Clemens Lehr, Smart Lodges

Indeed a great achievement for our young company — and a strong example of development aid at its best.Many thanks to our Japanese partners Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Daiwatech for their trust and long-term commitment to Ukraine.And a huge thank you to our dedicated Ukrainian team, who delivered what initially seemed impossible: planning and design, prefabrication at our Ukrainian factory, and on-site assembly and fit-out in less than three months — despite –20°C temperatures, snow, logistical challenges and recurring power outages caused by ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure.After starting production only in September 2025 and initially exporting 2D prefabricated elements to EU housing developers, we have now successfully delivered our first houses in Ukraine.Importantly, this project is only one application of what we are building. Beyond single-family housing, we are actively developing hybrid construction solutions for multi-family buildings as well as serial renovation systems for Ukraine’s existing housing stock — particularly for poorly insulated panel buildings where energy efficiency is critical for resilience, safety and dignity, not only in peacetime but also under wartime conditions.We are ready to scale. We are currently installing a Weinmann CNC production line, enabling us to industrially produce 2D elements for hundreds of housing units per year — made in Ukraine, for Ukraine and beyond. Smart Lodges10 Follower:innen3 Std. • Bearbeitet •On 15 January 2026, we officially opened our first construction project in Ukraine — a milestone moment for our entire team.For our Japanese client Daiwatech, we delivered single-family houses for internally displaced people (IDPs) — designed, prefabricated and built in Ukraine.Key elements of the houses were industrially prefabricated at our Smart Lodges factory in Western Ukraine. Thanks to industrial prefabrication, clear processes and an exceptional local team, we completed the entire project (including architectural drawings, utility connections and foundations, fit out and furniture) in under three months, with only a few weeks of on-site construction.What makes us most proud is the commitment of our Ukrainian colleagues, who worked through Christmas and New Year to deliver this project on time. This was truly a project by people for people — Ukrainians building for Ukrainians, supported by strong international partners.The official opening took place during a formal ceremony attended by the owner of Daiwatech, the Japanese Ambassador, representatives of the @Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as the funding organisation, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and future residents.Beyond this first project, our ambition goes much further. At Smart Lodges Ukraine, we are building industrial capacity in Ukraine to prefabricate affordable, energy-efficient buildings and building elements — with Ukrainian production, Ukrainian know-how and local value creation

.We are open to partnerships with development agencies, donors, impact investors and companies looking for scalable, industrial housing and renovation solutions in Ukraine.#UkraineReconstruction#IDPHousing#EnergyEfficiency#Prefabrication#BuiltInUkraine#DevelopmentCooperation