Urban Square in Zdanec | Igor Vasilevski

Previous state

In the praire of the Vodno mountain ,which is of a great meaning for the capital city Skopje, there are a few natural terraces to be found that are known as “the most beautiful places in the town”. The reasons are the pleasant, fresh air as a result of the direct surrounding and of course the panoramic view of Skopje enabled by the terraces own morphology. Zdanec is one of them.

Aim of intervention

After all performed analysis and questionnaires it has been found that in the Zdanec settlement is necessary a new public surface/space, urban mini-square proportionally equal to the number of residents  and the size of the settlement.

On the very entrance of Zdanec, which is a part of the Municipality of Karpos, there is an abandoned public surface. The locals  have expressed their wish and needs specifically  this area to be urbanised and to get the look of a contemporary square  where  they could have their space to relax and то socialize in their free time.

Description of intervention

The main idea of the projects was the design of contemporary and unique architectural solution  where office accessories are presented through custom made unique urban exterior models. The public space has 500m² and represents urban core with aesthetic form framing one artistic and romance like area where people could chat, relax and enjoy in the panorama of Skopje.Nearby this public surface already exist children playground and  sports ground . The location is also enriched with new trees that are positioned all over the perimeter of the location as with new decorative flower pots which are set beside the benches in the relaxation zone.

The urban equipment contains few elements and in the process of projecting one of the starting points and ideas was  the use of natural materials. This space is a scene in which the partere symbolizes a paper sheet , derived from non slip granite , on which three flag masts in the shape of pencils are placed and  few benches in the form of binder clips looking one to another with the reason to  initiate a social closeness and communication. The bike lockers shaped as paper clips ought to encourage the citizens to use the bicycle as a transport vehicle instead of a car. On the north side of the urban square has been  placed a graffiti panel in order to stimulate the graffiti culture and on which everyone will be able to fulfill his own artistic expression. In the central part of the location ,where the benches that  represent the urban social space are placed , two LED lights in the form of office table lamps are also predicted . This way besides the main function as lights, they will integrate in the scene story for the office elements incorporated in the urban equipment as a segment with a great esthetical meaning.

Evaluation

This model of solving a public surface in Skopje is very meaningful for the Municipality and is going to be noticed as the first of this kind because in the treatment of the public surface until now were used only classical methods and elements of the urban equipment and design. This public urban square opens doors for the future architects and designers for more contemporary, free and even more creative way to treat the public space in our town.