Open Call: Competition for the Conceptual Urban and Architectural Design for the Development of the Morača Riverfront in Podgorica

Podgorica, capital city of Montenegro has launched an International Competition to select best conceptual design for one of its most important spaces – Morača riverfront. The main objective of the Competition is to select the conceptual urban and architectural design for the Morača riverfront, which will establish a connection between the city and the river in the best possible way and provide a new unique space for leisure and recreation for the benefit of inhabitants and visitors of Podgorica.

The construction of the promenade along the river Morača will form a unique pedestrian area in a distinct natural environment. This project is of unquestionable importance from several aspects – connecting with the promenade along the river Ribnica, connecting the city center with the surrounding settlements, connecting green areas and creating a green complex in the city center (Njegošev Park, Podgorički Park and Gorica Hill) and ultimately bringing the city down onto the river.

Participants in the Competition are expected to offer a design solution that will lay the foundations for a new, more interactive relationship between the city and the river while respecting both the built structures and the specific morphological features of the site. In addition to achieving high urban values and attractive design, it is necessary to provide access to the river for a wide variety of user groups. In order to actively use the space and promote social interactions, the project area should be enriched with new adequate content, which will encourage inhabitants and visitors of Podgorica to enjoy more time by the river.

The solution should presuppose a sense of comfort and safety, as well as be in line with the principles of sustainability, during construction as well as during utilisation.

Interventions need to be planned so as to aim at enhancing the quality of the space and exploiting all its potentials, giving the priority to realistic and sustainable solutions.

Particular attention needs to be paid to connecting the river banks with the park areas in the immediate vicinity, the bridges and, ultimately, with the urban fabric.

The participants in the competition are free to propose the development of both river banks, only one bank or both banks alternately, based on the conducted analyses of the existing and newly designed content.

When developing the design, in addition to the existing facilities, it is necessary to analyse vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the contact areas, in order to adequately position the access points to the promenade for all user groups.

The conceptual design should consider the possibility of constructing bicycle paths with accompanying facilities.

It is necessary to fully preserve the existing greenery, envisage the revitalisation of the existing degraded areas and repurpose them. When designing the green corridor along the promenade, take care to connect the linear greenspace with the existing and newly designed green areas. When choosing adequate species, all the compositional elements must be taken into consideration (stylistic harmonisation of the landscape with the surrounding architectural structures, harmonisation of the arrangement and composition of greenery with the organisation of undisturbed movement of pedestrians …).

The conceptual design should also include elements of urban furniture (public lighting, benches, green planters, waste bins, signposts, signage, interactive whiteboards, temporary structures, etc.). The design of the elements of urban furniture should be functional, uniform and recognisable in the modern architectural expression.
Urban furniture should enable rational, innovative, functional and dynamic use of public space, with particular emphasis on the requirement for transformation so as to enable various cultural and social events.

The design of the space usage will identify places for stopping and resting, so it would be desirable to consider options of covering and marking these locations.

When developing the design, safety of the space usage should also be taken into consideration, which means adequate lighting, favourable location of bycicle parking and solutions for tactile paving for special groups of users.

Competition for conceptual architectural design is international, general, one-phased and anonymous.

>>> Go to the competition’s website <<<