Nov. 30, 2025, 5:18 p.m.
(PHOTO: https://restoration.gov.ua/)
A new school will be built in Kherson region on the site of the school destroyed by the Russians. It will be built as part of a state project for the comprehensive restoration of settlements affected by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. The space will combine the functions of an educational institution, a kindergarten, and an open center for the entire community.
According to the press service of the Recovery Agency, the project was developed by the team of the full-cycle urban bureau Big City Lab.
Posad-Pokrovske, where the center will be located, suffered greatly at the beginning of the full-scale war: a school and a community center with a library and a cinema hall were destroyed. The village was left without common spaces, and children were forced to continue their education online or outside the community.
"The construction of this school is part of a comprehensive recovery. It will become a new center of village life. This approach of the state to restoration is aimed at uniting the community, creating conditions for development, joint work and implementation of local initiatives. We are restoring not only infrastructure, but also the opportunity to live, learn and develop together," said Oleksiy Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine, Minister of Communities and Territories Development.
Local residents will be able to use an assembly hall for events and meetings, a gym and a coworking library where they can study and work. The school cafeteria will be more like a cafeteria: you can eat not only inside but also on the open area. There will also be an oven for baking bread, as there is no bakery in the village. Anyone will be able to buy a freshly baked white loaf or a "brick".
PHOTO: https://restoration.gov.ua/
"The school year lasts 175 days, from 8 am to 4 pm - the rest of the time the school is closed. But even during the school year, some spaces are used 5-10 times - for example, the assembly hall for special events or the library for lending and returning books. We designed the building in such a way as to maximize the use of every square meter throughout the year - day and night, weekdays and weekends," explains Victoria Titova, CEO of Big City Lab.
The school will be barrier-free and will consist of five blocks: a central core with common spaces, a kindergarten, an elementary school, a gymnasium, and a gymnasium. An anti-radiation shelter will be built on the territory of the institution.
The entire space is designed around the needs of the child. Schoolchildren will learn through practice and research - thanks to a natural science laboratory, a technology classroom and a computer science classroom. And single desks will allow for easy and quick seating changes: instead of looking at each other in the back of the head, students will be able to work in groups or in a large circle.
PHOTO: https://restoration.gov.ua/
All classrooms located on the ground floor have two entrances: from inside the building and from the street. Also, every few classes have access to their own playground, where they can take breaks. Children can also relax and socialize in the courtyard, which is located in the center of the school.
"The project has features of the region in which it was designed: local materials, climate consideration, and, most importantly, the needs of the people who live here. We set out to move away from foreign references and create Ukrainian architecture specifically for the Kherson region. However, thanks to its modularity, this project can be applied in other areas, changing the size of the blocks according to the number of students and functional purpose, as well as using other finishing materials," says Pavlo Peker, founder of Peker & Partners.
"During the design, the team had an important task: to show that there used to be a school here. But it was destroyed by the Russians. At the same time, they didn't want to turn the institution into a gloomy object, because it is a place for life and development.
So they came up with a solution: the floor of the new building will be laid out in the outline of the old school. The bricks left over from the destroyed school will be used for this purpose. This way, the new building will preserve the memory that this school has existed for a long time, and this project is its new incarnation.
Володимир Шкаєв