Stara Zagora’s Market Zone

From public spaces to places

The competition area is characterised by relatively connected spaces that flow into each other and have different atmospheres and dynamics.

Our strategy is driven by our desire to transform the existing public spaces into places where people of different ages and interests are attracted to and want to stay. The area has a good DNA and needs proper care and delicate interventions to become more welcoming and vibrant.

In zone 1, we focus on preserving the representative atmosphere by enriching the space with landscaping, incl. trees, which are almost absent at the moment and which will improve the microclimate during the hot summer months, which are typical for Stara Zagora. We propose more and varied seating to allow the square to be recognised as a place to socialise and relax. We see the square as an active space where various temporary events could be held such as Christmas and art bazaars, exhibitions, artistic events, open-air screenings, etc., which will further liven it up and saturate it with various activities. In front of the Museum of Religions, we are creating a small plaza to improve the visual perception of the building and its relationship with the surrounding space.

Given the more representative appearance, we propose natural granite paving, which would correspond with the appearance of the central pedestrian street (Tsar Simeon Veliki Blvd). Smoother stairs and ramps to improve physical accessibility are used to overcome the different levels of the square.

We propose a raised pedestrian crossing at Tsar Ivan Shishman St that will spatially and visually connect zones 1 and 2. In zone 2, we offer a better organisation of parking on Pazarska St and in the parking lot behind the residential block to create more and continuous pedestrian spaces, incl. a small square with seating, east of the former cinema building. With the project, we suggest a new organization of deliveries to the market and the commercial establishments around it, which frees up the part of Pazarska St in zone 2 of these functions. This allows turning it into a shared street and creating a pedestrian space in the eastern part, which will flow into the pedestrian zone that we form around the market area. For the car lane on Pazarska St we plan to reuse the granite pavers left over from the renovation of Sv. Knyaz Boris St and the temporary intervention on the old city council site. The car lane is at the same level as the surrounding pedestrian spaces, for which we use light grey concrete pavers with crushed granite aggregate. Thus, we ensure permeability, a lower heating degree in the hot months, and pavement durability.

In zone 3, the interventions are organised around the market and the commercial functions in the vicinity. We propose a reorganisation of loading and deliveries, which will be limited in the morning and evening hours, with an entrance from Peter Parchevich St and an exit from Georgi S. Rakovski St. Both streets become pedestrian streets with limited vehicle access. We make Kolyo Ganchev St a shared street for pedestrian, bicycle, and car traffic. Thus, we create a network of pedestrian streets around the market to allow peaceful and conflict-free use of the area by visitors of the market and the surrounding retail and commercial spaces. Car access to the parking lot serving the market and to the dead-end street serving the residential block is provided along Kolyo Ganchev St. We are keeping the parking lot but enriching it with landscaping to improve its aesthetics and provide shade and lower heating levels during the hot months. We propose rain gardens along the periphery of the parking lot, which absorb rainwater, together with the permeable pavement of the parking lot itself.

In all three zones, we introduce rich landscaping with trees, shrubs, and grasses to improve the ecological and aesthetic qualities of the environment. An important function of the vegetation is to assist in rainwater absorption, thereby relieving the load on the sewage system in cases of heavy rains, and reducing the air temperature and the heating of the pavements.

We propose a unified design of the urban furniture elements for the entire competition area, made of high-quality and durable materials, to increase the quality of the urban environment. A unified design of facades, advertising elements, exhibition and commercial areas, etc., is recommended to reduce the visual clutter.