INTERTEXTUAL COMPOSITION OF AN URBAN ENSEMBLE COMPLETING THE PALACE OF YOUTH AND SPORTS IN THE NEW CONTEXT OF PRISHTINA
by Florent Bajrami Master thesis developed at Politecnico di Milano under the supervision of Maurizio Meriggi and Luka Skansi received the highest score 110 cum Laude
WHY COMPLETE THE PALACE OF YOUTH AND SPORTS PROJECT?
The importance of the Palace of Youth and Sports complex to Prishtina’s image is not to be understood only through its iconic architectural language and massive scale. The mega-structure stands as an artifact of the city’s recent history. It is a testament of Prishtina’s youth, the optimistic times of the project’s conception, the idea of unity, but also later on as a reminder of the ethnic division, the unfulfilled promise of its completion and after the war, the governmental neglect of the complex. Since the independence and the economic system change, it is increasingly more difficult to imagine the realization of a public building of such scale and architectural ingenuity. Not properly maintained and only partly functional, the complex is not fulfilling its full potential and its future stands in uncertainty. Due to the size of the ensemble, demolition is a rather onerous and financially demanding operation; in its current state, therefore, the complex finds itself in limbo: too
expensive to maintain or to demolish, and too important for the public to be privatized. The Prishtina 2030 Mediterranean Games present a great opportunity for the central and local governments to think about the restoration of the damaged parts of the existing buildings, as well as the development of the empty plot behind the halls. A project for the completion of the ensemble would finally fulfill the original promise to the citizens of Prishtina, who directly funded its realization, as well as guarantee a secure future for one of the most important pieces of the city’s architectural heritage. The project would not only provide more open and closed sport facilities but it could also potentially be conceived as an infrastructural device that could connect different parts of the city center, through platforms and bridges. It would also function as a transportation hub, where a large parking lot would enable drivers to park their cars and walk to the city center.
URBAN CENTERS
NEW RING ROAD
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
EXISTING CONDITIONS: FRAGMENTED PARTS OF THE CITY
1.Old City Center
ci
ty
ce
nt
er
2.administrative Center
3.project site
200 m
unive
rsity
4.new high-rise district
camp
us
500 m
LEGEND Important sites Ring road of the city center 1000 m
Railway line and station Bus lines Bus stops Pedestrian routes Main pedestrian axis
THE PALACE OF SPORTS AS AN ICON OF THE CITY
THE BURNED UNIVERSAL HALL
THE UNDEVELOPED PART OF THE PALACE OF YOUTH AND SPORTS USED AS A HUGE PARKING LOT
LEARNING FROM THE ORIGINAL PROJECT
When considering the potential completion of the Palace of Youth and Sports, one must look at the original project developed almost fifty years ago. It stands as an unquestionably relevant trace guiding a new design capable of restoring this urban block to its functionality by integrating it with the elements that have been realized. Regarding the strict need for pertinence with the existing, the project is constructed in an intertextual manner based on an in-depth study of the composition and proportions of the plan and elevations of the original project. Indeed, a project of such particular architectural language and immense importance can only be completed if its compositional rules are understood and its heritage accentuated. Furthermore, the original project’s never fulfilled variety of program and its urban role for the context present two important pillars from where the proposal arises, as they would still be incredibly beneficial to the city’s well-functioning.
As part of this analysis, the original project has been closely examined on plan and elevations, where a mega-grid, which directly relates to its structural grid system, is revealed as a compositional tool. Moreover, on elevations an ever deeper analysis is carried, where two different grid systems are identified. These two grids help in understanding the compositional and proportional relationship of the building volumes with one-another as well as their smaller elements. Understanding this hierarchy, means that the proposal can take the form of a respectful addition with a very muted architectural language, that does not compete with the existing modern heritage. The analysis serves to identify the domain of a potential project, which although being greatly restrictive, guarantees continuity with the existing in scale and proportions. Thus, it is a tool that could be used as a base for setting the urban and architectural rules for an eventual future international competition.
