H2O&more
type: Competition, Interior design, Public
location: Kyiv, Ukraine
year: 2026
status: Concept
authors: Albina Zvarych, Solomia Korol, Maria Pakhomova, Oleksandr Pidlubnyi
This project proposes transforming an abandoned hostel in Kyiv into a multifunctional public space centred on water and hygiene infrastructure. Designed to support everyday neighbourhood life and moments of infrastructural disruption, the space will comprise public showers, toilets, a laundry, facilities for washing dogs and an open drinking fountain area. By adapting an existing building for this purpose, the project provides the surrounding community with compact, accessible civic infrastructure that responds to water shortages while also functioning as part of their daily urban life.In modern-day Ukraine, cities often suffer the consequences of Russian missiles and drones targeting vital infrastructure. Residents are left without electricity, heating and water due to damage to energy and water supply systems. While Ukrainians have gradually learned to adapt to living without electricity, problems accessing water and maintaining basic hygiene remain largely unresolved.
In cities such as Kyiv, there are very few places where people can comfortably wash, do laundry or use the toilet during water outages. This is why we came up with the idea of creating a multi-functional space to support the daily needs of the neighbourhood's residents.
To implement the project, we chose an abandoned former hostel in a district of Kyiv that is often shelled. By renovating the building, we have transformed it into a multifunctional public space with water and hygiene infrastructure.
One important consideration was to make the building as energy-efficient and self-sufficient as possible, so that it could withstand power and water shortages in the city caused by Russian shelling.
The design is built on the interplay of basic geometric shapes: squares, circles and triangles. In the space itself, these shapes appear as graphic elements; in the drinking fountain area, however, they transform into three-dimensional spheres and pyramids. The interior is clearly
and logically organised and divided into three equal parts, ensuring easy navigation between functions.
The clear geometry shapes both the interior composition and the elements of the exterior space.
The checkerboard tiling adds a vintage touch to the interior, reminiscent of traditional public laundries and dressing rooms.
As the space is directly related to water, moisture-resistant and wear-resistant materials have been used, such as linoleum, ceramic tiles and microcement. The cubicles are made of moisture-resistant MDF.
To improve the building's energy efficiency, solar panels will be installed on the roof to allow the space to be partially powered by its own electricity.
The project also includes a rainwater collection system for technical use, which will reduce the strain on urban resources.
As the project is based on the reconstruction of a typical hostel building, the proposed solution can be adapted for other areas of the city and similar buildings in other Ukrainian cities.
The space serves as everyday public infrastructure for local residents and as a recreational area with access to drinking water. It also serves as backup urban infrastructure during water supply outages.
The outer shell of the building is made of stainless steel. The colour palette is based on milky and graphite shades to emphasise the feeling of cleanliness. The accent colour, blue, symbolises water, while the warm shade of brown adds a natural touch to the space and balances the cool palette of materials.
One of the main difficulties in developing the project was identifying a building that would best accommodate this type of public space. In the post-Soviet urban environment, architecture is often disproportionate to the human scale, failing to take into account how people interact with the surrounding space.
By choosing a neglected former hostel building, we set out to redesign its structure to make it more compact, coherent and comfortable for people to be inside and to use the surrounding space. During the reconstruction process, we demolished part of the building to create an open space connected to a public garden, restoring a long-neglected and virtually unusable pedestrian passage in the process. Local residents continued to use this route throughout the process, emphasising its importance for daily mobility in the area and providing the basis for restoring this lost pedestrian connection to the urban fabric.
