Mesto Malina is a synthesis of Urbanity (Mesto) and Nature (Malina).
Mesto refers to the urbanity that we propose, as a contemporary reinterpretation of the place-making tradition of the urban green commons of historical Slovak towns, which combine hard surfaces appropriate for public activity with lush green areas for recreation, and that leave room for community buildings as free-standing architectonic elements articulating the public realm.
Malina refers to the rich nature that surrounds the site: the forests but, especially, the Malina River Natural Reserve (Bio-Corridor and Bio-Center Malina, Natura 2000), which comes in contact with the site all along its southern edge. Our proposal is sensitive and permeable to this natural surroundings through three Urban Bio-Corridors which double as the main public spaces of the neighborhood: the Civic Commons, the Urban Meadows and the Sports Orchards, each with a defined program and distinct landscaping identity, extensively incorporating local and regional plantings and enhancing biodiversity.
There is a lineage of spindle-shaped commons (communal civic spaces) in the Slovak urban tradition. These are formed by continuous facades which define a linear public space with the gates to the town at its ends. In all cases they have a combination of paved and green surfaces, in a proportion that can largely vary; from almost all green to substantially paved. This changing proportion between green and paved brings about very different urban landscapes. The buildings of communal use (church, town hall etc.) are placed as free-standing singular objects in the middle of these spaces.
The new neighbourhood is linked to the town center and the Caste Park by the remodelling of the existing road in order to incorporate a bicycle lane and also through a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the highway.
Mesto Malina is inscribed within the metropolitan green and blue landscape infrastructure. At the regional scale of the Bratislava region, north-south Urban Bio-Corridors link to the surrounding natural reserves and forests with the Bio-Corridor Malacky-Široké-Orlovské Vŕšky being planned around and on the project’s site.
At the local scale of the new neighbourhood, three Urban Bio-Corridors cross the site, forming the green backbones of the neighborhood and main public spaces, while linking to the surrounding nature reserves of Malina River and Orlovské Vŕšky. Each urban bio-corridor has a distinct identity resulting from the combination of diverse urban tissues and public spaces.
Mesto Malina Eco-Neighbourhood
Malacky, Slovakia
Private developers consortium
2016
International restricted competition: First Prize
Masterplan for a new neighbourhood for the the town of Malacky on former military grounds.
Site: 28ha (280.000m2)
Gross built area: mixed use program of 223.000m2 of housing, commerce and public facilities.
Eduard Balcells Architecture+Urbanism+Landscape
Peter Droege, Uli Hellweg, urban designers
Honorata Grzesikowska, urban designer
Jela sro
Schoneger Gmbh
Grimm Gmbh