Eşdeğer Mansiyon, Competition for the Conceptual Design of the Forest Park Lješkopoljska Gorica in Podgorica

Atelier Birches'in "Competition for the Conceptual Design of the Forest Park Lješkopoljska Gorica in Podgorica" için hazırladığı proje, eşdeğer mansiyon ödülünü kazandı.

Proje Raporu:

An Action-Based Place for All Living Creatures

Nestled among towering mountains, a vast plain through which rivers course; or, true to its name, the place at the foot of small hills: Podgorica.

Is it still possible to define this unique geography with mountains, rivers, agricultural fields, gardens, hills and forest fragments?

Although it is doomed to ruthless, uncontrolled urbanisation in places, a socio-cultural life that develops by the riverside, among the forests in the mountainous areas, agricultural practices in the plain, still stands out. In this sense, what we should clearly underline at the beginning of the project narrative is that this project aims to strengthen and sustain all the geographical, natural and cultural resources of Podgorica through a complex urban network theory.

There are various interactions happening between pastureland and forest, private and public spaces, objects and their surroundings, humans and other living beings, tangible and intangible elements, city and park, green spaces and water bodies, river and valley, and interior and exterior spaces. However, the most crucial interaction is the one between the idea of having a forest within a city and its connection to the surrounding environment.

Is it still possible to define this unique geography with mountains, rivers, agricultural fields, gardens, hills and forest fragments?

Although it is doomed to ruthless, uncontrolled urbanisation in places, a socio-cultural life that develops by the riverside, among the forests in the mountainous areas, agricultural practices in the plain, still stands out. In this sense, what we should clearly underline at the beginning of the project narrative is that this project aims to strengthen and sustain all the geographical, natural and cultural resources of Podgorica through a complex urban network theory.

There are various interactions happening between pastureland and forest, private and public spaces, objects and their surroundings, humans and other living beings, tangible and intangible elements, city and park, green spaces and water bodies, river and valley, and interior and exterior spaces. However, the most crucial interaction is the one between the idea of having a forest within a city and its connection to the surrounding environment.

When we have a closer look at this geography, it is unfortunately possible to see a growing city where forested areas are decreasing day by day, agricultural areas are opened for construction, and underground / aboveground resources are consumed uncontrollably.

For this reason, it is necessary to develop a strategic planning approach at the city scale in the triangle of forest, agriculture and water resources and to read the competition area as an important starting area of this strategic step. In todays world, where groundwater is decreasing day by day and landscape-park practices that are insensitive to the ecosystem are spreading, it seems very important to try to maintain this balance.

Exploring the Interconnection of Social and Ecological Systems

This design proposal emphasises the idea of creating a strategic planning project that sustains these multi-layered values, from the scale of the whole city to the Forest Park of Leškopoljska Gorica, and the idea of creating a ‘living’ place where all multidynamic cultural factors are effectively utilised.

The combination of this socio-cultural unity and the unique piece of geography clearly shows the designer the importance of not being bound only by the boundaries of the architectural competition area. The transformation of this multi-dynamic culture-geography into a sustainable and developable urban environment has been organised under three main headings as possible strategies to transform the future of the city. These are the Urban Forestry, Water Management and Agricultural Practice loops.

It is aimed to develop a holistic green network strategy centred on all the actors of Podgroitsa, especially by expanding urban green areas with green corridors, ensuring the continuity of forests as much as possible, increasing the common awareness of communities.

In addition, its role in social and cultural life is enhanced by limiting intensive agricultural activities from time to time and minimising the damage to the environment through a route integrated into cultural activities from time to time.

Ultimately, the city’s inhabitants, the animals that inhabit it, and the plants that sustain it are brought together on a sustainable basis through a comprehensive water management strategy, ranging from urban rainwater harvesting and conversion into bioswales to the activation of river corridors. Leškopoljska Gorica Forest Park stands out as one of the most important foci of the city, hosting as many activities as possible with minimal structural intervention in an activity-centred manner.

