---
title: "Ukrainian “MAMADs”: Why Israeli In-Apartment Bomb Shelters Double Costs and Fail to Meet Building Codes"
description: "Ukrainian developers are testing Israeli in-apartment bomb shelters, “MAMADs,” but a regulatory vacuum and doubled capital costs are hindering mass adoption. We break down the economics, engineering limitations, and gaps in the building codes."
date: 2026-09-17T10:34:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukrainian-mamads-israeli-in-apartment-bomb-shelters
tags: [ukraine, construction, safety, real-estate, mamad, civil-defense, building-norms]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukrainian “MAMADs”: Why Israeli In-Apartment Bomb Shelters Double Costs and Fail to Meet Building Codes

![Construction workers on site building reinforced structures: Ukrainian mamads double housing costs](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/18/ukrajinskie-mamady-izraelskie-komnaty-ukrytiya-v-kvartirah/ukrajinskie-mamady-izraelskie-komnaty-ukrytiya-v-kvartirah-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Ukrainian developers are adapting the Israeli MAMAD standard for pilot multi-story projects, but mass adoption is not happening
- Integrating a safety room increases housing costs by 3–4% and limits re-planning
- The current DBN V.2.2-5:2023 codes do not contain the concept of a “MAMAD,” so in-apartment shelters do not free the developer from the obligation to build underground shelters
- “MAMADs” protect against secondary destruction (glass, facade debris) but not against a direct hit, and they place a load on the building’s structure

The Ukrainian construction market is going through a difficult period of adaptation to the realities of war: if in 2022 the question of protecting residents from aerial strikes was perceived primarily as a task for the state and the military, then by 2026 developers are increasingly looking for engineering solutions at the level of an individual apartment. One of the most discussed is the adaptation of the Israeli MAMAD standard — personal safety rooms built into residential premises. According to RBC-Ukraine, the first reinforced rooms began to appear in the country as early as 2023–2024, and in a targeted manner: in private houses in western Ukraine and in the Kyiv region. However, “MAMADs” have never become a mass trend in multi-story construction — and the reasons lie not only in engineering complexity but also in a regulatory vacuum.

### What a Ukrainian “MAMAD” Looks Like

In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Alexey Koval, CEO of the construction company Perfect Group, stated that the developer is designing safety rooms for a pilot project of a multi-story club house. As he clarified in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, this refers to an internal room of 3–4 square meters with reinforced reinforced-concrete structures and its own ventilation. This is, in essence, a simplified version of the Israeli MAMAD, which in its original form assumes armored shutters, an explosion-proof door, and a filtration system against chemical and biological threats — and whose construction is enshrined at the legislative level in Israel. Ukraine has no analogous law, which is what gives rise to the main problem.

### Economics: A 3–4% Markup and the Loss of Layout Flexibility

According to Perfect Group’s estimates, integrating a safety room into a project increases the cost of housing by approximately 3–4%. At first glance, this is not a catastrophic figure; however, it conflicts with another consequence: the possibilities for further apartment re-planning are substantially limited. A buyer who purchases housing with a reinforced-concrete block built into the structure effectively loses part of the functional flexibility of the space. Dmitry Vasylov, CEO and co-founder of the architectural firm Archimatika, emphasizes that a monolithic reinforced-concrete block overloads the load-bearing structure of the entire building and noticeably increases construction costs, so integrating such a solution is only advisable in projects in the higher price segment.

### A Regulatory Dead End: Building Codes Don’t Know What a “MAMAD” Is

The main barrier to the mass adoption of in-apartment shelters is the mismatch with state building codes. Yelena Ryzhova, Commercial Director of the developer “Intergal-Bud,” notes that under the current code DBN V.2.2-5:2023 “Protective Structures of Civil Defense,” new buildings must necessarily have shelters or dual-purpose structures. At the same time, as PBG “Kovalska” points out in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, the current codes do not contain the concept of a “MAMAD” or “shelters in apartments.” Engineering an integrated reinforced room with backup ventilation is technically possible, however, such solutions will not meet the official DBN requirements for protective structures. The consequence is straightforward: equipping in-apartment shelters does not free the developer from the obligation to build an underground shelter, but merely doubles the capital costs of the project.

