Sage: Hastahana Park
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Background
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with the Municipality of Centar Sarajevo, organized the international competition for the Conceptual Design of Hastahana Park in Sarajevo. The contest was preceded by a series of public consultations where approximately 405 people expressed their vision for the future of the Hastahana Park.
This vision was an integral part of the guidance used as project requirements for the competition. The contest was organized in two phases, in the first phase the jury made up of 5 renowned professionals made a first selection of 3 finalists out of 79 proposals submitted.
For the second phase, the three finalist proposals were submitted to a popular vote where 977 people participated, and our proposal was the WINNER with 497 votes (50.1%).
The Municipality is going to implement the winning proposal during the year 2022.
Concept
Sage - Hastahana Park, is proposed as a space for healing and regeneration for the community. It is open to each and every citizen of Centar Sarajevo.
Our ancestors believed that the “a sage plant will be healthy when all is well, and will wilt when things go badly”. Using this old belief, our proposal proposes the beginning of the healing of this magnificent space. A green roof over the amphitheater that serves as a garden for sage plants will be the new landmark of all the citizens of Centar Sarajevo.
Accessibility
Currently the park has only 3 entrances that are not accessible to people with reduced mobility. The existing wall is a visual barrier between citizens and the park. There is no clear connection between the park and Kranjčevićeva street.
Five new entrances are proposed, four using ramps), in this way we guarantee that anyone can enter the park regardless of their mobility conditions (people with disabilities, older adults, etc.)
The entry plaza is raised at the level of Marsala Tita street, meeting with a first amphitheater and a set of ramps that take us to the main level of the park. At this level we are greeted by the main plaza, a multipurpose space that will host all kinds of temporary cultural events (Christmas markets, presentations, etc.). The amphitheater, located to one side, will also function for concerts or artistic presentations.
We decided to locate the children's playground, the sports field and the Sternenweg sculpture in the middle of the park. We feel that the sculpture is a fundamental element in the collective memory of citizens, thats why we move from the west side to the center.
From Kranjčevićeva street, we proposed a new public space that will serve as a viewpoint of the city and the Hastahana park. It takes place above the new cafe that divides the children's playground and the skate bowl, strategically located on the right side to maintain a distance from the other activities in the park.
Sustainability
The park has only 25 trees and 60% of the surface is impermeable. Our proposal significantly reduces the hard and impermeable surface, increasing the amount of green area, planting 100 new native trees and a series of gardens with a rich diversity of flowers and plants.
All the hard surfaces of the main plaza and the pedestrian routes, we will use porous and permeable materials.
Another strategy to increase climate resilience was to use the amphitheater as a stormwater collector, as well as some bioretention gardens.
Mobility
We propose to locate a new station, the HASTAHANA TRAM STATION. This will allow us to generate more pedestrian traffic on the park and keep it active during most of the day and the night.
Tipology: International competition
Year: 2022
Area: 8,140 sqm
Status: WINNER
· Winning proposal of the citizens choice
Organizer:
· UN Development Programme (UNDP)
· University of Centar Sarajevo
· Municipality Centar Sarajevo
Design team:
Nadine Sam
Jose Isturaín
