Courtesy of Passive House Bulgaria

Passive House Bulgaria recently launched an International Design Competition for a Passive House near Sofia, Bulgaria. The main goal with this competition is to challenge the architectural community to design a schematic design proposal for an affordable, low energy, single-family houses, to focus the public attention to this new type of energy efficient buildings, and to promote the design and construction of Passive Houses in Bulgaria. Registration is open until the competition deadline on on March 16. For more information, please visit here.

Courtesy of ZNA

Sofia’s new Metropolitan Station 20 on line 1 connects the nearby historic city with a modern and developing city center. It creates an underground world inspired by the cities’ culture and modern day aspirations. The design strategy by ZNA (Zeybekoglu Nayman Associates, Inc.) seeks to take advantage of the overlapping relationship between Obikolna Street and the proposed station below. The design of a centralized median, which moderates traffic, becomes the glass spine of the station. Composed of high angled walls in white architectural concrete the station is formed to capture natural light. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

view from main plaza

The Metro Station 20 proposal by Peter Ruge Architekten on Metro Line 1 in Sofia, Bulgaria acts as a primary metro connection between Sofia’s city center and the airport, and the hub of a major commercial redevelopment plan. Their design seeks to establish clear pathways, form active connections and harmonize architecture and landscape. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of MSB Architects

The proposal for the Metro Station 20 by MSB Architects aims to create passing spaces, with the creation and delineation of structures and trees that provide the amenities for this occupation. Assuming that the city will grow to this area, this project may be structured in this new area of the city through the creation of common spaces – above and below ground – with a philosophy of unity at a visual and functional language. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Studio 8 1/2

Architects: Studio 8 1/2
Location: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Courtesy of Studio 8 1/2

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Courtesy of Sofia Municipality and Sofia Architecture Week

Sofia Municipality and Sofia Architecture Week invites all architects to participate in a competition for preliminary architectural design of Metro station 20 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The project should be a proposal for a comprehensive sustainable architectural concept for the metro station and the public space above it. It should be designed according to the specific requirements of the underground rail transport system as well as the contemporary principals of urbanism.

The authors of the project that wins first prize will enter into an agreement with Sofia Municipality and Metropolitan EAD for commissioning the working documentation for this project. More information on the competition after the break. read more »

rendering

The surrounding neighborhood consists mostly of apartment blocks that date back from the 70’s. The buildings are large with enough space in-between and plenty of greenery. Because the whole area is built in relatively short period of time and not very long ago, it lacks the typical historic layers of the city center. Here the connection to nature is direct enough, the access to all city-conveniences – fast enough and easy, what makes the area nice to dwell. In spite of that it still lacks history, (memories of) the past and atmosphere.

Architect: Aedes Studio
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Photographs: Aedes Studio

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monument to the soviet army

As part of his series dealing with forgotten monuments from the communist era in Bulgaria, Nikola Mihov has shared with us his story and photos of the many iconic communist era monuments in Bulgaria that were dismantled after the fall of the totalitarian regime in 1989. Nevertheless, more than one hundred important monuments built between 1945 and 1989 remain standing. The majority of these sites are not recognized by the state and they remain ownerless. Their exact number is unknown and it is difficult to find information about their authors and their history. More images and his story after the break. read more »

© Aedes Studio

Architects: Aedes Studio / Plamen Bratkov
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Project Year: 2010-2011
Photographs: Aedes Studio

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artificialowl.net/2008/12/buzludzha-abandoned-communist-concrete.html

Why would this building be abandoned when at one point it was such a significant symbol for the country? Buildings such as this that have been left to stand alone are calling out for architects to intervene and come up with well thought out solutions while being sensitive to its historical significance. At one time, the Buzludzha Monument, designed by Gueorguy Stoilov, was the most celebrated monument dedicated to the sociopolitical movement of communism. Now, in the mountains of Buzludzha National Park in Central Stara Planina, Bulgaria, stands an abandoned communist concrete structure right in the middle of the country taking on a “flying saucer” in appearance. What should be done with buildings that have been abandoned all over the globe? Now is the time to think critically and discover the possibilities. More images and after the break. read more »

© Courtesy of Ignatov Architects

Architects: Ignatov Architects
Location: Varna, Bulgaria
Client: George Bonin
Project Area: 780 sqm
Project Year: 2006-2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Ignatov Architects

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Martin Angelov shared his funky concept for a new urban way of transportation dubbed “Kolelinia” with us .  Kolelinia proposes that we ride our bicycles on a steel wire as a new type of bicycle lane.  The idea was awarded first for the international “Line of Site” competition.

More about Kolelinia after the break. read more »

French architect Dominique Perrault has been selected to design the new city center of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. The city center will be built in the next ten years and will house various state institutions. The center will be located along Sofia’s main boulevard “Tsarigradsko Shosse”. The vision of Bulgarian prime minister Sergei Stanishev and his brother – architect Georgii Stanishev – is to gather ministries and state agencies in the new “Sofia city”, relocated from the current center of Sofia.

Perrault was selected among six practices, all of them world architectural design leaders including Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, and Massimiliano Fuksas. Two Bulgarian firms also participated in the final stages of the contest.

Seen at Bustler. More images of Perrault, Foster and Hadid’s proposals after the break.

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