### What a “MAMAD” Protects Against — and What It Does Not

Dmitry Vasylov explains that personal safety rooms do have practical value: they substantially reduce the time a resident needs to move into a protected space, which is critically important during an air raid alert. In addition, such a room can shield against the indirect consequences of a strike — shattered glass, window frames, facade elements, and interior finishes that are destroyed by the blast wave. However, 3–4 square meters of reinforced concrete will not save you from a direct missile hit or from the destruction of the building’s load-bearing structures. This is not a shelter in the civil-defense sense, but rather a buffer against secondary destruction, and it is precisely this difference that potential buyers need to understand.

### Context: Underground Parking and the Update of Codes

In parallel with the discussion of in-apartment “MAMADs,” another initiative is gaining momentum in Kyiv: residents of the Left Bank have called on the authorities to equip communal underground parking lots of dual purpose near metro stations. Such facilities could be used as shelters, and the corresponding petition, as of September 2026, is at the stage of collecting signatures. In the broader regulatory context, it is worth noting that Ukraine has recently updated the state building codes for preschool educational institutions — they will take effect on October 1, 2026. This indicates that the system of regulatory protection of citizens in construction continues to evolve, but has not yet kept pace with developers’ engineering initiatives.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [The Israeli Experience in Ukraine: Why Developers Aren’t Making In-Apartment Shelters Mass-Market](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/-izrayilskiy-dosvid-ukrayini-chomu-zabudovniki-1789638459.html) - Единственный источник. Содержит прямые цитаты СЕО Perfect Group Алексея Коваля, коммерческого директора «Интергал-Буд» Елены Рыжовой, СЕО Archimatika Дмитрия Васильева, а также комментарии ПБГ «Ковальська». Цифры (3–4% удорожания, 3–4 кв. м) приведены как оценки компании. Нормативная ссылка на ГСН В.2.2-5:2023 подтверждена. Противоречий внутри источника не обнаружено.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is a “MAMAD” and where does the term come from?
**A:** MAMAD is an Israeli standard for a personal in-apartment shelter, equipped with armored shutters, an explosion-proof door, and filtration against chemical and biological (CB) threats. In Israel, the construction of such rooms is enshrined by law. In Ukraine, developers are adapting a simplified version: a 3–4 sq. m. room with reinforced reinforced-concrete structures and ventilation.

### Q: Why haven’t “MAMADs” become a mass trend in Ukrainian high-rises?
**A:** The main reasons: the current DBN V.2.2-5:2023 codes do not contain the concept of a “MAMAD” or an “in-apartment shelter,” so such a solution does not free the developer from the obligation to build an underground shelter and merely doubles capital costs. In addition, the reinforced-concrete block overloads the building’s structure and limits re-planning.

### Q: How much does housing cost increase when a safety room is installed?
**A:** According to Perfect Group’s estimates, integrating a safety room increases the project cost by approximately 3–4%. At the same time, the possibilities for further re-planning of the apartment are substantially limited.

### Q: What does an in-apartment “MAMAD” actually protect against?
**A:** According to Dmitry Vasylov, CEO of Archimatika, a safety room reduces the time needed to move into a protected space and shields against the indirect consequences of a strike: shattered glass, window frames, facade elements, and finishes. It does not protect against a direct missile hit or the destruction of load-bearing structures.

### Q: Are developers required to build underground shelters if apartments have “MAMADs”?
**A:** Yes. Since the current building codes do not recognize “MAMADs” as a protective structure, the developer is not exempt from the requirement to build an underground shelter or a dual-purpose structure. A room in an apartment merely complements, but does not replace, the mandatory shelter.