Public square

Havana’s contemporary image has been deeply marked by expansion: with little demolition or replacement in its older areas, its constitution has been strongly characterized by a series of valuable layers of different periods and architectural styles overlapped in time. Its urban layout was founded on the Spanish tradition of multiple churches, convents and squares, which defined the city’s polycentric format and delineated its network of narrow and shaded streets. Regarding the architectural realm, courtyard-centred buildings were gradually adopted as the appropriate typology to cope with local climatic conditions. In the 19th Century, Havana was characterized by prosperity and splendour, supported by a stable economic growth whi... More

The architectural concept for the Vienybės Square has won first prize in both the international "German Design Award 2019" and "If Design Award 2021".The Vienybės Square project included repaving the area with a light material and inserting green spaces and white concrete sculpture-like walkways that are particularly popular with skateboarders. The square has been decorated with the most modern dancing fountain in the country as well as an artificial stream and benches for visitors to rest on. The square can also be accessed from an underground car park. The refurbishment project focused particularly on green areas and the square now houses approximately 5,000 plants including dwarf shrubs and trees, such as birches and pines. The plants an... More

This project deals with two responses. One Architectural, the other through Urban Design. These are intertwined to form a cohesive union. THE URBAN DESIGN CONTEXTThe project originated from an urban design study conducted by MEYER+VORSTER (now Meyer & Associates Architects & Urban Designers) to highlight the importance of the new Kuyasa Station as part of a future urban node in Khayelitsha. The City of Cape Town commissioned the same set of consultants to design a new transport interchange at this station to facilitate intermodal transfers. This facility was not only considered the focus, but also had to act as catalyst for future intensive urban development around the station. In an area where dire poverty is prevalent and the qu... More

The design choices have addressed the problem of the permeability of Piazza Freguglia with the context of the city of Ivrea. The reduced budget and maintenance of the urban space have influenced the architectural and material choices: use of cor-ten steel, paving in washed concrete and stone cobblestone. The architecture of the metal curtain, which varies and transforms itself in function of the existing trees, is characterized by continuously changing shapes and images. The public space is defined by the cor-ten volumes and by a continuous, natural and uniform surface interspersed with lines drawn on the ground in an architectural continuum between the external limit and the "heart" of the same space. The architectural theme of the floor c... More

1.    PREVIOUS STATEAs the oldest urban core, the Markt of Oudenaarde is a market square situated in the heart of the Belgian city. With its adjacent squares and public space, it occupies 13.000 m² and houses the city hall, a building of the XVI century which is UNESCO World Heritage. It was also the floor to support a splendid stone fountain, donated by Louis XIV to the city of Oudenaarde.PROBLEMDespite its intrinsic historic and social value, the Markt has suffered from the impact of the urban and social transformation. In recent years, the central city square has served as one large traffic node around a parking lot for residents and visitors of the local shopping apparatus. As a result, the city experienced a distort... More