Join us for the Open Lecture of Winy Maas of MVRDV, organized by “The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport” and “Re:think Space” at the American University in Kosova - Auditorium on Tuesday, 21st February starting from 18.00h.

Winy Maas (b. 1958, schijndel, the netherlands) founded the Rotterdam-based office MVRDV in 1993 with dutch architects Jacob Van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. Specializing in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape design, the firm has worked on a wide variety of projects such as the dutch pavilion for the world expo 2000 in hannover, WOZOCO housing forthe elderly in amsterdam, the boutique shopping building gyrein Tokyo, and the innovative business park ‘flight forum’ in Eindhoven. Aiming to provide solutions to contemporary architecturaland urban issues, MVRDV is adept at exploring the built environment by conceptual means. Their monographic publications FARMAX (1998) and KM3 (2005) illustrates ideas and theorieson densification, multiple space use, sustainability and globalization with how they have applied these elements in to their process and resulting design. Currently, the office has a number of projects under way incountries including the Netherlands, Spain, China, France, Austria, and the UK. (via designboom)

As one of the largest local construction companies, Tregtia proposes on building a high-rising quarter located in Lakrishte, in the high-rises district of central Prishtina.

The project programmatically comprises of a commercial high-rise tower of 17 storeys and by six residential towers of 10 storeys, connected by a continuous landscape garden that accommodates the adjunct commercial facilities.

The commercial tower is an element which gives identity to this quarter of high-rises, while the residential towers are composed in a way that are not competing against, but have a dynamic interplay of bodies, and it specially retains confidence to the commercial tower, by being the highest among.

The ground level interaction of this massive mix-development is also an important part of the design proposal, because it functionally servers for the public flow around the buildings with partly parking spaces.

The TREGTIA High-rise Quarter is currently going through the schematic design approval process and is scheduled to begin construction in the near future. For further details, we’ll keep you updated.

After a broad study conducted by one of the largest companies known worldwide for developing and optimizing ski areas – Ecosign Europa, it seems that Brezovica is going to be receiving a new skiing winter center, close to the existing but old skiing areas.

According to news released by GazetaJNK.com, the master plan for the skiing center, that will be five times bigger than the center in Mavrovo, Macedonia, is going to be announced on 6’th February, where the audience will get to know more detailed information about the new center.

Last year, the European Commission granted the project 200,000 euros, after which a preliminary study of the area showed that the location has the biggest potential in the Balkan area for a skiing center. The best part is that the new center, will outrun the current political problems that are still going on around how to privatize the existing cable cars.

According to the master plan, approved also by the Government of Kosovo, the new skiing area will be settled onto a new location up in the mountains, with five main cable cars and with more than 25 km of skiing runway.

Resort Village

According to details from Ecosign from a presentation in 28′th January 2011, which can be seen here, the new Resort Village will be located on a high plateau, at about 1.650m, in the north-western end of the proposed Mountain Resort. The location is high enough to have snow through the whole winter season and remain fresh in hotter summer days.

This relatively flat area offers a large potential for development, showing a mix of residential and commercial space, with a total of almost 5.300 beds and over 600 parking stalls. The Resort Village is made of a Village Centre to the north; single and multi-family development to the south, adjacent to the pistes; and some additional exclusive development higher up in the mountains, at 1.850m.

Additionally, a Recreation Area around a potential new artificial lake, west of the Village Centre, has been planned associated to the Resort. The Resort Village has been designed so that arriving guests will park below their accommodations or in the multi-level parking structure and then completely forget about their cars until they depart. No cars will be seen from the pedestrian streets of the Village. Each building will have enough underground parking for all their guests.

Details about the costs…

The total cost of the new cable cars will be around 25 million euros but there are no details about the cost of the new houses, restaurants and hotels. As for the restaurant part, there is a plan to build a big one in the mountains with around 2,000 square meters and a 30 kilometer long walking path for walking during summer times. An artificial lake will also be built to encourage tourism during the whole year.

It is also to be noted that the implementation of the plan will result in creating around 5,000 new jobs in a direct or indirect way.

The first assembly of the Association of Planners of Kosova was held a few weeks ago on December 21st 2011, at the conference center of Sirius Hotel, in Prishtina. Beside members of the Planners Asocciation the assembly was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Kosova, and representatives from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering.

The description below (in Albanian) by Diana Çekaj-Berisha - Coordinatior of AsPK,

Asociacioni i Planerëve të Kosovës (AsPK) mbajti Kuvendin e parë të përgjithshëm zgjedhor të AsPK-së në Prishtinë, më 21 Dhjetor 2011 në Hotel SIRIUS / Qendra e Konferencave, në Prishtinë.

Qëllimi i Kuvendit ishte zgjedhja e Kryesisë së re dhe bordit të AsPK-së.

Pjesëmarrës në Kuvend ishin Kryetari dhe Anëtarët e Bordit të AsPK-së, përfaqësues nga Ministria e Mjedisit dhe Planfikimit Hapësinor, Komunat, Universiteti, Këshilli i Kosovës për Planifikim Hapësinor, përfaqësues nga sektori privat, ekspertë të pavarur, studentë si dhe përfaqësues/anëtarë të Asociacionit të Planerëve.