THE ORIGINAL PROJECT BY ŽIVORAD JANKOVIĆ, HALID MUHASILOVIĆ AND SRETKO EŠPEK
COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE PLANS AND ELEVATIONS OF THE ORIGINAL PROJECT AS A STARTING POINT FOR THE PROPOSAL
FRONT FAÇADE OF THE SPORTS HALLS. COMPOSITION STUDY USING THREE GRIDS: 6X6M, 8X6M AND 4X3M
LONGITUDINAL ELEVATION SHOWING THE PALACE OF SPORTS AND THE PALACE OF YOUTH: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 6X6M GRID
LONGITUDINAL ELEVATION SHOWING THE PALACE OF SPORTS AND THE PALACE OF YOUTH: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 8X6M GRID
LONGITUDINAL ELEVATION SHOWING THE OLYMPIC POOL AND THE PALACE OF SPORTS: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 6X6M GRID
LONGITUDINAL ELEVATION SHOWING THE OLYMPIC POOL AND THE PALACE OF SPORTS: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 8X6M GRID
BACK ELEVATION SHOWING THE OLYMPIC POOL AND THE OUTDOOR STANDINGS: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 6X6M GRID
LONGITUDINAL ELEVATION SHOWING THE OLYMPIC POOL AND THE OUTDOOR STANDINGS: COMPOSITION STUDY USING THE 8X6M GRID
STRATEGY AND MAIN CONCEPTS OF THE PROJECT
The state of uncertainty of the Palace of Youth and Sports could be resolved by its revitalization through its completion in the terms of a recontextualization in the new urban landscape of Prishtina. As part of the integration with the surrounding urban context, the proposal aims at the construction of the pair of bridges planned in the original idea but never realized, connecting the higher residential neighborhoods and the railway station to the west with the main city avenue to the east. The bridges and platform would also connect the newly developed residential and commercial center in Lakrishtë with the center boulevard and the city stadium. The first floor platform would be the artificial level that would facilitate the access and circulation of massive crowds of spectators and other pedestrians, while the more permeable ground level would ensure the ease of accessibility for athletes and commercial users. With slight variations, these architectural
elements would still respond to the problems of the current connective tissue by creating facilitated paths for pedestrians and a mitigation of city traffic. Through their completion, therefore, the project would take full advantage of the infrastructural aspect it originally intended. Moreover, the recent use of the plot as a parking lot could be seen as a potential for developing a transportation hub where transferring from car to foot is possible. A further essential factor that constitutes a step in the revitalization of the complex and its activation and attractiveness is its functional integration. The various open-air sports and Olympic swimming pools that were never completed had reduced the conception of the compound as a youth and sports center, and hence they are being re-proposed in the functional programme along with other recreational-sports activities, which would allow different categories of citizens potentially using this new center to be channeled into it.
STRATEGY: THE PALACE OF YOUTH AND SPORTS COMPLEX AS AN URBAN INTERVENTION TO CONNECT THE FRAGMENTED PARTS OF THE CITY CENTER
CONNECTING ARBËRIA TO THE MOTHER TERESA BOULEVARD
USING THE COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS AS A STARTING POINT
RESPECTING THE HERITAGE BY ADHERING TO THE PROPORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL
MASTERPLAN OF THE PROPOSAL
CONNECTING THE TWO PARTS OF THE CITY CENTER
CLEAR DIVISION OF VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
MAINTAINING THE IMAGE OF THE ORIGINAL PROJECT
ORGANIZATION OF THE VOLUMES ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONAL MEGA-GRID
ISOMETRIC SECTION VIEW OF THE PROPOSAL: THE FUNCTIONS AND SURFACES OF THE SPACES
DATA OF THE BUILT AND OPEN SPACES OF THE PROPOSAL
SURFACE AND FUNCTIONAL PROGRAM
69 080 sqm surface
User fluxes distribution
SURFACE FUNCTIONAL PROGRAM 37 900 sqm AND EXISTING 31 180 sqm PROPOSED
71% built open 6929% 080 sqm surface 72%sqm served 37 900 EXISTING
SPORTS COURTS
User fluxes distribution
YOUTH PALACE
64%sqm served 31 180 PROPOSED
28% serving 71% built 29% accessibility open Space rate 72% served 28% serving
SPORTS HALLS
47% built 53% open 36% serving 47% built 53% open
SPORTS HALLS OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL SPORTS COURTS
COMMERCIAL AREA YOUTH PALACE
50% public
64% served 40% semi-public36% serving
COMMERCIAL OLYMPICSWIMMING POOL SWIMMING POOL
10% private
Space accessibility rate Main functions rate
RECRATIONAL ANNEX
50% public 61% 40% sport semi-public
COMMERCIAL SWIMMING POOL
18% 10% recreational private 21% commercial 61% sport
Use types 18% identification recreational for indoor sports COMMERCIAL - one time -
MEMBERSHIP - non competitive -
Normal day
CLUB ANNEX
Special event day RECRATIONAL ANNEX
Main functions rate
21% commercial
CLUB ANNEX COMMERCIAL AREA
Normal day
Generetation of economic flows Special event day
MEMBERSHIP - competitive -
SPORTS HALLS
