Reconstruction projects in Ukraine should include a second phase considering ESG criteria, Markus Querner, a managing partner at the Austrian engineering company iC consulenten, said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"Updated European laws and standards change how we view buildings and construction. In Austria, this is a challenge. Without knowledge of ESG (Economic, Social, and Corporate Governance), without attention to CO2 issues, no project is currently being implemented," he said, commenting on the requirements for zero emissions for new buildings in the EU by 2030.

Regarding Ukraine, Querner recommended considering the EU's stringent requirements in two phases during project design and implementation. According to him, reconstruction should be carried out, and necessary infrastructure created as quickly and efficiently as possible, but considering ESG and CO2 issues in Europe, a second phase of reconstruction with ESG criteria should be planned.

"Rebuild Ukraine as soon as possible, but do it in a way that, in 5-10 years, you could, for example, install photovoltaic panels on the roof and plant a large amount of greenery to reduce urban heat. So, the roof needs to be stronger due to wind loads. But first and foremost, you need to build buildings. We went through this in Austria after World War II. There were no discussions about beautiful historic buildings, only about how to restore housing and infrastructure. But in the second phase, of course, you will improve buildings. And if we think about improvement right now during design, we can do it faster and easier," Querner said.

He also highlighted the issue of circular economy and reuse of building materials.

"If you face the large task of country restoration, this direction can be part of your recovery approach. Sometimes, to speed up, you will just have to implement projects in the shortest possible way and not think about reusing materials. But I am sure: with a two-phase approach, you need to think about this from the beginning, at the design stage, while construction can be carried out in two stages to make the project as efficient and quickly implemented as possible," Querner said.

Founded in 1989, iC consulenten is an international engineering and consulting company providing comprehensive management and infrastructure development services. iC has extensive expertise in high-rise construction, tunnel design and technical supervision, infrastructure projects ranging from healthcare to energy, design, technical supervision, and project management.

iC group is a team of more than 640 professionals in three main offices in Vienna and Salzburg (Austria) and in Ljubljana (Slovenia). In addition, there are a number of branches, project and site offices around the world, among them Albania, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Türkiye and others.

iC has been actively present on the Ukrainian market since 2006 and officially registered in 2013 as iC consulenten LLC. iC Ukraine performs project management functions in more than 20 communities. Among the major programs in 2024 in partnership with Nefco, funded by the European Union, are new construction and reconstruction of housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and restoration and reconstruction of critical infrastructure.

Other consulting services are provided in the sectors of transport infrastructure, environmental protection, sustainable building certification, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects.