Center for Mother and Child "Unbreakable Mothers"

Center for Mother and Child "Unbreakable Mothers"

The "Unbreakable Mothers" town is the only one in Ukraine that provides temporary housing for women in pregnancy and mothers with children.

After the outbreak of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, many people were forced to leave their homes in search of a safer refuge. Lviv became such a place for many Ukrainians. The temporary housing project aims to shelter primarily families with children and mothers in pregnancy.

The "Unbreakable Mothers" mother and child center in Lviv was built for pregnant women and women in labor who fled the war. It has no analogues in Ukraine. 

Each of the two-story houses has 13 rooms. The first residents moved in in the summer of 2022. At the same time, 112 people will be able to live here.

The houses have all the conditions for comfortable temporary accommodation for women with children or who are expecting: bedrooms, laundry rooms, showers, toilets, rest rooms, children's areas, kitchens, dining rooms, boiler rooms. Along with the housing, they also arranged landscaping: walkways, a playground and a playground, and a lake nearby.

There are cleaners and a municipal guard that guards the premises around the clock. There is also a nurse who can provide first aid, examine children or adults if necessary.

It provides accommodation and social services, but no food. Each woman cooks for herself. However, there is close cooperation with volunteers who bring in various long-term storage products.

Mothers and children of all ages live here: from birth to 13 years old. Before settling in, each mother signs an individual contract with the Center, which specifies the duration of their stay. A woman can live here from the period of pregnancy to six months of the child's age. However, the period can be extended up to the age of one year. Women and men are not allowed to live in the town.

Residents have to return before the curfew. Women with children can go somewhere for a week: home, to visit. But they have to be warned about their departure. Those who want to leave for a longer period of time write an application.

Psychologists from the Lviv City Center for Social Services also come to the camp. They work with children and conduct art therapy. Here, women are helped with the production and restoration of documents.

Project characteristics

The project of a temporary shelter for internally displaced persons who were forced to leave or lost their homes due to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine was developed by Sulyk Architects. 

Two houses are located in Lviv, near the forest park area. One house can accommodate from 30 to 54 people, depending on the layout of the rooms.

Both buildings consist of 17 separate modules combined into one common two-story space. Each building has 13 rooms and is equipped with a common kitchen area, separate blocks of bathrooms, showers, and laundry facilities.  There is also a space for recreation, group classes, and remote work.  

The construction of the buildings consists of a wooden frame insulated with basalt and mineral wool. The outer volume of the houses was covered with light gray corrugated metal sheets. 

Two mirror houses with a common courtyard were built on the site. The space between the houses turns into a park with playgrounds and sports grounds, walking paths, and a lake.

The creators of the project note the speed of realization of such housing (up to three months) and the architectural rethinking of typical temporary housing.

The material was created from the resource the-village, zaxid.net and Chornomorsk Stroy Group.