PUBLIC SERIES
an urban square doomed to live with vehicle traffic for so long that it has forgotten the meaning of enjoying the companionship of people. a non-place in the middle of the city center acting improperly to fleeting inhabitants, wasting time all alone...
it is time to behave more decent to make friends and spend some time together!
the ring
reclaims victory's colossal traffic jam back to its original promises and invigorates social activity
the victory square, literally heart of prague 6, is a lately developed area differentiating from the old city with abruptly emerging wide boulevards flowing to a unique horseshoe shape. a.engels planned it as an urban square which in time became severely inhuman, amplified by heavy traffic turning into a non-permeable urban void, unattractive to be claimed as a vibrant public space. a simple solution is created through transitional and functional integration to uncover the potential of this urban void. as the horseshoe employs necessary daily activities for living, the transition to the circle of the roundabout welcomes social community activities unified around the ring isolated by a thick urban jungle. for an iconic visual impact and to give an impression of walking into a deep forest, intense, tall, local and evergreen trees are planned to be used when densifying the landscape of the horseshoe. the trees also mask the visual and aural effects of the excessive traffic flow and support a comfortable social zone.
year
size
location
theme
status
2018
78.500 m2
czechia
prague
public space
competition
un-entry
as a historically planned urban void victory square is not fully implemented according to the original plan for various reasons. in any case most of the problems occur due to its inhuman scale. it seems to be defeated by the overwhelming urban traffic. the center of the square is not reachable to people which means half of the area is an anti-space. there is no shortcuts for people. the scale is not human. how do we uncover the potential of this urban void to retrieve to the public realm of the city and as a result improve the quality of city life and make the place more attractive? increasing permability physically and virtually will make it easier and comfortable to access and attract its users which will make them own and sustain the place.
the cities are not static and so are the societies. streets and squares are the dynamic networks and connecting nodes of a viable city and communities. the streets and squares with inadequate infrastructure and unfunctional use do not help the hasty eyes and make people ignore them, perceiving as dead, unattractive, uneasy to use non-places, wasted spaces; public realms and resources.
how do we uncover the potential of this urban void to retrieve the public realm of the city and as a result improve the quality of urban life and convert to a charming place enduring in memories?
“
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the project zone
the existing and unfinished horseshoe plan consists of unbuilt plots temporarily used as green public area and parking. The project zone is mainly an urban void, an unused traffic island, a dead place, an anti-space, a no man’s land.
the horseshoe
the finished horseshoe with the current traffic plan will leave no room to public space. A diameter of 100m is not used at all. The residual area is divided by traffic lanes in all probable directions, disintegrating the efficiency of public space, not easy to use.
a holistic view
the collective memory of the horseshoe effect boosted with a solid green area, easy to access from the peripheries which get back the human scale. The traffic lanes (tramway, car, bus) around the perimeter need little effort and attention to cross over.
the ring
the existing lines of the trafic lanes and the roundabout is used as an underlay for the pedestrian streets reaching into the park, unifying under the circle, transition from the necessary activities of city life to stimulating social activities, intensifying the heart of the community.
the ring presents more space for pedestrians, optimizes the plot into a massive and united urban jungle by reducing accessiblity obstacles, densifies the urban landscape, and slows down the urban traffic with greetings to a.engels!
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the form of the ring derives from the transition line of the horseshoe plan to the circle of the roundabout. it is the heart of the district which makes it a place suitable for the communal activities from theme markets to art festivals, safe from the surrounding traffic flow visual and aural, creating a place on its own that shape livable communities with a unifying flexibility and freedom. the eight path leading to the circle accomodate various functions of daily life activities, like sitting, walking, running, sunbathing, coffee breaks, playgrounds, basketball, sports, roller skating... etc or just an extraordinary shortcut from work back to home or a place to get lost in space and time.