URBAN STRATEGIES

The design proposal can be explained under three headings:

Firstly, to produce strategy loops (Green, Agriculture, Blue Loops) that will integrate the infrastructure and social life of the whole city into this unique geography. All strategies in these maps, which can be shown as a road map for the future vision of the whole city within the scope of sustainability principles by centring civil society and activities, are applied on Leškopoljska Gorica Forest Park. The forest park as a socio-cultural focal point stands out as one of the starting points for urban planning strategies and a possible future Podgorica vision.

Secondly, all these strategic interventions have resulted in the creation of routes that encompass the city’s cultural, urban, environmental, social values and everyday life. Developed around agriculture, forest and river, these routes highlight Podgorica’s values and make it possible to explore the city on foot.

Finally, the ‘Forest Park’, which is the focal point of implementation of all strategies, is designed as a focal point that strengthens the interaction between the inhabitants of the city and nature with as little structural intervention as possible and versatile activity maps. This design clearly consists of ‘wooden platform’ structures that can be transformed according to use, avoiding major structural moves. The idea of a ‘forest’ that the city is constantly actively using through these versatile structures that will be used by activities to be organised according to daily and seasonal cycles is the most vital point of the design.

The design is intended to present a forest with all its living connections and temporary and permanent social facilities in a complex integrity. The main purpose of the design is not just a city park or a natural afforestation of a hill; rather, it is to build an important sociocultural point, a natural habitat association that contributes to a holistic ecosystem, taking into account all the social, geographical, cultural, natural and agricultural balances of Podgorica as a whole.

Leškopoljska Gorica Forest Park:

Although the hill seems to have a steep topography, its slopes and hills in the northwest area offer a very suitable environment for activity areas and paths with a slope of up to 10%. While the slopes in the eastern part are slightly more inclined, the slope in the south has a challenging slope.

Since Podgorica is not a place with heavy rainfall and due to its topography, it does not offer the opportunity to collect and reuse rainwater with high efficiency. However, depending on the topography, rainwater’s flows and accumulation areas provide suitable conditions for water to infiltrate cleanly into the soil with ecological water filtering methods such as bioswales and rain gardens. While water flows without collecting on the southeast and northwest slopes of the hill, waterways merge on other slopes.

The general geological condition of the hill has a rocky structure. While there are quite large rock masses on steep slopes, other regions have less rocky structure. Soil areas constitute approximately 40% of the area and do not require extra soil for planting.

The hill does not have a dense plant tissue. While it is covered with dry meadows consisting of Poa bulbosa and Satureja subspicata species in the higher areas, a maquis texture consisting of Punica granatum and Paliurus spina-christi species is dominant on the slopes. While Quercus species collectively form a canopy at the foot of the hill, Cupressus sempervirens is also found occasionally.

In line with these analyses, this project aims to create activity areas in the flat areas on the hill. It intends to effort ramps, paths and bicycle lines parallel to the topography or with low slopes to provide optimum usage for the user on slopes that are difficult to access and use. The project focuses on built a circulation line for the vehicles, providing easy intervention in an emergency. The goal of the project is to collect rainwater along waterways and ensure that water seeps into the soil cleanly with bioswales and rain gardens.

Microcosmic Structure of The Forest

The promenade, along with its interconnected paths and trails, enhances the user’s spatial experience by appealing to all five senses with different scents, tastes, and sounds. This multi-sensory engagement allows users to form a deep connection with the place, creating memorable and immersive experiences through various route options.

Although the forest promenado looks like a long road that starts from the Moraca River and goes around the entire area, it consists of structures that gradually disintegrate within the forest.
This project takes into account the physical characteristics and conditions of the area in proposed afforestation and planting decisions. The application areas of two different forestation techniques are according to the rock and slope structure of the hill; The proposal aims to design the borders of the ANR technique according to high slope and rocky areas; and it aims to design the boundaries of the Miyawaki technique according to soil and low slope areas. In addition to the natural plant species of the area, The strategy prioritizes to ensure that the plants to be planted are compatible with the existing species.