Kuvendin e hapi dhe kryesoi Ztr. Kadrush Grezda, Arkitekt, Kryetar i bordit të AsPK-së ku bëri një prezantim për veprimtarinë e Asociacionit të Planerëve, si një organizate jo qeveritare e themeluar me qëllim të avancimit të proceseve hapësinore dhe të planifikimit urban në përgjithësi në Kosovë. Ztr. Grezda prezantoi raportin e punës njëvjecare të AsPK-së, duke ofruar një pasqyrë të shkurtër  rreth idesë së formimit të AsPK, themelimit të tij, misionit dhe platformës së Asociacionit si dhe aktiviteteve të realizuara gjatë vitit 2011. Ztr. Grezda vlerësoi lartë punën e anëtarëve të bordit të AsPK-së që dhanë kontribut të çmuar gjate vitit 2011 përmes identifikimit të sfidave dhe mundësive për zgjidhje të drejta dhe afatgjate dhe uroi që ky takim të kontribuojë në zhvillimin e mëtejmë strategjik të AsPK-së.

Rezultat i takimit ishte jo vetem plotësimi i Bordit të AsPK-së, me 5 anëtarë te rinj të propozuar dhe votuar nga vetë anëtarët dhe nga pjesëmarrës të tjerë prezent në takim (pas largimit të disa prej anëtarëve), por edhe mundesia për t’u anëtarësuar e të pranishmëve që rrezultoi në ngritjen e numrit të anëtarësuarve në Asociacion.

Kryetari dhe Bordi Drejtues i AsPK-së shprehën falënderime të veçanta gjith të pranishmëve si dhe Institucioneve Vendore dhe Ndërkombetare për përkrahjen e vazhdueshme AsPK-së.

For further information, download the official release by AsPK.

]]> http://onupks.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=2906 1 http://onupks.com/blog/?p=2844 http://onupks.com/blog/?p=2844#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:47:02 +0000 Çelik Nimani http://onupks.com/blog/?p=2844

Puka Design architecture practice has completed a new accommodation and conference center located in the center of Prishtina, the Hotel Sirius as one of the latest hotels to join the growing competition in the developing market of catering in Kosovo.

An “I” shaped section, evaluated in the front side and connected with square shape inspirations on site plan, elevation and façade, Hotel Sirius extends itself as a luxury hotel with 8 floors of different sized rooms and a fancy restaurant on the top floor, with a nice view towards Prishtina.

Hotel Sirius has 20 rooms with one bed (38 square meters), 20 double bedded rooms (43 square meters), 8 Double Twin Rooms (90 square meters) and 4 Double Suits, which in total means 52 rooms and apartments. It also offers three different conference and business rooms with the latest technological equipment to fulfill the needs of everyone.

Each room is equipped with an intelligent system, safe deposit box, minibar, direct phone-line, Plasma TV with digital Cable Channelsv and there is also free Wi-Fi access. The restaurant located on top of the building promises an experience in its own, where guests can treat themselves with specialties prepared from the modern kitchen.

Hotel Sirius has a small parking space in front, which is very convenient for guest arriving at the hotel on a crowded day with traffic in Prishtina. There is also extra parking space on the ground floor for around 60 cars.

Image courtesy of Hotel Sirius

NIC Resort is an investment project for the construction of a complex containing a mid-sized hotel and villas in the picturesque mountain village located 1.5 km from the famous ski slopes of Brezovica, a ski resort at 2,500 meters above sea level.

The luxury and high quality of the complex comprises of 60 villas of various sizes, which will provide privacy and good rest to the owners, and of a luxury mid-sized hotel which includes a restaurant, a lobby bar, shops, a gaming center with billiards and table tennis tables, a ski wardrobe, SPA center, and a parking zone for the guests.

The most common typology among the villas ranging from 70m2 to 125m2, are One-bedroom villas – 70 m2 of living area, including the living room, the dining room with a kitchenette, a bedroom and a bathroom. And Three-bedroom villas – 125 m2 of living area, including the living room,  dining room with a kitchen on the first level, three bedrooms on the second level, and bathrooms on both levels.

This complex which is currently in development can be reached by a good road, with direct access to an asphalt road linking the resort with the ski area. Even if you decide to walk is within easy reach – only a few minutes away.

Come and celebrate the Night Before New Year’s Eve with Young Architects from Kosova. We will be meeting at the Modelarium of the Faculty of Architecture in Prishtina, on Friday night starting from 08:59 pm. RSVP at the Facebook event page

Prishtina’s citizens today seek for new lively gathering places where they could experience their neighboorhoods, where different cultures mix. Therefore squares are really important to city’s social and especially economical future. As an urban renewal project, the municipality of Prishtina initiated the competition of remodeling the most central and relevant public space in Prishtina, the Zahir Pajaziti Square.

The competition asked the participants to expand the square footage by making a stronger connection to the area, by linking the space in front of “KEK Energy Corporation” building with the road in front of Grand Hotel to the current site.

The designing studio of the square, same as on the Ibrahim Rugova Square is the local practice Smart Project. While the winning contractor to rebuild this square is the consortium of Steda Kosova and Conex Group.

The Zahiri Pajaziti square is a site of constant activity, surrounded by building complexes storing shops and cafeterias on the ground floor and it’s a home for Street Booksellers. The main goal of the remodeling project is to improve the daily social life by creating easier access to the current shops and cafeterias, a more suitable urban park and other required facilities with a holistic approach.

Unfortunately, the municipality of Prishtina didn’t release any plans of the project at this stage. We will keep you updated as soon as we hear more about any further details.