Then came the flames.
In a matter of minutes, Alla Pylypenko's home had been transformed from a happy family residence to a huge burning heap of rubble. The teacher remembers the awful afternoon in March when the Russian tanks attacked her village in the Chernihiv region. She recalls howshells hit her house and fire then quickly consumed it.
She speaks with feeling when she describes what the building used to be like.
She sends an old photo via WhatsApp that depicts a sizable estate with balconies and a pond in the front yard. After the attack, photos reveal the walls, now covered in soot, that were ruined by the onslaught.
Mrs Pylypenko's family now has a new house in the garden of their old one. This factory-made house was put together over a few days in the autumn.
A donation to the family, the building was one of the first of its kind crafted by Ukrainian firm HOMErs. According to them, their designs could potentially aid large numbers of refugees and those still in Ukraine who have lost their abodes due to the conflict.
HOMErs, formerly known as Tera Monada, offers a selection of modular residences, built from factory-manufactured components that can be assembled quickly to attain the desired final design.
Considering the amount of destruction in Ukraine, any rebuilding efforts must be swift and economical. The World Bank approximated in March that $411bn (£323bn) would be necessary for reconstructing the nation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned a cost of $1tn in the past.
According to Mrs Pylypenko, there are around two hundred dwellings in her neighborhood that have been ruined, thus, she insists that modular houses are extremely essential for them.
Mrs Pylypenko remarks that her fresh property is much less extensive than her prior one. In spite of this, it is the sole building in her village which can host six people, counting her 10-month-old granddaughter. Her daughter, who was with child during the Russian strike on the hamlet last year, was taken to Poland by volunteers, where she gave birth.
Sadly, Alex Stepura, co-founder of HOMErs, is familiar with this situation which is experienced by many Ukrainians.
He mentions, "In our own company, a lot of our people have been deprived of their homes, houses, and apartments," noting how, over the past year or so, makeshift shipping container homes have become ubiquitous in the nation.
Mr Stepura and his team have designed modular homes that are made up of numerous three-by-three metre parts. The entire residence, including furniture and household appliances, can be broken down, placed in boxes, and fit onto one lorry, he states.
Thus far, a spokesperson from HOMErs has noted that the organization has delivered approximately 50 homes to families in Ukraine. In a recording shared by the company, the process of bringing the construction together was demonstrated by having factory workers slot a wall section into a foundation piece and then combining the two pieces together by pushing the lever downwards.
Mr Stepura's and Chris Baxter's Kyiv factory is currently producing roughly 10 homes a month. The two partners are looking to acquire around €5m (£4.2m) to construct a factory in Slovakia, which they believe will allow them to produce several hundred homes every month.
With decades of experience in engineering and robotics, Mr Stepura has established companies that manufacture vending machines and drones among other products. Notably, some of his drones are being utilized for reconnaissance operations by the Ukrainian military.
He suggests that modular homes should be designed to be high-tech yet user-friendly; akin to a modern smartphone.
It must be acknowledged that this idea is not fresh. Modular homes have been a viable option for many years and Ikea and other businesses have put money into this notion. Mr Baxter proposes that the HOMErs modules will find a good harmony between cost and quality.
A three-module dwelling, set for grid connection and fully furnished, is sold for $18,000 (£14,000), and each additional module costs $6,000. Mr Baxter suggests that the plans could be beneficial for refugees of Ukraine living in foreign countries who have the intention to come back to their home country at some point.
He states that the houses can be relocated together with the individuals so that the country can be repopulated quickly, instead of waiting for the building to finish.
Gemma Burgess of the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research claims that, while theoretically possible, this has had little testing.
She suggests that, in order to rebuild towns and cities, it would be wise to use modular properties.
If constructing a high quantity of housing in Ukraine, it is likely more cost-efficient and faster.
Other initiatives in Ukraine are utilizing up-to-date technology to assist towns and cities in reconstructing themselves after shelling or missile strikes. An example is the 3D-printed school in Lviv, which is in the process of undergoing its second phase of construction. The Ukrainian company Well-being ConTech has also created prefabricated concrete building panels.
According to Dr Burgess, any such endeavors should stay away from imitating the rush of construction - usually of a low quality - that came after WWII in certain nations, for example, the UK. He added that "quality and sustainability are essential".
Businesses are increasingly incorporating more technology into their processes. Technological advancements are enabling them to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. As a result, they are able to compete more effectively in the market.
Mr Stepura emphasises his dedication to excellent design and stringent manufacturing practices. Mr Baxter is collecting one of the modular homes himself, which he will stay in during the renovation of his UK domicile in the imminent future. He notes that he has opted for the model that includes pre-fitted solar panels on the roof.
Modular homes present walls with 200mm-thick insulation, a measurement which is about twice the standard in the UK.
Mrs Pylypenko is grateful for the amenities that came with her fresh residence: an electric stove, a fridge, dishwasher, and washing machine. Though the house is petite - containing bunk beds for the adults, plus a cot for the baby - it is much better than the ruined basement of her past dwelling, which she had been inhabiting for a considerable amount of time.
She states, "We had no idea of how to exist." Her daily routine is still challenging. Out of the window of her modular home, Mrs Pylypenko can see the burnt, broken fragments of her former Ukrainian residence - a dilapidated shell that once was her domicile.
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