Regeneration and Adaptive Reuse: Prishtina’s Youth and Sports Palace - Masters' thesis

Regeneration and Adaptive Reuse

Palace of Youth and Sports

Prishtina’s Youth and Sports Palace

A new vision for theurban Park

Laurea Magistrale Thesis

Bardha Meta

Supervisor: Prof. Carlotta Fontana

Prishtina’s Youth and Sports Palace

A project about 20th century heritage in Prishtina, Kosovo

Master Thesis - Laurea Magistrale

April 2019

Student: Bardha Meta

Professor:

Prof. Dr. Carlotta Fontana

Sede di Piacenza

Sustainable architecture and Landscape Design

The motivation for this thesis lies in addressing the importance of historic heritage and preservation in this time of globalization. The world is continually coming closer together, but at the same time there is a need to preserve the connections with the past and maintain the feeling of identity, tied to a place and its history. This is apparent specially in e new country like Kosovo, which is always politically aiming towards modernization and the future, with uncontrolled urban growth, and uncontrolled building even in historic centers. While there are plans for preserving the historical centers of the cities, not enough is being done yet to follow up with them, meanwhile they continue to deteriorate as if they were never there. A focus point of the research project will be the modern heritage, their testimony of our history in the past decades, and the importance of taking care of these buildings that represent our recent past with all its conflicts. By studying the case of its capital Prishtina. we will try to provide an example of identifying historical values and finding ways for reuse and maintaining cultural significance. Concerning the architectural proposal, the chosen building “Palace of Youth and Sports” is the most iconic building of the modernism era in the city of Prishtina, signifying collective memory of its citizens connected to it for four decades. Built in 1974, it was paid with 60% public funding by the citizens’ wages. Not considering only its architectural features, it became quickly beloved by everyone taking a bigger meaning as a meeting point, a generator of a rich cultural and social life. It hosted many important sports events, concerts, and provided a buoyant public space. In the last twenty years, this building has slowly gone into decay, with half of its spaces being left unused, and suffering proper maintenance after the fire which it caught in 2000. The project will search for ways to bring this building closer to the cultural heart of the city again, reconnecting it on an urban scale, giving it back to use by all its citizens, and highlighting its historic ties to the city.

PROJECT QUESTIONS

1.How can an architectural and Landscape project reawake interest in the modernist architecture?

2. Can the reuse of an unfinished and abandoned Yugoslav-era public space serve as an example for the city, to adopt the strategy of taking care of the heritage of the same period?

...admitting that the magnificence and prosperity of the metropolis Maurilia, when compared to the old, provincial Maurilia, cannot compensate for a certain lost grace, which, however, can be appreciated only now in the old postcards, whereas before, when that provincial Maurilia was before one’s eyes, one saw absolutely nothing graceful and would see it even less today, if Maurilia had remained unchanged;

and in any case the metropolis has the added attraction that, through what it has become, one can look back with nostalgia at what it was.

Italo Calvio, Invisible Cities

PROPOSED ACTIONS

BASED ON THE ICOMOMO AND “MADRID DOCUMENT” GUIDELINES, THE strategy FOR 20th century heritage was proposed.

The first step would be the identification of architectural and historical significance of the buildings from the modernist period. “The significance may lie in tangible attributes, such as location, design style, construction methods, and the quality of the structures. Intangible values such as historic, social, scientific or spiritual associations, are also taken into consideration”-Madrid Document

Documentation of the current situation of the buildings, by measuring, photographs, and correct archiving of the drawings. The preservation of the original plans should be done accordingly, as well as a new digital archiving for public access.

1.

2.

PROMOTE

Promoting the architectural and historical significance of the 20th century landmarks, is an important step in order to inform people about this chapter of our heritage. The involving of the community can be made through workshops for students, as well as community organizations incorporating a diversity of people into the process.

PROTECT

After assessing and identifying the main landmarks in danger, they can be put into heritage protection. The acters involved can be the Municipality of Prishtina, University of Prishtina [ Architecture Department], the Architecture Association, Institute for Protection of Monuments, Ministry of Culture as well as NGOs and public hearings.

Adapting to the new needs of the new generation, and changes in lifestyle 50 years after the period of most of the modernist landmarks in Prishtina, is an important step into the continuous use of them. Ensuring a sensitive and respectful approach to additions and interventions after analysis of the structure and materials is needed to respect the authenticity and integrity of the heritage site.

3.

4. ADAPT

5.

