Yesterday, during the official opening of the renovated ul. A conceptual design for the final phase of its renovation was presented. It aims to turn the street into an interactive experience, presenting legends and stories from the city's history through elements in the urban design. The renovation project was initiated by the Sofia Municipality and the Architecture and Urban Planning Department and took place over the summer months with a donation from the construction and investment company BLD. The street is now open for through traffic with underground infrastructure and paving replaced, leaks removed, facades repainted, wiring cleaned, and new lighting and elements inspired by the street's authentic turn-of-the-century appearance.
"We worked on this project in a broad dialogue about what the renovated street should look like. This is a very good example of how interventions in the urban environment and shared spaces should work - with lots of communication, exchange of ideas and discussion. We are starting work on the renovation of the neighbouring Budapest Street, where a lift will also be provided for prams and people with mobility difficulties," said Arch. Zdravko Zdravkov, Chief Architect of Sofia.
"This project is part of BLD's long-term policy to support the improvement of the urban environment," said Dimitar Savov, BLD's CEO during the opening ceremony. Kostenski Vodopad as a donation to Sofia Municipality and the residents of Manastirski Livadi - East. We are also implementing other projects to improve the environment in the neighbourhoods where we are building. In the spring we created a dog park in Manastirski Livadi together with the people of the neighbourhood, and last year we worked on an inter-block space in Lozenets together with students of Architecture at the University of Architecture and Design. For us it is important not only to improve the quality of life in Sofia, but also the educational effect of such interventions. Businesses and citizens should participate in these processes, share responsibility and take care of the city and its image. This is why we implement all BLD projects in dialogue with the citizens and with respect for the character and history of the place where we work," he said.
"We called the final phase of the street renovation through urban design 'Street of Time', as the conceptual design aims to tell the stories and urban myths of Malko Tarnovo," said Filip Boyadzhiev from the team - the author of the project. "We will use the imperfections and small cosmetic defects of the street to turn them into effects and spaces that communicate with the passerby, invite him to stay and tell him the story of Sofia. For the interventions we chose the material corten, which is related to the idea of time as it changes over the years. It is used in many museums and installations in urban environments around the world."
The concept for "Time Street" can be viewed HERE. If you would like to share feedback and ideas for its implementation, you can contact the initiative team at building.difference@bld.bg.
The urban renewal of ul. Malko Tarnovo started with two discussions of the renovation project, prepared as a donation by Serafimov Architects Atelier. This was followed by historical research and an exhibition at the State Archives Gallery, which presented historical facts and urban legends about the street. Based on the historical information gathered, the first ever urban design workshops were held using the methods of design thinking and inclusive design. They involved the citizens in generating ideas on how to revive the historical information about the street to make it a street of the city. Malko Tarnovo even more beloved and iconic place in the city. The whole initiative was inspired by the multifaceted and rich history that Sofia's shortest pedestrian street holds. Beneath the yellow paving stones there are remnants from Roman times, urban legends of the clock tower from the Renaissance era and memories of King Boris III and his beloved Luna Bar. On the street to this day stands the secret door, sung in rock ballads, behind which were the communist-era State Security cells.