The UBC is one of the largest events in Ukraine’s construction and architecture sector, drawing more than 6 000 participants, including developers, builders, architects, investors and public officials. The congress staged 40 panel discussions with over 300 speakers on post-war infrastructure recovery, attracting investment, sustainable development, environmental standards, affordable housing and permitting reform. Metinvest Group was the event’s general partner.
Tkachenko explained that the universal steel-frame social-housing model is a new addition to the Steel Dream portfolio, intended to support communities affected by the war.
The project is a modular construction system comprising linear, corner and cross modules that can be combined into buildings of varying heights. It is built around a strong yet lightweight metal frame with prefabricated wall and floor panels, while foundations are installed on piles or columns. The technology guarantees high precision, speed and build quality.
All modules are manufactured off-site at a factory and assembled on the construction site, enabling rapid deployment and flexible layouts tailored to local needs.
The design offers five module types and two layout options: a smart version that maximises space and a more traditional standard version. Buildings can be from five to nine storeys high, with around 50 possible module combinations.
Key advantages include fast construction – a single section can be completed in six months – along with easy relocation and scalability for different uses. The homes are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Layouts are accessible to wheelchair users and future versions will incorporate way-finding aids for people with visual impairments.
“Our project is intended to be a vital tool for rebuilding infrastructure and providing high-quality housing. It is more than a residential complex; it is an integrated system that meets the challenges of the modern age. The modular steel-frame building is quick to erect, built to last and adaptable to future needs,” said Tkachenko.
The Steel Dream Team
More than 70% of the frame is fabricated in the plant, ensuring consistently high quality. This technology is the backbone of the Steel Dream concept for the rapid reconstruction of homes and social infrastructure.
Tkachenko added that the model is already being used to prepare or adapt urban-planning concepts in Vasylkiv (Kyiv region) for internally displaced people from Mariupol, in Hlukhiv and Trostianets (Sumy region), and in Hoshcha (Rivne region) for people from Bakhmut.
Representatives of the municipalities of Mariupol, Trostianets, Bakhmut and the Luhansk region joined the panel discussion “From Dream to Action: Experiences in Rebuilding Communities”. Moderator Tetiana Skrypka, Head of External Projects at Metinvest Sichstal, announced that the Steel Dream team will provide free design services this year for its largest project to date: the Luhansk City hub. The concept aims to unite displaced people from key cities in the Luhansk region, creating a complete living environment with modern infrastructure, jobs and social housing.
“Steel Dream is extremely important to us. It is a platform for shaping a vision of the future for our devastated cities. Unfortunately, the Luhansk region is among the areas hardest hit by the war. Towns such as Popasna, Shchastia and Sievierodonetsk have been virtually destroyed, forcing 200,000 residents to become internally displaced persons. Steel Dream gives us a new foothold for hope and helps us to move forward,” said Yevgeny Tselishchev, Deputy Director of the Department of International Technical Assistance at the Luhansk Regional State Administration.
Serhii Zakharov, Deputy Mayor of Mariupol, noted that the community has already secured two plots of land in Vasylkiv for the project, while almost 11 hectares have been allocated in Bila Tserkva for social-housing construction for displaced Mariupol residents.
“We have worked productively and now have a clear vision of what steel-frame social housing under the Steel Dream initiative will look like. It is an attractive and economically sound solution. We also plan to work with you on master planning for future construction in Bila Tserkva,” Zakharov added.
Oleksandr Marchenko, Deputy Head of the Bakhmut City Military Administration, said that cooperation with Steel Dream began with a concept for rebuilding Bakhmut’s residential quarters: an 87-hectare area designed to house 17,000 people.
“Steel Dream. Hlukhiv”
“That was followed by the ‘Steel Dream. Hoshcha’ project. We are now moving ahead with the construction of a neighbourhood in the Rivne region specifically for people from Bakhmut. The new district will house 3,500 people and include 22 buildings, a school, a nursery, full infrastructure and public spaces: everything required for the happy lives of its future residents,” he said.
At the close of the UBC, the “Steel Dream. Mariupol-Vasylkiv” and “Steel Dream. Bakhmut-Hoshcha” projects won the “Community Revival and Unity” category in Creator of the Year 2025, Ukraine’s leading architecture and development competition.
“Steel Dream. Mariupol-Vasylkiv”
The Steel Dream concept offers a suite of ready-to-implement solutions for housing, social infrastructure and commercial premises. A community can choose a project, adapt it to its needs, secure funding and start building immediately. Specialists have produced more than 200 ready-made designs based on three prefabricated steel elements: frame, module and platform. Each is accompanied by a full set of documentation: cost estimates, construction schedules, layout plans and technical specifications.
The Steel Dream initiative is managed by Metinvest Sichstal, which oversees Metinvest Group’s strategic investment projects.