Ukraine faces one of the most extensive reconstruction tasks in Europe since World War ll. According to the World Bank’s RDNA2 report, damage to housing alone was estimated at over 50 billion dollars as early as February 2023.
In 2025, UN analyses show that 13% of the country’s homes are damaged or destroyed, and 2.5 million households are directly affected. This represents not only a major humanitarian and social problem, but also a structural challenge for Ukraine’s future development, security, and integration into European institutions.
Reconstruction must take place in several phases – emergency, medium-term, and long-term – and must account for both the ongoing nature of the war and the need to create attractive, safe, and modern communities that Ukrainians want to return to. It is not only about repairing what once was, but about building anew: homes, neighbourhoods, and cities that are resilient to physical threats, climate change, and social challenges. This requires new expertise, new standards, and new forms of collaboration.
The project is highly relevant for the Norwegian construction industry. After the Covid pandemic, the sector has experienced a decline in activity, with increased risk of layoffs and bankruptcies. The reconstruction of Ukraine represents an enormous investment need in construction, infrastructure, and real estate, and gives Norwegian actors the opportunity to position themselves early and contribute with technology, expertise, and solutions – particularly within sustainability, digitalisation, and security.
Through the Norway–Ukraine Building and Construction Hub, Norwegian companies gain insight into Ukrainian framework conditions, regulations, and needs, thereby improving their prospects for succeeding internationally. The project can contribute to increased export of Norwegian services and products, especially from contractors, consultants, and technology providers. Collaboration with Ukrainian actors provides access to new perspectives that can drive innovation in the Norwegian sector, and joint R&D and pilot projects offer valuable learning and development of new solutions.
A central need in Ukraine’s reconstruction is access to systematised knowledge and best practices within construction, civil engineering, and real estate. Here, Byggforskserien (the SINTEF Building Research Design Guides), developed and published by SINTEF since 1958, can play a key role. It contains documented performance requirements, solutions, and recommendations for the design, execution, and management of buildings, and has been a cornerstone in the development of quality and safety in the Norwegian construction industry.
Through the project, we will explore how Byggforskserien can be adapted to the Ukrainian market, where the need for structured competence and effective solutions is urgent.
SINTEF’s knowledge-based approach can contribute to professionalisation and efficiency in the reconstruction. By making selected relevant guidelines from Byggforskserien available in Ukrainian, in collaboration with Ukrainian professional environments, the project can help establish a shared technical platform for quality and safety. This will also support Ukraine’s alignment with European standards and practices, and help build bridges between the Norwegian and Ukrainian sectors.
For Ukraine, the project provides access to Norwegian expertise in sustainable construction, digital planning, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation. This can contribute to more robust, modern, and future-oriented solutions in the reconstruction.
Partnerships between SINTEF, NTNU, and EBA strengthen Ukrainian institutions and businesses, and provide a basis for long-term relationships and capacity building. Through joint learning and knowledge sharing, Ukrainian actors gain access to international experience and best practices, which will contribute to faster and more effective reconstruction.
The project also supports Ukraine’s approach to European integration by contributing to the development and implementation of standards and practices aligned with EU requirements. This is crucial for Ukraine’s future membership prospects and for ensuring that reconstruction takes place in a manner compatible with European norms and values.