Yesterday, an open discussion on contemporary urban interventions was held at the Projection Studio of the UASG, which marked the launch of the educational platform with care for the environment "Building Difference". The project is an initiative of BLD in partnership with the University of Architecture, Strelting and Urban Planning (UASG) and will include an educational summer internship for students related to the revitalization of public spaces near BLD projects. The pilot will focus on public space improvement in the BLD district. Lozenets.
Students, faculty, the local community, the district administration, and BLD will be involved in identifying the site and selecting and implementing a conceptual design for its improvement. The Building Difference project is part of the university students' education course and will be implemented during the mandatory summer internship in July. This is the first edition of the social platform, which will be developed as a long-term initiative within BLD's investment projects.
The discussion on contemporary urban interventions, on the occasion of the launch of the project, included recognizable experts with experience in the implementation of socially responsible projects, urban development and urban interventions - Arch. Hristo Stankushev, from DontDIYarchitecture studio, curator of One Architecture Week, 2014; Silvia Chakurova, co-founder of place.make studio(main partner in the project "Sofia - a city for the people" for research and analysis of public spaces by Danish architect and urbanist prof. Jan Geel); Angel Bondov and Todor Kesarovski - experts in the largest ever placemaking project in Bulgaria "The Spot_The Place". BLD CEO Dimitar Savov announced the program to the students and stated the company's willingness and interest to participate in positive interventions in the urban environment as a responsible builder.
"BLD 's mission as an investment company is to uphold the highest standards in residential construction with care for its surroundings. Common spaces in the city are part of our home and it is the mission of every modern citizen to care for them as they care for their own home. As a modern-minded "corporate citizen" of the city, BLD has long been working towards this - to build quality modern buildings and improve the conditions around in sync with the environment around them. The Building Differenceproject is another step for BLD in this direction," said Dimitar Savov, BLD's CEO.
he added: "With the partnership of UASG and the participation of all stakeholders, we hope to implement a new platform for so-called "placemaking" that will capitalise on the inspiration and potential of the local community, professionals, active organisations and students and lead to the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to the health and happiness of Sofia's citizens."
The first edition of Building Difference will focus on the Water Tower area in the Lozenets district. Thanks to the active participation of Projection Studio and the Department of History and Theory of Architecture, the project will be implemented within the academic year and will bring students closer to real case studies of business and urban improvement. The first edition of Building Difference will be developed in several stages, with discussions with the local community in the Gallicitsa Street area to be held over the next few months.
"Involving students and faculty from different disciplinary fields in solving specific case studies in the form of architectural activism is a key tool that brings the educational process closer to the actual needs of the community and the specific inhabitant. We are happy to have the opportunity to carry out the project with a company that has a long-term vision for sustainable development," said Arch. Nikolay Davidkov, head of Studio Projection.