Published on April 15, 2025
Source: RFI Ukrainian Service – Original Article in Ukrainian, Author of the interview: Ірина Кошель (Iryna Koshel)
Translation and adaptation by Modulina Straw Panels
Last week in Brussels, Kateryna Pylypchuk, Head of Strategic Development at Modulina Straw Panels, took part in the EU–Ukraine Business Summit, which brought together over 900 participants including government representatives, business leaders, and international institutions. During the event, Kateryna gave an interview to Radio France Internationale (RFI), detailing Modulina’s role in Ukraine’s green recovery — particularly the construction of a forest eco-classroom in the city of Bucha.
We are pleased to share an English translation of that interview — originally published by RFI in Ukrainian.
🌱 A Straw Classroom in the Forest: Healing Through Nature and Learning
On April 10–11, the Ukraine–EU Business Summit took place in Brussels. The event gathered over 900 participants — representatives of businesses, governments, and institutions interested in Ukraine’s recovery. The summit served as a preparatory stage for a major Ukraine Recovery Conference scheduled for this summer in Italy. How European businesses are already joining this process, what challenges they face, and what they see in cooperation with Ukraine — is illustrated by the case of the Lithuanian manufacturer Modulina Straw Panels.
Modulina has been operating for 15 years and is based in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The company specializes in the production of straw panels for building energy-efficient and ecological buildings. The materials are 98% natural, and the panels are easy to assemble and disassemble, like LEGO bricks, – explains Kateryna Pylypchuk, the company’s development strategist.
In 2022, after the start of the full-scale war, the company became interested in the Ukrainian market. This impulse came as a volunteer initiative — to donate materials for reconstruction. But it also brought the first challenges: adapting the product to Ukrainian certification and finding workers.
“Many qualified Ukrainian workers have gone to the front” – says Kateryna.
Community for Rebuilding Ukrainian Cities Green
To work more effectively in Ukraine, Modulina began importing its panels for joint projects with Ukrainian and foreign partners. This gave rise to the initiative “Rebuilding Ukrainian Cities Green 20301” — a community that collaborates with municipalities in need of reconstruction but lacking sufficient funds.
“This is a huge project in which we don’t just participate as material suppliers, but also invite other foreign manufacturers, other companies. For example, architects from abroad, builders who also want to enter the Ukrainian market but are trying to find at least a first pilot project.”
Ukrainian Resources and European Ambitions
Modulina has a branch in Denmark and is planning to enter the French market. There, political support for “green” practices promotes the spread of eco-construction. According to Kateryna, Modulina’s insulation standards are even higher than those of some French manufacturers.
“France today is a champion in using straw panels in construction. More than 10,000 municipal buildings have been built using straw. These include schools, kindergartens, clinics, sports halls, and stores — anything you can imagine.”
“Joint projects in Ukraine are also a way to establish cooperation with other markets. ‘We understand that, for example, right now in Ukraine we’ll carry out a pilot project with the French, and they will already have experience working with our material specifically within this project — and then they’ll be able to do similar projects in France” – adds Kateryna.
Risks and Creativity in Ukraine
Modulina has made the decision to open a production facility in Ukraine. Initially, in 2022, this idea was paused due to safety concerns. But over time, it became clear that deep involvement in projects requires a constant presence on site.
For example, in the village of Severynivka in the Vinnytsia region, a cultural center is being built from straw panels, and in Bucha, a school is being rebuilt in cooperation with partners. The BuchaSchool project began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2026. Alongside it, another separate “classroom” is being built — as a continuation of the larger project. In February 2025, the initiative won a New European Bauhaus (NEB) grant.
“The project is called Bucha Forest Classroom. It’s a small 100-square-meter building made of our panels, where children from different schools in Bucha will come to study natural science.” The classroom opening is planned for September.
One of the risks is the threat of missile strikes on stationary production facilities. Therefore, the company is considering the option of a mobile factory.
“This is when the panel production equipment is placed on two large trucks that can move from one place to another. In this way, we avoid the risk of someone deliberately targeting it.”
Another option is temporary placement of equipment in a vocational school:
“It wouldn’t be a large line but a shortened version. Students could train on our equipment. That way, we’d be creating jobs in Ukraine — we’d have people who’ve learned and know what to do. At the same time, small orders could be fulfilled. It’s a win-win.”
“Ideas that emerged due to the circumstances in Ukraine can also be applied abroad: ‘When we started developing this, we realized that, in principle, this solution could work not only in Ukraine — it could be brought to France as well. That is, innovations arise from the needs in Ukraine — innovations even in production. But the main goal is to create a fully-fledged stationary production facility in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian Straw — A Resource with a Future
Ukraine attracts Lithuanians not only as a market but also as a source of raw material. Straw is one of Ukraine’s most valuable but often ignored resources.
“The world’s largest amount of straw is in Ukraine because we are Europe’s breadbasket. If we grow a lot of grain, we automatically have a record amount of straw,” explains Kateryna.
This material has thermal insulation properties and also an environmental function — it “freezes” carbon.
“Straw stores CO₂. If we do nothing with it and it stays in a wall, floor, or roof — that carbon remains there.”
Straw constructions can last over 100 years. The proof lies in traditional Ukrainian homes made of clay and straw:
“If you look at our old village houses — they stood for centuries. It works. And the clay finish gives blocks fire resistance.”
© Mykola Tymchenko / Rubryka
- This initiative is run in cooperation with the Ukrainian Chapter of the international real estate federation FIABCI-Ukraine and Synchro Space – hub of innovations for cities and communities. ↩︎