temporary pavement on Calea Victoriei, Bucharest, 2008
by Point4 & Zeppelin team: Justin Baroncea, Jean Craiu, Radu Enescu, Ştefan Ghenciulescu, Constantin Goagea, Carmen Popescu. Project Development: Raluca Marţiş
The ensemble of public and residual urban spaces, known as the “Revolution Square”, was the theme of several grand, ambitious proposals that just for such reasons are still drafts. For the time being, we have to live with this unfriendly chaos, a non-public space stretching along the most famous axis of the capital.
The Victoria Road, from the Hilton Hotel to Kretzulescu Church has become a delta swarming with parked or driving cars. People have to swim around them in a space lacking any coherence.
Our proposal defines the course of Victoria Road by separating the parking lots in front of the Athenaeum, the “Cina” restaurant, and National Library. This is done through a wooden pavement. It will help the pedestrians to cross the area naturally, and reconnect the Athenaeum Square, the space in front of the Cina, Palace Square and Revolution Square into a coherent ensemble. Last but not least, it re-reads symbolically the history of the axis: Calea Victoriei used to be called “the Mogoşoaia Bridge” until the late 19th century, as it was paved with wooden trunks.
Technically, we propose a simple, modular and quite cheap system, easy to put together and disassemble. A wooden “deck” is hooked between prefabricated concrete kerbs and set on the road.
A prototype (done with the help of Ecolemn) was set in front of the Cărtureşti Bookshop, on Arthur Verona Street to prove the efficiency of the project.
