The Intercalated City | MoC Architecture Collaborative

The Intercalated City Europe Square

Transcultural Hub EPICenter

The Project emerges out of the manifestation of an intercalated city on the
threshold between the two cities, Gorizia and Nova Gorica. As city we concern
a complex of values and qualities in an ordinary life frame. Proposed the below,
the Intercalated City consists of a program to eliminate the spatial entity
border, which still ‘‘exists’’ through the governance of two different institutions,
municipalities and legislative frames, and transform it into a new inserted city
of culture.
The border remains as a recall, a memory of events, and as the perimetrical
incision of the new city. As described, and asked, the Intercalated City accepts
the values of the present era, for a green buffer zone between the two cities,
and so forms itself into a continuous linear green structure. Promotes a series
of cultural spaces / squares as a result of spontaneous and unexpected events,
imitating and rephrasing city as defined by Giovanni Batista Nolli’s topographical
representation of Rome. Aiming to unify (without eliminate their identity) the
two urban tissues the Intercalated City presents paths of traversal connections,
and longitudinal ones, by considering the possible use of the railway as an
urban connector of various events. Finally the project reproduces the natural
landscape, defining a prioritarian framework for the proposed cultural system.
The Europe Square is part of Intercalated City’s cultural square’s system.
Exists as a continuous spatial element in the, forward part of the project, the
Transcultural Hub EPICenter. There is no clear division between the two, they
are in a constant sequence and interaction.
Europe Square, acts according to the generic system of cultural squares of
Intercalated city, its form comes out of the programmatic interaction with the
Transcultural Hub EPICenter. Four squares are incised between the exhibition
spaces, the Agora | Visitor Center and the Activity workshop / laboratory spaces.
Above the Transcultural Hub EPICenter and among the square(s) the linear
green element of the Intercalated city proceeds and proposes solutions based
on the same design toolkit, regarding the questions of secret pavements,
sidewalks and urban furniture. Avoiding hierarchical solutions to the viability
system of the whole corpus of the Intercalated city, a ‘’woonerf’’ like mix mobility
system is proposed. Instead of streets the project tries to establish paths and
cultural connections. This form insists to give space for all the spontaneous or/
and organized events (open markets, festivals, etc.).

The Transcultural Hub EPICenter presents in every aspect its deeply
programmatic nature.The complex is developed underground, with the main
accesses from the Agora. Morphologically the project interacts in correspondence
with each function and need. Two monumental canopies are characterizing
the morphological aspect, together with the amphitheatrical squares which
are highlighted in between the Transcultural Hub EPICenter and the Europe
Square, features that are describing its distinctive physis. The final form of the
complex brings together a series of archetypes, a landmark, a monument, and
an amphitheater.
Fact that the distances in both cities are not so extended, promoting a system
of paths (both pedestrian and cyclable), the proposal seeks to avoid the parking
plots in the immediate context of the project area. However, considering
sufficient the present potentiality for parking plots, the project supports the idea
of spontaneous bicycle parking spots, as part of quotidian aesthetics along the
railway stations in the nearby context.
The economic sustainability of the complex is based on the concept of
Agora. Public activities such as open market, cultural events which could be
expanded in the full capacity of the project, and moreover the benefits from the
restaurant, coffeshop, info point-merchandise could possibly render the venture
economically viable.