Metinvest proposed the concept of rebuilding Ukraine. According to the data of regional military administrations provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure, since February 24, 2022, almost 18,500 high-rise buildings and more than 142,000 private estates have been destroyed or damaged in Ukraine. Medical institutions, schools and kindergartens, enterprises, and infrastructure facilities were hit by enemy strikes. Despite the fact that it is currently unknown how long the war will last, Ukraine is already preparing for post-war reconstruction, and Ukrainian steelmakers are ready to take part in it. In particular, Metinvest-SMC a sales company of the Metinvest Group, recently presented its own concept of rebuilding the country, which is called «Steel dream».

The birth of a dream

«Steel dream» contains a set of ready-made solutions for the construction of steel housing and social infrastructure, which can be adapted to the needs of specific communities.

The idea to form a vision of future reconstruction arose in the first months of the full-scale invasion, said Tetiana Skrypka, head of the project office of the construction sector Metinvest-SMC. Already at the end of March 2022, the company began to wonder how to solve the problem of destroyed housing and assistance to internally displaced persons. Specialists began from studying world experience, conducted an audit of projects they had worked on before, and already in May 2022 came up with an initiative to develop a universal concept that would include solutions for the housing and social sectors, infrastructure.

The proposal received the support of the Metinvest Group’s management, and this gave a start to further detailed development with the involvement of the best specialists.

«Steel dream» began as a single, test house concept – it became a touchstone, the first step in the plan, and was designed to determine whether it is possible to scale the project and adapt the idea.

13, which is equal to 200

At the initial stage, specialists of Metinvest-SMC studied the world experience of restoring countries after wars and natural disasters. They analyzed both positive and negative examples, which made it possible to learn good practices and avoid repeating mistakes.

In addition, world trends in construction were studied in order to predict the trends of the next ten years and apply the best approaches and innovative solutions in Ukraine. In particular, after starting the research, the planners drew attention to the fact that people in the world currently prefer comfortable living in low-rise and medium-rise buildings. Despite the fact that even skyscrapers can be built from steel, the project team in a cluster of high-rise buildings limited the framework to eight floors.

Each type of building is represented by several different options, in total more than 200 ready-made projects are expected based on three prefabricated steel elements (prefab solutions) – frame, module and platform.

One of the advantages of the presented solutions is the speed of construction. For example, an eight-floors building can be built in just nine months, a kindergarten – twice as fast as usual.

Among the priorities in the process of rebuilding the country, Tetiana Skrypka notes, will be ensuring the safety of the population and adapting to future threats. That is why thorough work was carried out separately to create a concept of high-quality shelter. The proposed project of the underground shelter is based on a platform, the shelter is designed for a long stay and provides maximum protection.

To build Ukrainian

From the beginning of the project, the «Steel dream» team was guided by the principle of create Ukrainian. Therefore, domestic architects, planners, and designers were involved in the work. We focused on Ukrainian specialists who understand local conditions and culture, which allows us to create adapted solutions.

At the stage of developing the concept, active consultations were also held with Ukrainian steel construction plant (currently 15 enterprises that produce these products are ready to participate in the project) and producers of building materials. Addressing them, the design team demonstrated the prospects and importance of their work for the future of the country. And these arguments were received positively.

«Our team always aims to use the country’s potential and resources as much as possible, cooperating with local partners and producers. We believe that such an approach will contribute not only to the successful implementation of the project, but also to the strengthening of the Ukrainian economy and the development of the state as a whole,» said Tetiana Skrypka.

Discussions with communities

Currently, «Steel dream» is being presented to the communities of the affected regions, which, in fact, is aimed at the project. Local authorities can already be offered ready-made concepts with all the necessary technical solutions, schedules, estimates and visualizations. After receiving the initial package of documents, the communities will be able to start cooperation with the state, international funds and potential investors, attract financing and actually implement the restoration.

«We hope that our concept will help communities implement their projects and build the future they want for themselves. Our team is always ready to provide support and assistance at all stages of implementation,» says Tatiana Skrypka.

«Steel dream» already has positive feedback from the communities, which demonstrates that it meets the urgent needs of recovery. After receiving feedback from local authorities, adapting and improving the project, it is planned to present it to the country’s authorities.

Positive feedback

«Steel dream» was also presented at the architecture and construction business forum, which took place in May 2023 and was dedicated to the topic of the restoration of Ukraine. The project team was able to receive positive feedback from the participants of the event, which included business leaders, developers, builders and politicians. According to Tetiana Skrypka, inquiries were received from funds and investors, and this shows that they recognized the potential of the concept and are ready to support the implementation of reconstruction projects.

“«Steel dream» demonstrated its relevance to the needs of the time and gave an understanding of how to solve the current problems of the affected areas. This confirms that the product is required. So we continue to move forward and cooperate with stakeholders, funds and investors,» she sums up.

Steel future

«Steel dream» from Metinvest emphasizes the fact that the role of steel industry in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will really be of great importance. Steel will be needed to restore various sectors of infrastructure – transport, logistics, production, social; reconstruction of roads, bridges, railways, enterprises, residential buildings, etc.

The country’s steel sector also suffered significant losses as a result of the Russian invasion. In particular, several steel enterprises remained in the temporarily occupied territory, among them the largest steel mills of Metinvest – Azovstal with an annual capacity of 7 million tons of steel and 4.5 million tons of rolled steel per year and Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, which could annually produce 4 million tons of steel and 5.7 million tons of rolled steel. Despite this, the company’s readiness and ability to actively participate in the restoration of Ukraine was repeatedly emphasized by the group’s CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov. And it is not only about the supply of steel, but also about using the broader experience of Metinvest. One of these steps was actually the development of a ready-made reconstruction concept.