public space west of zakmardy palace development2016

design: biro
project team: saša košuta, mario kralj, dora lončarić
client: city of varaždin
location: habdelićeva street, varaždin
status: architectural competition, 1st award
project year: 2016

The delicate context of the location in question requires a thoughtful minimal gesture to bring the public area next to the Zakmardy Palace to life. Considering the proximity of the park, the children's playground and the main city square, it is important to create new moments of urbanity that are not merely repetitions of existing nearby themes.

The walkable public space in question is connected to pedestrian routes, creating an area of stillness -- more characteristic of a square than a street. An analysis of the pedestrian paths demonstrates the formation of a central zone of movement. This zone is deliberately extended so as to eliinate the ambience of a pathway, with the extension directed towards the western block (which has the potential to come to life together with the square). The movement zone is in a continuous gentle slope from the level of the park to the level of Habdelić Street and is thereby slightly depressed in relation to the surrounding resting zones. The still zones overlook the movement zones, which makes them safer and more attractive in sensory terms.

The traditional pavement in a contemporary grid blends the new square well with the old city center. The gable facade of the western block is enriched with a vertical garden - a contemporary urban form of greenery distinguished from the nearby park greenery, which should not be competed with. This way, the atmosphere of the greenery and nature is still present in the square, but as a new type of attraction. In order to achieve the atmosphere of urban residence in a new kind of space, the use of a system of mobile urban furniture has been suggested.