The Bratislava Riverside development is a major redevelopment of a former exhibition area in the Slovak capital city centre, idle for a long time. Situated along the river Danube, only 5 minutes walking distance from downtown Bratislava, the area has the potential to create new living and working areas with a strong identity, whilst enjoying spectacular views of the river.
The commission comprises the development of a masterplan for the area based on the general zoning requirements of the city. The brief requires a maximum utilisation of the site and simultaneously a strong identity for the area, resulting in high quality spaces and services for the future inhabitants and business operations. To create an urban fabric and layout that can be a counterpart to a traditional city centre, the design is informed by the idea of reinterpreting the urban tissue of historic riverfront cities.
The proposal seeks to maximise the spatial and programmatic diversity and complexity, and consists of traditional urban perimeter blocks typical for Central Europe at the turn of the 20th century. In order to increase the architectural diversity of the plan each block will be assigned to a different architect. The proximity of the river allows for the possibility of considering energy efficient developments such as thermo activation, heat pumps and other new building technologies. The centre block of the development; the River House hovers over the water and marks the area for all visitors and inhabitants arriving from the riverside or entering from the south by car, thus creating a unique landmark for this new city centre.
design 2002-2006
