Competition to develop a concept for the new city center
A total of 25 concepts were submitted for the competition. Yesterday (11.12.2023) the jury met to review them. The results will be announced on December 18. The works will be on display.
As we informed , the competition to develop a concept for the New City Center was announced on October 13. It concerns the area from Wasilewski Square, through Batory Street up to Wierobieja Street, further along the railroad tracks along Białowieska Street to Parkowa Street, ending at the headquarters of the Hajnówka City Hall on A. Zina Street. The area between Parkowa and Białowieska Streets was solved in detail. The competition was aimed at architects, landscape architects or urban planners. Those interested could submit their works until December 5. The competition jury met on Monday.
- The jury is in session today. The judges and several experts appointed by the court have gathered. Here we have both architects, a landscape architect and an urban planner - people of various specialties who have already familiarized themselves with the competition works. Today we had a discussion of the works by the referee, who got to know the works most thoroughly, and we are about to start discussing which works will go on to the next rounds of voting. We will assign scores to them and hope that the result will be unanimous.
Before the committee members began their discussions, a walking tour of the area covered by the study was held. This gave everyone a chance to see what it looks like in person.
It is gratifying that there was a lot of interest in the competition. 25 works were submitted.
- It seems to us that for a study competition, this is a very good result, especially comparing with other competitions of this type that we have seen in the country recently. The submitted works are of a high level in our opinion. We are pleased both with the level and the number of works - there is definitely a lot to choose from. The design proposals are also well-designed graphically - it will be worth seeing them later at the post-competition exhibition. It is important that people outside the design industry can understand the ideas of the authors. And the approaches to the topic are very different. From landscape ones, where no new development is proposed, but the urban park is intermingled with the space of the study area, and solutions for greenery, water, retention, recreational or sports equipment are the most important. At the other extreme are concepts that strongly organize the area, where the authors propose to remove part of the development, which, in their opinion, does not fit the place and could be replaced by new facilities. In these concepts, there is a lot of new development, but the public spaces between the buildings are also defined more clearly.
All works will be available for viewing on the competition website, the project website and in the form of a traditional exhibition. Where exactly it will be located, we will inform in the near future.
It is worth noting that winning the competition does not mean that the ideas presented in the work will be implemented. As we informed you, the competition is an idea-based one. What does this mean?
An idea contest is one that is designed to support the gathering of various ideas for the development of an area. It differs from implementation contests in that the prizes will not be followed by an order for documentation. The idea is for different designers to present different visions, so that we get material that shows us the range of possible development directions. So today's discussion is not so much about the works themselves, but about the future of the center of Hajnówka.
The competition operator is also tasked with formulating guidelines for the new local development plan. The competition also provides the city with material for public consultation. Part of the consultation on identifying residents’ expectations has already taken place in the form of a survey. As we reported, 289 residents took part in it. The detailed results of the survey are available on the page of the competition and have been provided to the participants. The work shows which residents’ expectations can be met in the area. Soon residents of Hajnówka, especially property owners in the area of the study, will see how the area can be developed differently.
The winners of the competition will be announced on December 18. The prize pool is 50 thousand zlotys. The competition is one of the undertakings of the “Hajnówka ReNewal – Green Transformation” project.
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