Creating a platform for learning, landmark of resilience, and symbol of a city’s renewal

State Tax University New Main Campus Building

Located in Irpin, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, the State Tax University (STU) had been destroyed in the early phases of the regional conflict. In partnership with STU, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, Dobrobat (a Ukrainian volunteer construction organization), and the Center for Innovation sponsored the STU International Architectural Competition to help rebuild and restore the main campus building.

The international competition received 49 entries from 18 countries. Juried by Ukrainian, European, and American architects, entries needed to achieve broad ranging goals including new learning modalities, sustainability, equity, and accessibility. Ultimately, the jury unanimously selected our team’s submission, which presented a space uniting education, nature, and community.

We set out to embrace the spirit of Irpin, known as the “City of Parks”—rooted in community, strengthened by nature, and emboldened by the pursuit of knowledge. Our design reimagines the university not merely as a rebuilt institution but as a catalyst for academic, social, and ecological regeneration.

The new main campus building concept reflects STU’s aspiration to become a regional and international hub for research and academic excellence. At the heart of this vision is the principle of Design for All: an inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable approach that ensures equity, accessibility, and long-term value.

The STU’s reimagined main building will serve as a central gathering space, a regenerative civic and academic hub where collaboration, research, and cultural exchange can flourish. More than a building, it will become an open framework for the future—a platform for learning, landmark of resilience, and symbol of Irpin’s renewal.