71. Competition Model Proposal, Studio DOM, 1974

Currect situation Exploded axonometry

The separated entry platforms for sportsmen and the public has allowed for the design of wide corridors that may be used for various exhibitions. The quality of such areas is enhanced because they are placed at the same level with the publicly accessed plateau, while on the other hand, there is circular movement in terms of providing space for the organization of the exhibitions

West Elevation - Original Proposal

South Elevation- Original Proposal

East Elevation - Original Proposal

North Elevation - Original Proposal

case studies

1. The Architectural Era Predecents

2. The Building Adaptation Precedents

3. Interior Design Approach

4. Landscape Design Approach

2. The surrounding buildings: the Prishtina Train station building is located 250 meters from the site. It stands almost abandoned with only 2 train lines per day, going to Skopje and Peja. With cars and buses being the main transport system, the railway system has not been popular in Prishtina and the tracks are continually crossed by people due to their disuse and abandonment. One of the buildings in the train station is temporarily being used as a night club since 2015.

Other important connections include the Rilindja press house (Now the ministry of environment), the rilindja warehouse (Prishtina GYM and Radio Televion “21”), situated in next to the Sports Hall. The site is one two minute aways from the Zahir Pajazi Square, and 7 minutes from the Ibrahim Rugova Square, (the beginning of the “Mother Theresa” main boulevard. It can be easily reached by walk from the university campus and national library as well.

3.The current uses of the site: The site is used as a parking space. One portion of it is used as a planting and tree-selling point. With the proximity of the City Stadium, the site is an important arriving point during football matches, temporarily receiving large crowds.

4.Accessibility: The Sports Building is connected with all the bus lanes passing through the city, acting as a main “urban vein”, so there is a very easy access to the site by car, bus, and on foot. on the other hand, the fast road on the west creates an “edge” and hard boundary between two urban realities, the residential hill and the urban center.

5.The open spaces: with the Youth and Sports complex being an indoor and outdoor public terrace, the connection with other public spaces is important to highlight.

Shared gardens

Orchards

Orchards Multi-functional Pavilion

-Temporary Storage

-Shelter

-Food Market

Open Sports Activities

“Gathering point” Pavilion

Stairs and open amphitheatre

Meditation Space

Reviving the memory of the underground Prishtina river

Water Pond

Opening the Existing underground river in one part of the site, dealing with the city’s collective memory and heritage

Poplar trees along the river - as the original river condition used to be

Adaptive reuse of the abandoed sports hall by creating a New cultural center, a multifuncional space for exhibitons, co-working space, and musical events.

The current structure of the building is in a good condirion according to the official structure assesments.

Therefore, the new added volumes can have their own additional support, being built within the building’s current grid, which is 6x6 meters.

Prishtina, being a Student town , having a very young population and only one art gallery, would benefit from having a new cultural center, a multifunctional space where the youth can gather and use the place as a catalyzer for artistic and social events.

VIEW OF THE INTERIOR PROPOSAL: Co - working space, Multifunctional hall, and Exhibition Space

The new Structure is added to the exisiting structural axis

VIEW OF THE LANDSCAPE PROPOSAL: Urban Memorial park

VIEW OF THE INTERIOR PROPOSAL: Corridor Exhibiton Spaces

4.

1.

IDENTIFY

The first step would be the identification of architectural and historical significance of the buildings from the modernist period. “The significance may lie in tangible attributes, such as location, design style, construction methods, and the quality of the structures. Intangible values such as historic, social, scientific or spiritual associations, are also taken into consideration”-Madrid Document

3.

PROMOTE

Promoting the architectural and historical significance of the 20th century landmarks, is an important step in order to inform people about this chapter of our heritage. The involving of the community can be made through workshops for students, as well as community organizations incorporating a diversity of people into the process.

PROTECT

After assessing and identifying the main landmarks in danger, they can be put into heritage protection. The acters involved can be the Municipality of Prishtina, University of Prishtina [ Architecture Department], the Architecture Association, Institute for Protection of Monuments, Ministry of Culture as well as NGOs and public hearings.

5. AFTER

ADAPT

One of its three parts started to be renovated before 2013, covered in a pink aluminum semi-structural façade. The further works stopped, due to protests from the architecture community.

After the renovation, the brutalist facade was covered, making the building unrecognisable, even by the architect himself in his visit in prishtina in 2016. It is currently used as a government building. Currently used as a commercial build-

The Facade was altered to improve the indoors thermal conditions, with complete disregard to the preservation of the original materials and architectural style of the building, representing the Late Modernism in South-Estern Europe.

Bibliography

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