of exclusion.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
Project development can involve different scales of involvement (this also depends on the project's funding capacity):
1. Design and development RESEARCH for the ProModSe concept
2. Development of DOCUMENTATION conceptual, patent and construction documents
3. INTERDISCIPLINARY Study research confrontation with other groups
4. Popularisation and PARTICIPATION activities
5. Creation of a lab EQUIPMENT website

It would be most effective to realise a unit - even 1 module - to test and further develop solutions (on a prototype basis). To this end, we are planning further applications for international grants and attending meetings to establish collaborations with contractors. The ProModSe concept we developed involved a short timeframe and limited funding. Despite this, a project with great development potential was created.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-14336.pdf
- pdf-1-14336_1.pdf
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
We introduced the principles of the New European Bauhaus principles at a broad level into the curriculum of architectural and urban design. We have sensitised students to issues of residence. We are against the war.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes