On October 23, 2024, the highly anticipated Demo Day of the Rebuild Green Hackathon unfolded, showcasing groundbreaking eco-friendly solutions from multinational teams. As the main Circular Prize sponsor, Modulina Straw Panels had the honor of awarding 200 square meters of straw panel walls to the winning project in Severynivka Restart Camp, created by Team Budmo leaded by the french architect Nicolas Ziesel.
A Global Collaboration for Sustainable Rebuilding
Rebuild Green Hackathon 2024, an international event, brought together a vibrant community of architects, urban planners, green building experts, and eco-technology developers from around the world. Launched on September 21 across Vinnytsia, Copenhagen, and The Hague, the hackathon set the stage for collaboration, with biobased material manufacturers like Modulina Straw Panels at the forefront of innovation.
The event, organized by SYNCHRO SPACE and FIABCI-Ukraine as part of the New European Bauhaus initiative, partnered with the Podolian Agency for Regional Development and four Ukrainian communities. The goal was simple yet ambitious: integrate green solutions into Ukraine’s recovery, aligning with the European Green Deal’s objectives.
Addressing Urgent Community Challenges
Key challenges from the communities:
Vinnytsia community
Development of an eco-housing concept for the “Prometheus” rehabilitation center.
Severynivka community
Design and construction of an educational and cultural center for IDPs based at the ReStart camp.
Apostolove community
Redevelopment concept for a rehabilitation center for adults, children, and wounded soldiers at the city hospital.
Teofipol community
Concept and construction of a pilot eco-housing project for workers of the circular industrial park “Green Energy.”These projects not only address pressing needs but also pave the way for eco-conscious rebuilding in war-affected communities.
Celebrating the Winners
On Demo Day, held on October 23, 2024, six multinational teams presented their innovative solutions. The winning team of Rebuild Green Hackathon 2024 was Budmo, whose groundbreaking project “Common Ground” for Severynivka, Vinnytsia region, earned the top prize from the event sponsor, Modulina Straw Panels.
• Budmo (1231.65 points) – 1st Place: A project focused on sustainable urban development and community revitalization in Severynivka with a focus on ecological and social initiatives.
• ABCU (1221.95 points) – 2nd Place: A scalable project for three communities, emphasizing green housing and public spaces.
• TOLOKA (1155 points) – 3rd Place: A solution for eco-housing in Teofipol using local materials and traditional construction methods.
• TOLOKA Team (1153.35 points): An energy-efficient biodesign for eco-housing at a rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia.
• U-House (1096.8 points): Developed scalable eco-housing for Teofipol, focusing on local materials and traditions like the mutual aid system, Toloka.
• Team 5 — Natural Camp&Open Air Museum (1036.6 points) and Green Sustain (1034.7 points): Presented sustainable public space projects for Severynivka, emphasizing energy efficiency and long-term sustainability.
• Mangini Team (831.25 points): Developed a comprehensive project for a rehabilitation center in Apostolove.
All teams delivered high-quality solutions, many of which have the potential for implementation across various Ukrainian communities. The most promising teams from each municipal case will continue collaborating with municipalities to implement their pilot projects. Organizers will scale and promote the solutions developed during the hackathon to other Ukrainian communities, contributing to sustainable development and national reconstruction.
International Collaboration
Rebuild Green Hackathon 2024 united specialists from Ukraine, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Lebanon, and experts from 15 countries. Key experts included:
• Alissa Bankovska (Ukraine) – CEO of SYNCHRO SPACE, known for her urban space transformation projects.
• Serhiy Frolov (Ukraine) – President of FIABCI-Ukraine and former president of the Association of Banking Appraisers of Ukraine.
• Antonio Campagnoli(Italy) – President-elect of FIABCI, The International Real Estate Federation, Managing Director of IL PUNTO Real Estate Advisor / CORFAC International.
• Kateryna Pylypchuk 🇺🇦 (Ukraine) – Vice President of FIABCI-Ukraine, business development strategist and advisor at Modulina Straw Panels (Lithuania).
• Anne Katrine Heje Larsen (Denmark) – CEO of DISIE, sustainability and social innovation expert.
• Pavlo Gorokhovskyi (Netherlands) – Member of the Netherlands Government Advisors Council on spatial planning.
• Martin DUPLANTIER 🇺🇦🇪🇺 (France) – Architect, president of AMO and AMO FOUNDATION, working on green reconstruction projects in Ukraine.
• Ruta Leitanaite (Lithuania) – Chair of the European Architects Council working group.
• Laurynas Marcinkus (Lithuania) – Chief architect-engineer at Modulina Straw Panels.
• Mike Devéria (Netherlands) – ESBA leader in Rebuilding Ukraine Green.
• Nicolas Ziesel (France) – Founder of KOZ architectes.
• Yevhenia Myroshnychenko (Ukraine) – Artist focusing on the rehabilitation of veterans.
• Andreas Binkert (Switzerland) – President of 2000-Watt Smart Cities Association.
• Dr. Samer El Sayary (Lebanon) – Creative entrepreneur, startup mentor, and architect.
• Matthias Gorenflos (Germany) – member of Berlin Chamber of Architects, main architect in Gorenfloss Architects.
• Viktorija Blažiene (Lithuania) – CEO of 2L Architects and Engineers, head of the Bucha School project.
• Maxym Zayika (Ukraine) – Green construction project manager, DELTA Ukraine.
• Олексій Цимбаленко (Ukraine) – PhD in Public Administration, entrepreneur, and social investor.
• Yuri Tkachenko (Ukraine) – CEO of VELUX Ukraine and President of Active House Alliance in Ukraine
• Jacob Hartmann (Denmark) – Senior Advisor, Copenhagen.
• Veronika Rulli (Denmark) – Boost
• Taras Demkura (Ukraine) – Serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public figure.
This network of expertise ensured that the projects were both visionary and practical, ready for real-world implementation.
Mentorship Support
Throughout the hackathon, teams received extensive mentorship, helping them develop and present their projects. Mentors included: Serhiy Fedorik (Key Group) and Oleksii Tsymbalenko (SmartMed), who gave feedback on project feasibility; Dag Schaffarczyk (Spreeplan) and Laurynas Marcinkus (Modulina Straw Panels), focusing on ecological sustainability; Dmytro Aranchii Aranchii Architects and Samer El Sayari (Lebanon University), assessing innovation; Liubov Tsapenkova (Key Group), analyzing project budgets; Olga Royenko (voice of space) and Viktorija Blažienė (2L Architects), consulting on the social impact of the projects; Kateryna Pylypchuk (FIABCI-Ukraine), evaluating team potential.
Judges
We deeply appreciate all jury members for dedicating their time, expertise, and knowledge to evaluating the outstanding projects presented at Rebuild Green Hackathon 2024. This year’s jury consisted of experts from 15 countries, and we sincerely thank each of them:
- Martin Duplantier(FR), Ruta Leitanaite(LT), Pavlo Gorokhovskyi(NL), Anne Katrine Heje Larsen(DK), Antonio Campagnoli(IT), Žilvinas Bitinas(LT), Raquel Guerra Aragonés(ES), Przemysław Woś(PL), Yuliya Dzyuba(UA), Matthias Gorenflos(DE), Maxym Zayika(AT), Yuriy Tkachenko(UA), Cypren Edmunds(UK), Yuliya Skrypka(UA), Serhiy Frolov(UA), Dr. Albert Fakhoury(UAE), Valentina Bajić(RS), Nataly Veremeeva(UA), Dmytro Kovanych(CH), Audronė Janulaitytė(LT), Rudis Rubenis(LV), Sergejs Nikiforovs(LV), Giovanni Betti(IT), Andreas Binkert(CH), Rocco Lagioia(ES), Joes van de Wouw(BE), Yuliya Karbovska(UA), Oleg Levchenko(UA), Viktor Milenin(UA), Oleksandr Shysh(UA), Andriy Hryhorenko(UA)
Media Partners
The Rebuild Green Hackathon media partners include European Straw Building Association, Modulina Straw Panels, FIABCI, The International Real Estate Federation, New European Bauhaus, voice of space , KEY GROUP, DISIE, Adebus International Business School, WorldStartup, 2000-Watt Smart Cities Association, Podolian Agency for Regional Development, АРХІТЕКТУРНА ПРАКТИКА, NSAU, Mind UA.
Looking Forward To Straw Revolution in Rebuilding of Ukraine
Modulina Straw Panels is proud to support this transformative initiative. The Rebuild Green Hackathon is more than an event; it’s a long-term program running through 2030, promoting sustainable development using bio-based materials and eco technologies (including straw panels) and collaboration across borders. Stay tuned as we follow the implementation of these inspiring projects and continue to support the green reconstruction of Ukraine.
Join us in shaping the future – one sustainable project at a time!