Ukraine will need around 3.5 million tonnes of steel for the restoration of housing and social infrastructure – Metinvest-SMC

Representatives of government and business, including builders, developers, architects and banks, spent two days discussing how to work together to ensure Ukraine's rapid recovery in line with the principle of “Build Back Better”. The Confederation of Builders of Ukraine and the DMNTR | Home and Interior Media Group organised the forum.

“The beginning of the country's large-scale reconstruction depends on the victory. According to our estimates, around 3.5 million tonnes of steel will be needed to restore housing and social infrastructure. We have taken into account the extent of the destruction of buildings, with more than 65,000 affected, and the average metal content of these facilities. The restoration will require time – forecast at between five to ten years – so we also considered average annual metal consumption. We have steel for the reconstruction, and Metinvest is ready to meet the country's steel needs,” said Tetyana Skrypka, Head of the Construction Sector Project Office at Metinvest-SMC, after the forum.

During the Steel Dream presentation, forum participants learned more about the prefabrication technologies that underlie housing and social infrastructure projects, including construction from large, prefabricated elements such as steel modules, frameworks and platforms. In addition to technologies and planning solutions, Metinvest-SMC presented a ready-made interior design for each building type.

Steel Dream is based on the principle of “build Ukrainian” and unites various domestic producers. In the six months since the presentation of the first concept, around 50 partners have joined the project, including steel fabrication plants, designers, furniture producers and building materials manufacturers. Therefore, communities can choose any level of finishing, including the furniture and interior design.

Another principle underlying the concept is Build Back Better. It means that all housing and social infrastructure projects prioritise the use of prefabricated solutions, transparency (open budget and construction schedules), sustainability, modularity, inclusiveness and construction speed. For example, a single-storey house can be built in three months, an eight-storey one in nine months, a kindergarten or clinic in four months, a shelter in a month, and a school in a year.

The Steel Dream team works both with local communities, helping to adapt projects to their needs, and with international foundations to become suppliers of ready-made solutions..

In addition to Mariupol, the authorities of two other Ukrainian cities have expressed their readiness to restore destroyed facilities with Steel Dream projects. Negotiations and work on building projects adapted to local conditions are being conducted with several communities.

In addition, considering the significant  interest in the Steel Dream concept, especially from foreign partners, the project team is undergoing accreditation at international foundations for approval of the project.

By way of background, in May 2023, Metinvest-SMC introduced the Steel Dream concept for the country's recovery. It includes more than 200 ready-made building projects based on three prefabricated steel elements (prefab solutions): a framework, a module and a platform.

These are residential buildings (one-to-eight storey buildings, dormitories, and hotels), social infrastructure (schools, kindergartens, and clinics) and infrastructure facilities (parking lots, sports facilities and underground shelters).

The projects include the complete package of documents, including estimates, construction schedules, planning, and technical solutions.