In 1966, the City of Bratislava organized an international urban development competition. The task was to design a concept for a new neighborhood for 100 000 inhabitants. The concept was based on a metro line and public facilities connected to it. To date, it has never been accomplished.
As a part of ATELIER, Bratislava is planning a renewal of the spatial plan of this area, which is called Petrzalka. The new plan should support the natural character of the environment, design a sustainable urban concept for the area, including sustainable mobility and a new approach to public spaces.
On nearly 80.000 m2 free space of the district Petrzalka, which is actually the largest prefabricated housing estate in Europe, a positive energy district has been planned. The location has been chosen carefully: the land is in municipality ownership and ready to be redesigned with a sustainable concept. The city plans to design the buildings with high energy efficiency – passive, zero or plus energy houses, based on natural energy resources and support the green mobility concept by building a tram line instead of the planned metro line.
The main goal of the urban part of the PED project is to connect the existing parts of Petrzalka housing by connections across the tram axes. The city plans to create greenways across the tram axes for pedestrians and cycling lanes accompanied by vegetation of different levels.
The connections across the axes will connect not only local centers and tram stops but also the inner blocks of existing structures in the community filled with green areas, playgrounds for children and even options for sports and recreation. A new district center should be created for this mainly residential area, as a green corridor along the newly designed tram, which can be perceived as the lungs of Petrzalka. At the level between the prefabricated blocks of flats, where pavilions, playgrounds and meeting zones are designed, a large park is being created.
The green corridor with natural greenery and compact area has a cooling effect within the large, paved areas of the existing structure. Between the heights of 12-storey prefab houses and the park, the city plans smaller 3-storey buildings – multi-functional and housing, thus approaching the scale of a pedestrian. All roof surfaces are designed as green, connecting non-functional terraces with the ground floor using landscaping and greenery, including photovoltaic shading elements.