2018 – New Urban Center _ Veliko Tarnovo – Bulgaria

 

 
Program Creation of a New Urban Center
Surface 189 000 m²
Place Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Owner City of Veliko Tarnovo, European Union – International Competition
Team Eric Cassar, Adeline Chan Hok Ming, Marina d’Avdeew, Djuneït Lapo, Abla Mrini, Laurène Vidal
Engineer Climatic engineering : Transsolar

General principles The New Urban Center is characterised by a urban typology combining vernacular and planned architecture, which naturally links the Old City and the Modern City. The mixity program makes it a multifunctional and gathering place. The mobilisation of the digital technology improves the different uses (Smart City). In the great landscape, this district offers two points of view: a polychromy of the frame from the Old City, and a monochromatic homogeneity from the train station. Depending on the observer’s point of view, the urban structure covers two different aspects.

 

The New Urban Center have been designed alongside the Exhibition Center of Veliko Tarnovo Exhibition & Event Center. (See poject)
 
1. Vernacular and rational typology

The urban structure creates a strong and relevant link with the vernacular composition of the historical center of the city while keeping the existing planned infrastructure of the territory of the New Urban Center. The city program plays with private, public and shared space by integrating one in each other.

 
2. Transport and Connections

In order to complete the actual transport infrastructures, car parks are added at the site entrance, prevailing the use of soft ways of transportation, such as walk or bike, and developing a cable car. This cable car would link the old historcal city to the NUC district and to the train station.

 
3. Variation of athmosphere

The space is evolving, in terms of athmosphere. Thus, inside the territory of the NUC some spaces that differ in terms of aesthetics, form and impression given are found. We play on the transitions between inter and outer spaces espacially with the creation of arcades.

 
4. Playing with climatic events

The architecture is thought to play with the climatic events. Promoting outer comfort, it is changing depending on the variations in terms of temperature, light, wind, and both the seasons and the daily climate. The vegetation takes a huge part of the urban plan, thus we suggest to create several parks and squares, and to integrate vegetation on roofs and terraces.

 
5. Energy

In order to take profit of the environment to create energy, the water of the river could be used to permit exchange of heat, added to a biomass heating. Solar energy could be mobilized through solar panels. A wind tower could be used in order to cool down the temperature, to maintain outer comfort during summer. In winter, it could be closed or turned away from the wind.

 
6. Smart Approach

Smart technology is used to modulate the uses of the spaces. Thus, car parks, living spaces fit to real time needs. They could be reduced or enlarged. Smart technology constitutes a way of managing the space-time, regulating energy consumption and providing services (each inhabitant becomes both producer and consumer of services through a social and solidarity economy).