Nice Architects Wins Bratislava's Parkhill Competition

Young Slovak firm, Nice Architects, has won the first prize in the architectural/urban design competition "Parkhill," aiming to transform the area of a former open air amphitheater in Bratislava, Slovakia. On a total floor area of 60,000 sqm (645,835 sq ft), the new development will house 350 apartments as well as administrative spaces, a hotel, and other public facilities.

Nice Architects' winning entry is a collaboration with landscape designers 2ka landscape architects.

Project Description from Nice Architects:

Area considered is situated just across the road to the city urban forest close to city centre. It is unique plot with great views around whole town, terrain too steep for comfortable traffic, sloping northward preventing proper insolation and in the southern part a small park is situated which is determined to remain as a park.

The most crucial question for us was how to propose asked high floor demand and at the same time to bring high quality public spaces into such a density. We distributed proposed volume along the edges of the site. It helped to solve insolation and gave us opportunity to place underground garages along the edge of the site leaving heart of the zone for grandiose and green public space connected with adjacent park.

Houses were designed essentially as row houses with flexible floor plan and set of various facades. Final composition of the buildings is also serving as small reminiscence of the former amphitheatre.

Find also drawings and concept diagrams in the image gallery below.