Panno-School + 3Cycle are jointly developing a scalable, open-source building system for public facilities in Ukraine. The building system responds to the growing demand for sustainable, high-quality and efficient solutions for education, healthcare and community infrastructure in the reconstruction of the country.
The collaboration is driven by a shared ambition: to move beyond one-off projects and temporary solutions. Panno-School + 3Cycle are therefore developing a generic building system that is scalable and efficient, provides consistent quality, and at the same time allows room for local context, culture and traditions.
The Panno-School team includes Orange Architects (NL), NOVA – New Office of Vital Architecture (UA) and ReThink (UA). Together, they focus on the development and scaling of educational environments that combine architectural quality, spatial comfort and long-term public value. The 3Cycle team consists of MEE Modular (NL), Creatomus Solutions (EE) and AGStudios Architects (UA). They developed an open-source modular timber building system. This system has already been successfully applied in several completed projects and embodies a flexible, architecturally appealing approach to construction, enabling digital coordination and local production.

As a next step, Panno-School and the 3Cycle-team are developing PANNO PROTOTYPE, a full-scale testcase, in Ukraine. This takes place within the Dutch SBIR Innovation Programme, supported and funded by RVO Netherlands, and forms a crucial step towards large-scale application. The prototype is not conceived as a final building, but as a test and implementation platform.
The prototype aims to validate the modular system and test the energy performance according to passive house principles. In addition, circular and biobased materials are applied. Within this setup, the project explores the possibilities for local production and collaboration with regional partners.

Sustainability is approached holistically. The system is designed to be Paris Proof, both in terms of material-related emissions through biobased production and operational energy use according to passive house principles. This makes the system EU-compliant and suitable for international public funding and procurement frameworks.

“The building system responds to the growing demand for sustainable, high-quality and efficient solutions for education, healthcare and community infrastructure in the reconstruction of Ukraine.’’

The building system is intentionally generic in structure. This enables efficiency and scalability, while each application allows for unique, site-specific and culturally embedded solutions. Each building is adaptable to local climate conditions, building traditions, craftsmanship, and the surrounding urban context, resulting in architecture that is both distinct and rooted in its place.
Beyond technical performance, the project aims to contribute to sustainable reconstruction in a broader sense. By strengthening local economies, stimulating craftsmanship and construction capacity, new buildings are firmly embedded within their social and cultural environment. Innovation is combined with local knowledge, creating buildings that are both forward-looking and contextually grounded.

“The building system is intentionally generic in structure, enabling efficiency and scalability, while each application allows for unique, site-specific and culturally embedded solutions.”

Following the completion of the concept design phase, Panno-School + 3Cycle are looking for partners for the next step of the project. This includes identifying a suitable pilot location and engaging a construction and timber partner to further develop the concept into a buildable design. In addition, they are reaching out to public and institutional partners to support future phases and the long-term scaling of the system to public buildings, including Panno-School kindergartens and schools.