Viedenska Cesta
TYPE: Urban Design
YEAR: 2022
LOCATION: Bratislava, Slovakia
SIZE: 40 ha
TEAM: What Architects, LABANC Studio, MAMA:, BB+GG
CLIENT: WYT
The Viedenska Cesta project is a masterplan for a mixed-use development with a predominantly residential focus located on the outskirts of the city of Bratislava, Slovakia.
Situated along the Vienna Road (Viedenska Cesta), the project is positioned on the historical axis connecting the city of Bratislava to its Austrian neighbor. Bordered by the national road on one side and a large wooded area on the other, the site is currently isolated but is part of a larger urban extension project in the south of Bratislava, encompassing 66 hectares of agricultural land between the Petrzalka district, the A2 highway, and Viedenska Ceta. As the initial phase of a long-term development project, the challenge of the Viedenska Cesta project is to introduce an urban scale into a peri-urban landscape while respecting the exceptional surrounding natural heritage.
The natural space bordering our site is a wild area sandwiched between heavy road infrastructures, namely a highway on one side and the Vienna national road on the other. Formerly a dried-up arm of the Danube, this natural zone is lush and adjacent to an even larger wooded area, namely the Pecniansky Woods.
The site features a distinct topography, with the national road at a higher elevation and the existing woods below, connected by a slope. Our proposal is situated on the edge of Viedenska Cesta, both below it to allow for some retreat and the introduction of a service road, and above the wooded area, which will be transformed into a public park. The built volumes rise on a green base that houses underground parking. To preserve the existing trees on the site, the built volumes are grouped into five blocks, with "bays" or green depressions carved between them to maintain the current level and, consequently, the existing trees.
The created landscape is composed of the following elements:
1. the streetscape: A secondary street is created to serve residential buildings and create a safe urban landscape for residents. The scale of the street promotes pedestrian circulation. Buildings align with the street to form a built front. Ground floors facing the street will be occupied by restaurants, communal spaces, and multipurpose rooms for residents.
2. the block Courtyards: Open spaces on the ground floor of residential buildings, comprising a semi-public communal garden on one side and private gardens for ground-floor apartments on the other. All building access is through these block courtyards.
3. the “Balcony”: The balcony is the public walkway overlooking the wooded park that runs alongside the built blocks. It signifies a gentle transition between the semi-public sphere of residential blocks and the public park below.
4. the “Talud”: This is the created topography that elevates the blocks within a green setting.
5. “Bays”: These are the green depressions between each built block, accommodating various programs dedicated to the residents: urban gardens, playgrounds, sports facilities.
6. “Giant's Park”: A central public space, serving as the main meeting point and the entrance to the wooded park. It features a kiosk, a fountain, a playground, a large lawn, and bleachers for organizing small events.
7. the Ecological Park: Minimal intervention on this 32.5-hectare space involves clearing vegetation and tracing paths with stabilized sand, following historical routes. An educational and historical trail will be marked with explanatory signs and panels narrating the historical and ecological heritage of the site.
The project's approach is an intervention, respectful of its context, aiming to serve as an example for future development. It initiates an urban scale in a peri-urban territory by promoting pedestrian scale and activating ground floors while preserving natural heritage and creating a metropolitan-scale public park on the outskirts of Bratislava.
Our competition team was led by What Architects (Slovakia) and won first prize, the project is currently underdevelopement.