Winners of the architectural competition for New Center of Borovets

New Center of Borovets
New Center of Borovets
Borovets Competition Poster

On the occasion of the commemoration of 120 years since the foundation of Borovets, the oldest mountain resort in Bulgaria, the Municipality of Samokov and its partners – the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, the Union of Architects in Bulgaria and the Union of Urbanists in Bulgaria – held an international architectural competition for new central part of the resort.

New Center of Borovets
Site

The scope of the competition included the Golden Triangle territory in Borovets mountain resort, Samokov Municipality, Bulgaria. The area is located in the most lively and attractive part of the resort, next to the finish line of the ski runs and the initial stations of the cabin and chairlift as well as to some of the largest and most important hotel complexes. sting vegetation and other activities, presented in detail in the competition program. The winners in the competition are:

First place – William Matthews Associates Ltd from the United Kingdom in collaboration with Stephen George Internationl Bulgaria

New Center of Borovets
Image © William Matthews Associates

Our proposal for the New Centre of Borovets sets four key objectives:
To create a sequence of high quality public spaces forming a new heart of the town; spaces that would work both in the summer and winter and which would generate ‘streetlife’, attracting tourists and local residents.

New Center of Borovets
Image © William Matthews Associates

To replace the existing buildings on the site with new structures of distinctive designs that would create and reinforce a clear architectural identity for Borovets; an identity that is flexible, individual, modern and timeless.
To bring life and activity to the woods in the centre of the site whilst retaining as many of the existing trees as possible.
To relieve congestion around the site and the conflict between pedestrians, skiers and motorists.

New Center of Borovets
Image © William Matthews Associates

Two key elements define our solution:
– The regeneration of the Main Street, leading from the Yastrebets gondola lift to the Hotel Rila, as the centre of Borovets, and the commercial and social heart of the resort.
– The creation of a new ski / foot / cycle path through the woods in the centre of the site which would transformed into a new park / garden to be used throughout the year.
In addition we believe the following points are critical to a successful project:
– to retain a similar number of retail units as the existing
site;
– to design an environmentally excellent scheme.

Second place – A.D.A. Ltd., Bulgaria

New Center of Borovets
Image © A.D.A.
New Center of Borovets
Image © A.D.A.
New Center of Borovets
Image © A.D.A.

Third place – Project Vitae Ltd., Bulgaria

New Center of Borovets
Image © Project Vitae
New Center of Borovets
Image © Project Vitae
New Center of Borovets
Image © Project Vitae

Honorable Prizes

4th place – Urban Planning Institute, Bulgaria

New Center of Borovets
Image © Urban Planning Institute
New Center of Borovets
Image © Urban Planning Institute
New Center of Borovets
Image © Urban Planning Institute

5th place – Critical Design Studio, Turkey

New Center of Borovets
Image © Critical Design Studio
New Center of Borovets
Image © Critical Design Studio
New Center of Borovets
Image © Critical Design Studio

Source and images Courtesy of Urbanistas.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *