Sustainable quarter Bratislava, Slovakia
The revitalization project for the Vydrica district is located in a place of great importance for the image of the city of Bratislava, at the foot of the hill on which the Castle stands. The site occupies an area that reaches the bank of the Danub and is visible from a great distance. The intervention at the foot of the castle becomes part of the skyline of this most iconic part of the city, depicted in paintings and photos. The project of the new eco-sustainable neighbourhood, which originates from the sediment of the demolitions that took place between 1948 and 1967, takes its cue from the comparison with this image to create a dialogue with its constituent elements. To achieve this, we took into account the two natural elements that are, respectively, the background and Bratislava’s setting: the hill and the river, which today, however, are disconnected in the image of the city. We therefore decided to restore a unitary image of the city by connecting the two elements through a distinctive choice of materials and the enhancement of certain monuments that act as a trait d’union along the new path. The attention to urban monuments such as the Cathedral of San Martino, the Water Tower, the Castle Hill and the Danube ensure a visual continuity with the old city that now serves as a background for the new buildings. The design choices are therefore aimed at increasing the new transversal connections between the castle and the Danube, precisely to restore a unitary vision that does not currently exist. So, we thought of a system of new access routes that connect the surrounding landscape with the city through a new walkway along the Danube that leads to the historical center of the city and new residences. The hill and the river are thus connected by paths and lie amidst the new artifacts. The buildings, with their divided and differentiated step structure, reinterpret the distinctive features of the old town with a contemporary language and create a bond representing its history and complexity. The parts of the historic center, divided since the demolitions, have once again entered dialogue.
Credits: Design Architects: Tstudio, R. Grio, G. Salimei con E. Ravà e F. Contuzzi
Published in: Metamorfosi Quaderni di Architettura n.4, PP. 68-71– Lettera Ventidue Edizioni, nSiracusa 2018 ISSN 1590 -1394 – ISBN 9788862422659 • SALIMEI G. (2012- 2° ed. 2015), City Landscape. Bari: Ilios Editore ISBN 9788890802430 pp. 70-77 • Demain la ville? La péripherie à travers le concours Europan, Techniques & Architecture, 427,1996, p. 81-82 • The town on the bridge, Europan 4, European results, ed. Europan, Parigi, 1997 p. 51-53 • Costruire la ville sur la ville. Transformation de sites urbains contemporaines, Europan session France, Les éditions de l’Imprimeur, Paris, 1997 pp. 24-30, 95-106 • Dossier, 74, Moniteur Architecture AMC, 1996 p. 7, 39-41 • FórumArchitektury 7-8/96 MesacníkApolkuArchitektovSlov. p. 2-6 • FórumArchitektury 12/96 MesacníkSpolkuArchitektovSlov. p. 1-3 • SlovenskéStavebníctvo 11/96, pp. 6-9 • Projekt, revue slovenskejarchitektúry 1/97, pp. 19-20 • ARCH och 10-12/96 pp. 10-11 • Urbanisme, 297, 1997 pp. 19-22 • Staromestskénoviny, 25/07/1996 p.3 • Construire la ville sur la ville, transformation de sites urbains contemporains, Europazn France presentation des resultats de la 4° session p. 4, 39-41 • Catalogo EIRE – Expo Italia Real Estate 2010, p. 290-293
