1. URBAN SCENE

The project implies an optimum opportunity to propose a solution that works as a link between the historical city and the contemporary city. Where old industries were settled, new spaces of opportunity appear to generate the city, but mainly to join, to stitch… In too many occasions, new urban evolutions propose metamorphosis that scorn past time as well as his connection with existing city and all the basic essentials in the town itself, so new developments are planned as landmarks, jumps or breaks. Our proposal is fairly based on the contrary principle; in cultural, social, formal, structural continuity… not as a slash, but as a link space between the new and the old.

HINGE URBAN SPACE It is not an isolated, self-supporting, introspective proposal, but exactly the opposite: it intends the linkage of different urban meshes and neighbourhoods. It proposes the suture of diverse urban arrangements. The plot is placed in a hinge area, somewhere between the historical centre and new developments. Consequently, our project proposal means a conceptual, visual, functional link with the rest of the city.

BRIDGE PROPOSAL It allows the connection between the new and the historical: it is a bridge proposal between both views. Therefore, it is a solution that connects urban meshes, urban spaces, urban views; it starts from the premise of linkage. This space, formerly outside the ramparts (extra-muri), and later factory area, might be an excellent opportunity to promote historical relationship, to overlay historical strata that support each other. The project is intended to record the trace of past. Therefore, the project gets back on some key issues to formulate his proposal: its location inside the physical, historical city; its visual interplay with the historical core; the outlook from the plot does not forget its past, but set itself up as an urban belvedere: the castle, the river…

PARKLAND AREAS FOR THE CITY There is a lack of parkland, leafy tree areas, whose fairly generous treatment and appropriate urban scale allow it not only to be a service to a handful of buildings, but rather have a will for urban service, an urban level calling. We want our proposal connects other parklands that are laid out in the city, not just other tiny patio garden. Certainly, a cultural, social infrastructure as the new National Gallery will lead to generate a higher urban scale space, so that it transcends the given plot.

2. URBAN SPACE: PLOT / IMPLEMENTATION

The proposal intends to offer a project argument that transcends the sheer plot and the scale of his physical space itself: it propounds a new urban space, capable of transforming and improving the city, not only concerning the neighbourhood, but the whole of the city. A new space with three nuances is proposed: A nexus space between the old urban mesh and new developments: bridge space A parkland-space for the city: a big green bubble capable of oxygenating the surroundings. A new cultural space: new cultural, social pole.

Despite the high density put forward in the contest basis, the project intends, by means of different strategies, to dilute the appearance of built density, so that the problem of space become a virtue trough its solution.

Work strategies are the following: the building is uplifted to release to the utmost ground floor a wide space around the National Gallery is unfold an attractive silhouette of towers is erected, so the building becomes a lookout it allows offering some uses with the views appeal (Middle Ages town, Danube and new urban expansion) over a wide forest-garden.

A design of the wide urban space surface is proposed, based on the concept of footprint: all that happened once left its mark on the surface. As if they were signs of the history, the new floor surface recalls the memory of different settlements. Undoubtedly, also the new building leaves a mark, but this time, it is a footprint made of light and changing shadows. The green and paved surfaces reflect the old factories traces, the new paths display the pedestrian strains in the city; and new buildings are shaped as big porches in an urban scale, wide covered spaces modelled on the huge XIX Century iron buildings: lightweighted, permeable to natural light, shaping wide boulevards, wide covered urban lounges…

3. BUILDING SHAPING

Formally, the project is conceived as a prism –long tube with square section- that folds and twists, forming vertical and horizontal towers in a unitary ensemble –body made up of arms- whose own structure is sustained in only a few points.

The project is shaped as a single gesture: the folding tube. Its geometry matches against its structure. In the same way that coral pieces keep the same section in any position, this building keeps its section constant as well as its geometric structure in any position it may adopt.

The geometry adopted by the building tries to “embrace” the old Thermal Power Plant building, so it arranges a semi-ring whose centre is intended to be the National Art Gallery.

The building does not touch the ground: it works out totally above the ground, releasing to the utmost the ground floor, conceiving a wide garden urban lounge. In this manner, almost the whole extent of the ground level is set free for the city and for the building itself. At the same time, it allows inner rooms to get better lighting, more sun lighting and move away from soil dampness.

The flying building –bridge building- embraces the old Thermal Power Plant, and the arrangement makes this building the true centre of the plan. Nevertheless, it does not intend to choke it: it promotes the connection to it from any point, releasing the ground floor. The fact that all buildings are elevated provides a great feeling of lightness, in opposition to the hard, powerful factory character of the old plant.

4. IMAGE

The project tries to offer a linking bonding with history. Otherwise, visual connection is also pursued. To achieve it, a triple look is given: A distant view that shapes a new skyline maintaining conceptual continuity with mediaeval town roofs. A halfway view that settles an urban-scale greenery filter. A closer view proposes vast parkland, treated as a wide urban covered lounge that embraces the old Thermal Power Plant.

