Park Plaza

Function: mixed-use

Status: urban master plan

Year: 2021

Team: Daniela Negrișanu, Răzvan Negrișanu, Alexandra Pascotescu, David Dumitrescu, Alexandru Măduță, Dariana Pau, Alexandra Balintoni-Franțescu

Situated in one of the most privileged locations in the city, the project aims to revitalize a plot of land where the old typography, an important industrial element in Timișoara once stood. Built in the late 1950s and in operation until the mid-2000s, the property and the factory were sold and left to decay by its new owner. Our proposal consists of a mixed-use urban regeneration project that also takes into account the city’s intention to develop the old industrial area next to the railroad tracks, dividing the city in two. The proximity to Iulius Town, a new, large-scale retail and business center, makes urban renewal an urgent necessity. One of the main features of the site is its opening at the north-eastern corner to a busy roundabout intersection. We saw this as an opportunity to use a vertical element, in this case a 17-storey hotel, to establish its presence in the area and better define a pedestrian zone at ground level. The rotation of the building in relation to the traffic circle seemed to us to be the right thing to do to improve its integration into the existing cityscape. The other three towers, consisting of residential and hotel services with retail space on the first floor, complete the composition and leave narrow studied gaps to bring light and offer dynamic perspectives that hint at a lushly landscaped courtyard. Another important factor that was taken into account was the creation of a diagonal, at-grade crosswalk connecting the nearby shopping and business area from the north-east with the Botanical park located south-west