What is it called “public architecture”?
The public architecture marks its beginning from the “signboard of the settlement” and includes all that modern urbanization offers its inhabitants. The streets, city squares and parks are becoming an increasingly important part of public life in cities. Cultural and healthy lifestyles go out into the open public spaces. Along with these open public spaces are the buildings with prime importance for the formation of society, for SCIENCE and EDUCATION, SPORTS AND RECREATION, CULTURE AND ART!
No less important are all the other buildings with public access, intended for administration, offices, healthcare, trading, catering, temporary residence, transport and the buildings with mixed use that appear more and more frequently. Even the industrial buildings slowly and gradually are joining to public architecture from a perspective of meeting the contemporary needs of the individual.
What is happening with Public architecture in Bulgaria after 30 years of Transition?
Public architecture should offer adequate spaces for modern lifestyles, which allow planning flexibility and adaptability to the demand and supply of goods and services. Meanwhile the spaces should be independent from an economic and energy point of view, as well as aesthetically pleasing. In the last 50 years, 30 after the Transition and 20 before it, almost no public buildings have been built, except for private investment in retail outlets and EU projects in the sector.
By the fact that few public buildings have been built so far is obvious that contemporary public architecture in Bulgaria cannot overcome the transition from a planned to a market economy and thus meet the contemporary needs of society.
Changes in the relationships between participants in the processes of creating, managing and using public architecture lead to a delay and failures of anticipated sectoral reforms:
• There is no way to reform education without changing the spatial boundaries of schools and their business model!
• There is no way to reform culture without changing the spatial characteristics, management and administration of buildings of culture and art!
• There is no way to improve the physical culture of society without creating motivating spaces for sports and attractions, child-adolescent schools and vocational centers that are economically autonomous.
• There is no way to reform healthcare without making hospitals attractive and responsive to current conditions of use, equipment and efficiency.
• Even administrative reform cannot happen without adapting the spaces of administrations to the open source of their modern use.
The model of public architecture in Bulgaria nowadays/today:
A necessity arises!
The municipality provides terrain!
Someone is writing an assignment. It is more common that the assignment’s author remains anonymous or with questionable competence!
Someone sets a budget!
Public Procurement is announced under the Public Procurement Agreement, which is most often for engineering and less often is an architectural competition!
Somehow something is happening!
“The thing” is a construction, because at the time of its realization its user is still unclear!
The construction becomes municipal or state property!
The owner of the construction announces a new Public Procurement Agreement management order!
Subsequently, the one who will manage it finds that there are missing or economically inappropriate solutions and is forced to start upgrading or remodeling!
In existing model doubts remain about:
• The model of Public Procurement Agreement in architecture!
• Inadequate actions!
• Low competence!
• Funds spent irresponsibly!
• Poor project!
• A morally out-of-date message!
• Poor execution!
• Blurred responsibility for the result!
• Lack of quality guarantee!
• The benefit to society!
Sustainable Public Architecture Implementation Models!
Models that can be economically independent and cost-effective are today called sustainable. These models can provide not only direct benefits to society but also the added value of the architectural product. In these models, economic and management decisions are made before the assignment to be written by those who will take responsibility for them. And the architect, through his competence and authority, is the guarantor of the quality and modernity of the messages and their realization.
In Bulgaria this can happen by creating a new investment model in the construction of public buildings, through a public-private partnership law preceding investments in construction.
The art of life is the main director of our daily routines’ spaces, of the sensory boundaries that we perceive and which provoke emotions, moods and feelings inside us. A part of these boundaries is the solid and material architecture that creates a sense of security and utility in a person.
The burning sun, severe cold, wind, rain, moisture, drought, dynamics of changes and the climate’s peculiarities are the main enemy of the outdoor human activity. They are prerequisites for scenarios in the art of life and it’s most incredible forms to be performed in closed material spaces that provide reliable protection and sustainable environment for the individual and his/hers needs.
The burning sun, severe cold, wind, rain, moisture, drought, dynamics of changes and the climate’s peculiarities are the main enemy of the outdoor human activity. They are prerequisites for scenarios in the art of life and it’s most incredible forms to be performed in closed material spaces that provide reliable protection and sustainable environment for the individual and his/hers needs.
Vanity, greed, egoism and selfishness, along with knowledge, science and technologies, are the engine of progress and modernity of contemporary life!
The various aesthetic styles in art and architecture since the Renaissance, as well as the vagaries of modern man, leave lasting traces on spatial boundaries. They satisfy not only the material needs of an individual, ensuring conditions for his daily life, but also express the ideas of today and the strivings of society, giving a pleasure to our senses.
The diverse architectural forms, possible through the modern technologies, allow the most incredible and bizarre interpretations of spatial boundaries. Thus, the climate negative effects on man are controlled and transformed into aesthetical.
Nevertheless the relationship between man and nature is so strong and inspirational that
people more often prefer to communicate and materialize the art of their lives outside the covered and enclosed spaces of buildings.
Globalization and dynamic changes in societies all over the world also contribute to the transformation of public life outside enclosed spaces.
Multiculturalism and the absence of fear from variation reinforce the thesis of free and open communication and generate conditions for tolerance, normal communication and sharing of values!
Last but not least, modern digital technologies generate conditions for realization of complete life outside the enclosed spaces.
Telecommunication, navigation and artificial intelligence ensure connectivity, reliable orientation, predictability, safety and comfort for people, wherever they are.
“Roofless architecture” is an expression of tendency for the art of life outside the buildings and their utility.
The harmony between people and environment inspires and joins to earth and roots. Outdoor communication increasingly and more responsibly poses questions to the individual and to society as a whole about the quality of the environment, care for nature, public responsibility for pollution, carbon footprint and climate change as a result of human activity.
The pleasure of experience and outdoor communication is motivating, recharging and inspirational, eliminates the social dynamics and daily stress, contributes for the circle of energy in nature and becomes a more and more important part of our lives.
What are the expectations and predictions for the art of life outside the buildings, or for a public space without boundaries, the near future will tell.
It is obvious that this tendency creates a new social and environmentally friendly model.
Regardless of the size of the urbanized areas and their natural and climatic peculiarities, the communication is transferring beyond the building walls. The boundaries between public buildings and open public spaces are blurring in order to form a new continuous space for people that satisfies their material and spiritual needs.