The Building Differenceproject , which started as an educational practice of UASG students, will improve 4 inter-block spaces in the neighborhood, together with experts - urban planners and the local community
5 July, Sofia - Yesterday, in the courtyard of the National Natural and Mathematical High School, the first informal meeting of BLD and young architects from UASG with the residents of Lozenets took place to discuss improvements to four locations in the neighborhood. The event was a step in the initiative of BLD and the Projection Studio at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UASG) to implement contemporary urban interventions, actively involving all stakeholders and residents in the neighbourhood. The meeting was attended by architecture students, experts, active organizations, representatives of the Municipality of Lozenets, BLD investors and the local community. The youngest residents of Lozenets also had the opportunity to show their ideas about what kind of places they want in the neighbourhood through a Children's Architecture Workshop on the theme "My Different Neighbourhood".
The Building Difference project was launched at the end of April as an educational initiative with care for the environment, and officially entered the educational curriculum of the UASG freshmen as a mandatory summer hands-on workshop. During the last few months, the students had the task to study and analyze the neighborhood and its environmental problems and challenges, and to select the most suitable locations in need of improvements. In addition to students, faculty from UASG, the local community, the district administration and the developer BLD were actively involved in identifying locations and selecting and implementing a conceptual improvement project. As a result, four inter-block spaces have been selected to be cleaned and secured, and various new elements will be added to make them comfortable and social places for the local community.
"From our long experience in the Sofia real estate market, we know that a developer's responsibility to the areas in which he operates goes far beyond the boundaries of his plot. Every time we enter a new neighborhood we learn something new. We make an effort to hear all perspectives and find out from people what they need. We embrace the beautification of the places where we build as our core mission, but its implementation would not be effective without purposefully bringing local communities together to care for their environment. This project reflects our values as a company and a team," said Dimitar Savov, BLD CEO.
To carry out the summer practice, the students and their teachers have the support of the Municipality of Lozenets, as well as urbanism experts Angel Bondov and Todor Kesarovski - coordinators of the largest ever placemaking project in Bulgaria "The Spot_Place".
"One of the main challenges of contemporary architectural education is to find a balance between theory and practice in the training of students. Among the main tasks set for Studio Placemaking is to develop meaningful, live projects and to connect the university with the city and the students with the real problems of the environment. Building Difference is one of the largest projects we have yet to implement, as all stakeholders are behind it, and this is a fundamental principle of successful placemaking," said Arch. Nikolay Davidkov, head of Studio Projection.
Keep an eye out for details on the project's development in the Urban Trends section of the BLD website, as well as our Facebook page, where video interviews with experts on current city-related topics are forthcoming.