Ukrainian architects Livyj Bereh win prestigious Dorfman Prize

Ukrainian architect Livyj Bereh has won the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize, taking home the £10,000 (€12,000) for one of the most prestigious architectural prizes in the world.

Livyj Bereh is a volunteer organisation working in Ukraine in response to the war. Of the four shortlisted artists, Livyj Bereh was singled out for its “essential and urgent response to the survival of communities.”

The organisation has worked extensively along the left bank of the Dnipro River from their Kyiv base, rebuilding roofs, homes, schools and hospitals.

Jury chairs Tom Emerson OBE RA and Stephanie Macdonald OBE RA, of 6a architects also said: “Their use of modest black corrugated metal roofs produces an architectural act of collective care and resistance across the country, as powerful as any civic monument and documented with the unflinching eye of the greatest war art.”

Kseniia Kalmus, co-founder of Livyj Bereh thanked the Royal Academy for the honour and its support to their cause, saying: “For our team, it is so significant that we receive the understanding of the importance of our work and the recognition of us as a volunteering group.”

Since May 2022, they have restored over 380 roofs across the Charkiv, Černihiv, and Kyiv regions at a cost of around €2000 per roof.

Alongside this hands-on restoration work, Livyj Bereh raises awareness globally through exhibitions, documenting the cultural and architectural heritage threatened by the conflict.

The Ukrainian organisation was awarded the Dorfman Prize at a prize giving ceremony at the Royal Academy in London on 31 October.

Sir Lloyd Dorfman said of Livyj Bereh: “Their work repairing roofs in Ukraine goes beyond a simple architectural process, restoring hope to communities affected by the ongoing conflict. I am proud that the RA Dorfman Prize continues to redefine the boundaries of architecture and introduce audiences to inspiring international talent.”

The three other nominees this year were:

bplus.xyz (Germany)

bplus.xyz (b+) are a collaborative architecture practice dedicated to reimagining and updating existing structures. Rejecting the notion that newer is inherently better, they work creatively within existing regulations to create dynamic spaces.

Notable projects include MAGNUS+ in Hamburg, a mixed-use redevelopment of a former ship engine factory, as well as the transformation of a former lingerie factory in Potsdam into a brutalist-style weekend villa.

TEN studio (Switzerland and Serbia)

Social engagement is at the core of their TEN studio’s work. A House for Five Women, for instance, is a co-housing project in Bosnia-Herzegovina designed for single, socially disadvantaged women.

Developed in partnership with Hazima Smjalovic, NGO Nas Izvor, Engineers Without Borders, and the Gradačac municipality, it features five private rooms surrounding shared living and garden spaces that balance individual and community needs.

Salima Naji (Morocco)

Since 2017, 53-year old architect and anthropologist Salima Naji has led the extensive restoration of Agadir, Morocco, a city devastated by an earthquake in 1960.

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In Morocco, a country frequently impacted by earthquakes, including in 2023, Naji’s work combines local techniques and modern solutions, such as wood-reinforced stone walls for earthquake resilience, which she shares with local workers.