Stantec, an architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firm, has been selected as the winner of an international competition organized by the State Tax University (STU) to redesign its Main Campus building. The building was partially destroyed in 2022 during the early stages of the war. The international call for redesign proposals was launched in November 2024, free of charge and "open to all design bureaus, architectural firms, and individual architects from every corner of the globe." The goal of the competition was to develop a 21st-century educational building described as a "progressive and comfortable place for learning, research, and student leisure based on innovative educational standards," as stated in the competition announcement.
The State Tax University, a higher education institution under the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, is located in Irpin, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital, Kyiv. The university offers degrees in public finance, law, and accounting. Stantec's proposal was partly chosen for its engagement with Irpin's identity as the "City of Parks." The design positions the rebuilding of the university as a "catalyst for academic, social, and ecological regeneration," in line with STU's ambition to become an international research hub. The main building is reimagined as a central gathering place, a regenerative civic and academic hub intended to foster cultural exchange.
The proposal was selected from among 49 entries from 18 countries, evaluated by a jury composed of Ukrainian, European, and American architects. The jury was chaired by Wendy Hillis, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Campus Architect at UC Berkeley (United States), with Vitaly Melnyk, Vice President of UDP (Ukraine), serving as Jury Secretary. Other jurors included Kasper Heiberg Frandsen (Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Denmark); Antonina Kaplya (TSEH Architectural Group, Ukraine); Ivan Kipish, former Chief Architect of the City of Irpin (Ukraine); David Lenox, University Architect and Director of Campus Planning at Stanford University (United States); Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance of Ukraine; Steve Wiesenthal, Campus Environments Principal at Studio Gang (United States); and Szymon Wojciechowski, President of APA Wojciechowski Architects (Poland).
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Heritage in Syria: Independent Groups Documenting the Country’s Historic ArchitectureThe STU International Architectural Competition was sponsored by the U.S.-based nonprofit Center for Innovation, in partnership with the State Tax University, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian NGO Dobrobat. This volunteer construction organization supports the restoration of housing and social infrastructure.
The jury unanimously agreed that this submission presented a strong engagement with the city of Irpin and the forest nearby. We liked the openness of the plan and the way the proposed buildings draw people into the site while also offering transparency of common areas. — Wendy Hillis, architectural competition jury chair.
With the war ongoing, this project adds to a growing number of initiatives aimed at the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. In January 2025, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) included Ukraine in its 2025 World Monuments Watch, highlighting 25 heritage sites facing critical challenges. Reflecting this context, the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale explores the intersection of traditional building techniques and improvised construction during wartime. Similarly, the Latvian Pavilion at the Biennale examines the spatial impact of war, presenting an exhibition on how military defense strategies shape the country's border landscapes.