TRAMPOLINE POOL
Use types identification for indoor sports
SPORTS COURTS YOUTH PALACE Generetation of economic flows
DARTS
COMMERCIAL
TABLE TENNIS
BOWLING- one time -
MEMBERSHIP - non competitive -
TABLE FOOTBALL TRAMPOLINE
- competitive -
SPORTS HALLS OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL SPORTS COURTS
ARCHERY - SHOOTING RANGE
POOL
MEMBERSHIP COMMERCIAL AREA YOUTH PALACE
CLIMBING DARTS MARTIAL ARTS
TABLE TENNIS
FENCING
BOWLING SQUASH TABLE FOOTBALL
CROSS-FIT ARCHERY - SHOOTING RANGE
COMMERCIAL OLYMPICSWIMMING POOL SWIMMING POOL
YOGA CLIMBING BASKETBALL
RECRATIONAL ANNEX
MARTIAL ARTS
VOLLEYBALL TENNIS
FENCING
SQUASH HANDBALL FUTSAL
YOGA
CLUB ANNEX COMMERCIAL AREA
SWIMMING BASKETBALL
CROSS-FIT
COMMERCIAL SWIMMING POOL
Normal day Special event day RECRATIONAL ANNEX
VOLLEYBALL
Normal day
TENNIS HANDBALL FUTSAL SWIMMING
Special event day
CLUB ANNEX
VIEW FROM THE ENTRANCE OF THE COMPLEX TOWARDS THE PALACE OF SPORTS
INTERIOR VIEW OF THE OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL
REFLECTED NORTH ELEVATION: THE PROPOSAL IN RED ADHERING TO THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION
TOP VIEW OF THE COMPLEX
SOUTH ELEVATION: THE PROPOSAL IN RED ADHERING TO THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION
-1 LEVEL FLOOR PLAN: THE UNDERGROUND PARKING CONNECTED TO THE EXISTING ONE AS WELL AS THE SUNKEN SWIMMING POOL
WEST ELEVATION: THE PROPOSAL IN RED ADHERING TO THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION: THE HALF-SUNKEN SWIMMING POOL ON THE LEFT AND SPORT ANNEXES ON THE RIGHT
GROUND LEVEL FLOOR PLAN: PERMEABLE BOUNDARIES THAT ENCLOSE OPEN SPORTS COURTS
ZOOMED IN VIEW OF THE ANNEXES: DUAL VOLUMES RESPECTING THE SLOPES OF THE PALACE OF SPORTS
WEST SECTION THROUGH THE RECREATIONAL SPORTS ANNEX
THE HALF-SUNKEN OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL. THE ROOF IN CORRESPONDANCE TO THE SLOPES OF THE PALACE OF SPORTS INTERIOR VIEW OF THE SWIMMING POOLS COURT: FLEXIBILITY OF THE CURTAIN WALL TO OPEN UP THE SPACE
INTERIOR VIEW OF THE SPORTS CLUBS ANNEX: DIFFERENT SPORTS CO-EXISTING UNDER ONE ROOF. TRANSPARENCY AND VARIANCE IN ROOM HEIGHTS TO CREATE VISUAL INTEREST AND CURIOSITY
NORTH LONGITUDINAL SECTION: HIERARCHY OF THE PROPOSED VOLUMES ADHERING TO THE EXISTING ONES
+1 LEVEL FLOOR PLAN: THE PLATFORM AS ACCESS FOR THE SPECTATORS AND CONNECTING THE ADJACENT URBAN BLOCKS
SOUTH LONGITUDINAL SECTION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPEN COURTS AND THE PLATFORM
+2 LEVEL FLOOR PLAN: A VARIETY OF GALLERIES LOOKING TOWARDS BIG OPEN HALLS
CONCLUSION
The proposal for the completion of the Palace of Youth and Sports is not merely an attempt to put forward a solution to an urban void. As seen in the background section of the research, the complex is strongly linked to the city’s history and stands as a reminder of more optimistic times. Half a century later, no other building of similar scale or architectural ingenuity has been realized in Prishtina; an aspect which makes the Palace of Youth and Sport even more valuable to the city’s architectural heritage. The proposal’s focal point lies precisely on how to approach such an iconic and particular mega-structure. The specificity of the architectural language, built upon simple urbanistic and construction rules, makes any addition to the ensemble seem totally inappropriate if said rules are not considered. On the other hand, simply realizing the rest of the project based on the original project does not constitute the best solution to the new context of the site, as well as it would diminish the image of the Palace of Sports that lies deeply in the collective memory of every Prishtina inhabitant. Thus, this research tries to identify the hidden framework that unifies the ensemble, so that the proposal could
abide within the rules set up by the original plan, while operating on a limited freedom to put forward a respectful addition to the complex. Such framework, as seen in the idea of the compositional mega-grid, the elevation proportional study, as well as the architectural elements abacus, has been applied so that the proposal fulfills the requirement on three different levels: 1. the infrastructural aspect, relating to the ability of the ensemble to interlink different part of the city center and act as a transportation hub; 2. the continuity of image, concerned with respecting the heritage value that the complex has acquired throughout the years, and thus giving the addition a muted character that abides by the rules of the existing, and 3. the functional integrity of the new additions as a must to keep the character of the complex as a sport, commercial and recreational mega-structure. An improved and finally complete Palace of Youth and Sports could signify a new era for the city’s social, cultural and economical life: a center which could finally be enjoyed by the so many citizens involved in its realization decades ago, and one with which a new generation of young people could identify with.
All drawings and picture are developed by the author