Varketili Urban Park in Tbilisi

Location Tbilisi, Georgia

Client / operator Tbilisi Municipality

Architects Artstudio Project GE – 0179 Tbilisi www.artstudio.ge Author Artstudio Project Photos Tbilisi Municipality

Official opening May 2022

RECREATION IN THE CAPITAL OF GEORGIA

VARKETILI URBAN PARK IN TBILISI

The renovation of Varketili Urban Park aims to create greener spaces for activity and to improve safety in Varketili, a popular suburb of the capital of Georgia. Artstudio Project completed the design work in December 2021, and in May 2022 the park opened.

The park’s site is a gorge between two strips of soviet apartment blocks. Before the intervention, the space was an empty area, often misused as disposal site, with dismantled and obsolete infrastructure, withered vegetation and without illumination.

The aim of the project was to activate the urban space giving people of all ages the opportunity to practice an active lifestyle and to spend time outdoors. Housing in this district is often old and cramped. Tbilisi is a growing city and citizens demand spaces where active life and socialising are available to all.

Thematically interconnected The design concept features the main pedestrian axis in the middle of the park connecting all main spaces with accessibility to all areas. Round shapes in the existing environment served as a source of inspiration.

The park as a whole accommodates several zones. In the upper part is the recreation area. Starting from there, bicycle lanes stretch all over the park. Recreation zones are followed by the kids’ zone in bright, joyful colours. Next, the main pedestrian axis is crossed by a bridge; the existing structure of the bridge has been reconstructed and renovated.

All zones are thematically interconnected and equipped with all necessary equipment and furniture to make the area a friendly environment for all people of any age and interest.

Transformation into a vibrant meeting point The relief of the site with its difference in levels was challenging. The middle part is lower, like a riverbed – and the reason why the locals used to call this area “Varketili Gorge”. Now a pedestrian bridge, pathways, play and training areas, and resting areas are well integrated in the existing dynamic relief of the site.

In the skatepark youngsters discover and try out new sports and get involved in physical and training activities. Children enjoy safe playgrounds, bikers appreciate the cycle path crossing the whole park, and residents can train their dogs in the dedicated dogs area. Pedestrians walk on the elevated walkway and enjoy the fine view of the park or simply, during the hot Tbilisi summer, rest by the water fountain or relax on the steps of the amphitheatre or in the shade of the big weeping willow or under the new pergolas.