1. BACKGROUND

The post-’99 city of Prishtina has had the burden as well as the delight of providing for an extensive part of Kosovo’s population. Among other things, this has put a strain on the city’s urban development with a constantly growing number of illegal buildings and extensions, usurped public spaces, and an increasing disregard for the city by the citizens.

One individual that tried to put an end to this city’s deterioration that had already begun was Rexhep Luci, a citizen and architect who at the time was working towards the demolition of illegal buildings. His work in this regard and almost every similar process were terminated when Rexhep was shot in front of his apartment in the capital. With Rexhep Luci’s murder, the city of Prishtina became the committer, the victim as well as the spectator of this crime.

Years later, one of the busiest connections to the boulevard, bears his name. The street that bears the name of the architect that once started the fight against clutter and chaos, is one of the most cluttered and chaotic arteries of the city.

2. SITE ANALYSIS

Rexhep Luci street has true potential to become a successful public space. Based on the site analysis, we have found out that there is certainly no lack of people and the street itself is an active artery of the urban outline of the city. However, the street is mostly used as transit, with a very small number of people slowing down or stopping to enjoy the space. To get a better understanding of the place and the form of the intervention, the analysis of the site was divided in two parts:

The physical dimension – space – dealing with the buildings, infrastructure and everything on site that can be physically evaluated, the street as a space.

– Streets, Building Characteristics, Greenery, Elements, Environment, Software Analysis of Vistas.

The social dimension – life – will include everything that happens between the buildings, the street as a place. The purpose of the interventions will be to enhance the interaction between the space and the life developed there.

– Counting, Behaviour Mapping, Tracing/Tracking, Photographing, Test Walks and Interviews

3. REXHEP LUCI STREET INTERVENTION, AN OVERVIEW

The aim of this design proposal is to install a temporary intervention in the form of pavilions and structures to inspire social interaction on the street by providing the very simplest infrastructure. The structures support a wide range of activities for the users of the spaces, therefore engaging the people directly. The pavilion will also provide a semi-covered area and a vantage point within the street. Conceptually, the whole setting in itself represents a version of a utopia, working towards a vision about how public spaces can be more sustainable, productive, and human-oriented.

The pavilion and the pods will stand out and give Rexhep Luci Street the distinct identity that it is lacking, which will be done by engaging the public and will last for a longer period of time. By doing so, citizens will see that changes that increase the quality of the place can be made on a human scale, at the same time setting up a chain reaction to bring the user closer to the public space itself.

The Yellow Pavilion

A large bright pavilion will be built in the street close to the cinema in order to visually attract pedestrians, giving the street a characteristic that is visually present as well as inviting for the users. The main aim of the pavilion will be to connect the street with the boulevard in two essential dimensions. First, connect them physically so that the street becomes an active extension of the boulevard, and second, connect them visually and socially so people engage in collective activities around the joint public spaces.

Pods

Pods are complementary to the pavilion, and though smaller in size and visually lighter, they will be carefully dispersed along the street to provide flexibility for a variety of uses. These multi-purpose frames will turn the space into an inclusive area for all age groups and types of activities.

The Intervention

The intervention took place from 5 -11 May in Rexhep Luci Street, acting as a temporary transformation of this area into a space dedicated to everyday users. Changing the composition of this street provided multiple areas for various activities which took place during the one week the structures were present. Except for offering a smooth sense of movement from the boulevard, the intervention proved to be a visually attractive and physically engaging hotspot of the city. What is more, the people’s interaction started before it was fully assembled on the site, with people sitting in the still scattered pieces since the initial most noticeable welcome difference, was the lack of parked cars.

During this period, the intervention went on to host a number of activities that covered a wide range of fields from a relaxed basketball game, a spontaneous hangout spot, or a photoshoot background, to a venue for debates and discussions, organised events, as well as a space for students to display their work. The people finding their own space within the street were attracting other people and other activities.

By the end of the one-week intervention, through observing the citizens using and passing through the  structures placed on the street, it is obvious that they are in dire need of free and accessible public space. However, public space is still more often than not perceived as a luxury instead of a fundamental necessity for a healthy everyday public life. As much as good infrastructure can help with public life, organising and taking part in debates and discussions, raising awareness, taking the necessary steps towards education, and together creating a quality experience of good public spaces and the life in-between, can help a city and the citizens in fundamental aspects.A second life for The Yellow Pavilion will begin when the structures will be placed in different neighbourhoods, enhancing public space at least temporarily.

This project is a collaboration with MB Office Film Company, and was constructed by Greatwood.

The construction of the Pavilion and the pods was supported by the Culture for Change Program, funded by the European Union and implemented by Qendra Multimedia and Goethe Institute, as well as the Municipality of Prishtina.

The Yellow Pavilion is part of a documentary project by MB Office titled “What Killed the Architect”