108 – AB0303 – MWARH ATELIER SRL

Autori principali: MWARH ATELIER SRL

“ Juriul a apreciat propunerea axată pe procesul de revitalizare post-industrială prin planificare participativă care ar putea declanșa o intervenție durabilă și pe termen lung asupra Platformei Rulmentul, valorificând patrimoniul industrial în aspectele sale tangibile și intangibile”– aprecierea Juriului

The urban regeneration of Rulmentul Brașov aims at revitalizing the industrial site by reintroducing it in the urban, cultural and economic framework of the city, being mindful of the specific characteristics of the area. The industrial character of the platform has the potential to enhance its presence as an urban landmark at a regional level, making it part of a vibrant community life.

An underlying concept of the intervention is that of adaptive reuse, with careful intervention on the industrial heritage in order to keep and enhance the authenticity of the site. The adaptive reuse of the industrial buildings has multiple benefits for the city and surrounding areas, for present and future generations. It acts as a tool for a smart transformation that will increase its social, ecological and cultural value, making the area an attractive urban pole.

An important concept of the urban regeneration process is that of participatory planning and development by involving the community in every stage of the regeneration process. This creates not only a sense of belonging and interaction but it also generates a vibrant community with direct impact on the growth of the area. The site will therefore evolve as an ever growing urban garden open to all, facilitating change according to community needs. It will be a diverse landscape accommodating a wide range of activities – cultural, educational, sports, leisure, creative, social, economic.

The strategy for the vegetation is to keep as much as possible of the existing vegetation and to use mainly phytoremediation species for proposed planting. The phytoremediation system is designed for a multi-year plan, extracting toxic elements from the soil and working together to regenerate the soil step by step. In order to better manage heavy rain periods, we propose a pond in the main green space, a lowered space that will act as a buffer for rain water to accumulate. The planted areas vary from abundant forest-like vegetation, to areas with low vegetation and mainly mineral pavement. A mixed pavement is used for parking lots and vegetation is inserted in order to provide shading.

The site will develop gradually according to the co-design strategy and to the results of community feedback and workshops, generating an urban space that is flexible enough to accommodate future requirements.

Structural and technological landmarks

The proposed intervention is mindful of the existing industrial buildings and landmarks. We aim to re-use as much as possible of the built environment, using simple yet genuine materials for its industrial character. Part of the railway will be integrated in the landscape design and part will become functional for an urban train. The existing columns on the site will become part of the urban design in numerous ways: guide for pedestrian pathways, support for outdoor activities, soft delimitation between different areas. Most of the technological structures are kept being integrated in the landscape design, for example the tower of the former thermal unit becomes a watching tower, the tower near Hangar 6 towards Timis river will host a water feature.

We propose several stages for the urban development of the industrial platform taking into account the immediate needs of the community and the capacity of the urban space to become available as soon as possible for its users.

We prioritise pedestrian mobility throughout the site, proposing a sequence of diverse urban spaces and landscape where people are invited to perform a wide range of activities. From walking through a park, doing sports, organizing group activities, playing outdoors, planning future projects for the site. 

The route throughout the site is imagined as an urban ribbon that unfolds in various ways in order to accommodate and invite visitors to different activities

Stage 1 &2 transportation – minimal access for cars, only to reach the parking areas,  encouraging pedestrian and bike exploration of the site.

Stage 3 transportation – creating car access along the site by developing 2 main longitudinal roads and one from North to South. The strategy is to keep the main urban places car-free in order to encourage pedestrian and reduced speed mobility through the platform. We proposed the rehabilitation of the existing railway to connect the site with the main train station of the city and future developments.

Stage 4 transportation – connecting the infrastructure of the site with the infrastructure of the city and surrounding areas

Axonometric views

1. view from 13 December street towards the main access area of the site. Entrance is marked by an industrial structure acting as entrance gate and also as viewpoint towards the site due to the exterior staircase. Several parking areas are organized next to the street with permeable pavement and green insertions.
2. view towards exterior footbridge, existing vegetation, urban landscape for various outdoor activities, showing the concept of the urban ribbon that unfolds into seating places, sport zones, walking alleys and the existing columns host for decorations.
3. existing structures integrated in the urban landscape: the columns become guide for pathways, support for community activities (local market, street festivals, outdoor exhibitions). The area has a variety of finishes for different activities and the urban ribbon takes different shapes for various uses. The linear pond acts as an ecological buffer for heavy rains, being dry during hot season and filled with water when it rains heavily.
4. For C25d we proposed a new structure connecting the main buildings and acting as a generous urban courtyard developed around the concepst of urban farming, food court and social gatherings. It will be a lively space bringing together users from across the site and across the city to enjoy gardening activities, food markets, training activites, eating, social events. The roof of the proposed structure will partially  accommodate PVP panels for energy efficiency
5. The main green space integrating the existing column and various existing vegetation types. The focus for new vegetation is on phytoremediation species that vary from tall trees to small plants and flowers. Diverse outdoors activities can be performed while having the industrial facades as a historical background. The urban ribbon guides the visitor through the green space, towards to main plaza.
6. the thermal unit becomes an outdoor pavilion for various community activities with the possibility of being close or open due to folding walls. The tower becomes a watching tower offering views over the site, to the main square and cultural center and also toward Tampa mountain.   
7. The area near the cultural center is conceived as a sequence of urban spaces that vary from paved areas for larger gathering, to green spaces, transition surfaces. It includes the reconditioned railway, the existing columns and the water feature around the existing tower as landmarks of the industrial heritage. The space opens towards Timis river with various alleys and the proposed street is conceived as a reduced traffic one, with pedestrian priority.

Hangar 6 Ensemble

The rehabilitation of Hangar 6 Ensemble consists of renovating the existing buildings of C15a and C15b and partially demolishing the annexes and C15c in order to free up the space in front of the historical buildings. The intervention is meant to be a sensitive one aiming to highlight the industrial character of the ensemble transforming it into an urban and cultural landmark.

Part of the structural elements of C15c are kept and will be part of  the urban design of the square in front of the Cultural center, contributing to the industrial atmosphere. For the memory of the previous buildings we kept the cuts in the floor and designed them as water features in the newly created urban square.

The Cultural center will host in C15a the main public functions: the multipurpose hall (with retractable seating and folding walls), the foyer, educational center, coffee shop and their technical spaces. The interior space is part of the industrial heritage by showcasing the original structure of the building while connecting it with the outdoor areas of the square and of the green space towards Timis river.

Building C15b will make the transition to restricted access area and technical access. The rehearsal rooms and makerspace area are connected by a shared social space/lobby that opens up to expose the existing structure and also has direct access to the exterior.

Flexibility of proposed spaces is an important feature, for example the main multipurpose hall can open up to the foyer to create a generous space, the rehearsal rooms can open up towards the lobby creating a larger hall and the workshop can easily be rearranged for different activities and events. The spaces also have numerous connections with the outdoor space in order to create a vibrant urban environment that enhances the industrial character of the ensemble.