Distant view: New city skyline based on the formal continuity of the big, reddish, leaning, tile roofs. For this reason, towers also lean forward, so an abstract similarity with the leaned planes of historical centre is set up. The proposal also intends to build up links with history trough a palette of colours that is similar to those displayed in the roofs of the historical Bratislava centre.

Halfway view: A new parkland for the city, provided with big leafy trees, according to the humid Bratislava climate, that accomplishes to interject a big green bubble between buildings and different urban spaces.

Closer view A wide, green, urban lounge partially covered with big buildings, which offer the widest covered outdoor space in the city. A space for social, cultural, commercial relationship. Living space. Traffic flow space from the city centre to new development landmarks in the city.

5. CONSTRUCTION

Volume diagram

The proposed building is based on a structuring-structural constructive system: The tubular shape determines and claims its structure: The strategy consists on the generation of an outer skin, hanging from vertical service cores, which works as big support. As well, this makes it possible to generate 3D structures whose great inertia provides a good performance in both horizontal and vertical directions. Structural skin wraps an inner prism, light and equidistant: glass and acoustic-thermal seal, well suited to every use, function, orientation and internal needing.

Conceptual façade

The façade of the building is conceived as a structural skin whose geometry provides sustaining continuity: drilled iron sheet.

The appearance of the mesh comes out of roof tiles from the big coverings of mediaeval buildings in the city of Bratislava. The mesh composes a structure in the shape of triangles that never lose their shape, while forces flow through the sides of hexagons.

To draw the structural skin, a light, robust material has been chosen: corten steel. Its rusty finishing discards maintenance and shields the steel core. The reddish, variegated tone of the rusted corten steel recalls those reddish roofs in the Historical Town Centre.

Structural skin

This structural sheet works as a big mesh that does not lose its shape. Despite its lightness, it can withstand 3D stresses, as the big tubular section that forms (25x25m) has a high inertia.

Structure is constructed by 2-3cm wide sheets, with hexagonal hollows. To avoid distortion and furnish the structural plane with enough rigidity, this hollowed out sheet is reinforced by thinner folded sheets made of the same corten steel. The folded sheets work as abutments, so that a thick mesh is created, and the thickness differs according to many parameters: orientation, views and visions, uses, structural needing, etc.

The central vertical core of the structure is made of high-strength reinforced concrete. It has a high inertia, and wraps the lifts, stairs and ducts.

Horizontal structure consists of 40cm wide slab of reinforced concrete and a Vierendeel in pairs every two floors, so that the inner system is capable to span a distance of 10 to 15m with maximum lightness.

This system solves the structure in a similar way in the leaning towers, working skin and core together. Image and Construction

Diverse orientation, uses, views and visions, make up different variations in the façade: The orientation of every façade establishes the mesh thickness: minimum to the north and thicker to the south. The inner use (offices or dwellings) fixes a mesh with more or less visual permeability. The views from inner spaces towards the city spawns a distortion in the basic cell, so that the façade is orientated in the direction of city landmarks (Castle, Danube River, etc) or into orientations that optimise the natural light level of the inner rooms.

By doing so, an only system of homogenous mesh provides a wide catalogue of feasible solutions, adaptable to most of the situations generated in any room in any point of the project.

This structural-mesh skin is resolving many requirements in an only constructive element, made of a sole fine building material that need no maintenance at all. Moreover, corten steel is capable to withstand aggressive atmospheres and humid climates.

6. ART MUSEUM – THERMAL POWER PLANT

Conceptually, the action plan for the old Thermal Plant is based on two premises: Absolute respect to the old building Maximum flexibility for future uses: art, design, architecture, etc.

To that end, an integral rehabilitation is proposed, according to the contest’s requirements: Total refurbishment according to the original pattern of the building. Introduction of new structural mobile pieces in his interior, with mechanical character. Caution to not contaminate the pre-existing building, with a proved, different construction – light and metallic – that implements a new use in the original industrial atmosphere.

Big bridge-cranes are envisaged, as if they were mobile floors. In doing so, changing layouts are obtained, according to different requirements. This solution allows including new mobile spaces, which may change longitudinally, with no disturbance of the original building.

These high-performance bridge-cranes, make shutters possible above them, so a wide range of appropriate solutions are available depending on the use of the National Art Gallery; light, heavy, transparent or opaque, made of glass, timber, etc… so they can work as big working platforms, as well as work surfaces for artistic research for young artists.

The image generated by the implementation of these bridge-cranes is changeable and modifiable. In any case, it is able to fit into the Gallery need. Thereby, it allows generating “piranesian” spaces, by means of a swarm of platforms and opposing stairs, or generating big serene horizontal spaces or multiple vertical spaces instead…