The project proposes a resilient and spatially coherent neighbourhood at the threshold between urban fabric and protected landscape in Banská Bystrica. Located on steep terrain between the existing city and the forested slopes of Sásovská dolina. The masterplan establishes a framework that integrates topography, green infrastructure, housing diversity and community programming into a unified living environment.

Spatial Structure and Landscape Framework

The neighbourhood is organized along a continuous north–south green corridor connecting the urban edge to the forest. A structured transit network aligned with existing roads organizes movement across the steep topography. The central park core forms a continuous public realm, while a health-oriented circular trail links parks, courtyards, sports areas and forest edges into an integrated pedestrian system.

Landscape operates as primary infrastructure. Rain gardens, residential courtyards, pocket plazas and a planted buffer along the road ensure environmental performance, noise protection and equal access to greenery. Scenic experiences span multiple scales — from mountain panoramas to intimate courtyard views.

Functional Programming and Zoning Logic

At the centre, the Civic Amenities zone forms the social and health-oriented heart of the neighbourhood.

The Central Park acts as a connective thread between residential quarters and the civic centre, with active edges hosting ground-floor cafés, local services and community functions.

Residential Areas are free from commercial functions. Shared courtyards, playgrounds, gardens and flexible indoor communal spaces encourages neighbourly interaction.

Living Scenarios and Social Diversity

The neighbourhood supports four complementary living scenarios structured along gradients of social intensity and landscape proximity: Urban Civic Life, Green Commons, Urban Retreat and Forest-Oriented Living.

Diversity is articulated at three scales: the unit, the residential block and the urban quarter. The housing mix accommodates single residents, couples, families and multigenerational households, enabling residents to remain within the neighbourhood throughout life stages.

Housing Typologies and Living Mapping Strategy

The spatial framework translates into three adaptable residential typologies:

Cluster Houses – intimate, community-oriented environments where shared terraces and green courts extend domestic life.

Deck Access Blocks – gallery systems and shared terraces encourage everyday interaction, with clear distinctions between public park-facing façades and protected internal courtyards.

Multi-Storey Apartments – private sectional typologies embedded in the slope, accommodating a broad demographic spectrum.

Residential blocks are carefully grouped to create different quarter typologies, balancing privacy and collectivity. Some quarters emphasize secluded living, while others foster communicative environments through galleries and community hubs.

Apartment Composition and Sectional Logic

The apartment blocking strategy responds directly to topography, views and demographic diversity. Unit sizes are vertically differentiated: compact apartments are located on lower levels, maintaining proximity to communal infrastructure, while larger three- and four-bedroom units are positioned higher in the buildings to benefit from panoramic views and increased privacy.

Infrastructure Integration

Parking for approximately 500 vehicles is fully embedded within the terrain, accessed from both upper and lower street levels. By integrating parking and certain public functions into the slope, the design preserves pedestrian continuity and maintains the integrity of the green surface above.

“The proposal represents a highly accomplished and well-resolved urban scheme, combining strong spatial quality with a clear and coherent development logic. The project demonstrates an excellent understanding of how to structure urban blocks, open spaces, and circulation in a way that is both functional and visually compelling.

The spatial quality of the scheme is particularly noteworthy, with generous open spaces, well-defined public realms, and a strong relationship between built form and landscape. The integration of green infrastructure is handled with confidence and clarity, contributing to both environmental performance and quality of life.

Architecturally, the proposal is outstanding. The façade strategy is carefully considered and clearly articulated, creating a strong and consistent identity while allowing for variation across the development. The use of modular systems and contemporary construction approaches further reinforces the scheme’s feasibility.

Overall, this is a confident, mature, and highly convincing proposal that successfully integrates design quality, technical thinking, and deliverability.”

Jan van Dijk – van Dijk Architects

“The project demonstrates a serious and professional approach in a consistent, thorough, and well-articulated manner.

In particular, the project shows a significant ability to combine a comprehensive masterplan vision—including aspects related to resource management and environmental sustainability—with a careful attention to architectural detail and everyday use.”

Maria Lucrezia De Marco – Stefano Boeri Architetti

“The overall design strategy stands out for promoting a progressive interaction among residents, articulated through a system of courtyards that not only fosters collective life but also enhances solar exposure for the units.

From a compositional standpoint, the project responds effectively to the site’s level changes, integrating them into the spatial organization and into the creation of these “courtyard rooms,” which structure the domestic experience.”

Maria Virginia Theilig – FAPyD

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Concept

Stone is slowly emerging from the mountain. Not as an object placed on top, but as a mass that has always been there, waiting to be revealed. Its surface reveals protected voids inside – spaces carved out of a solid body. Housing is imagined just like this exposed layer of rock: continuous, and hollowed to create places for people to inhabit.

The site stands at the edge of Banská Bystrica, between the city and open landscape. It carries both conditions: the density and energy of urban life, and the freedom of the natural environment. In such a place, the first design decision is what not to build. The hill remains the main actor. The architecture follows the topography instead of competing with it.

The residential structure is conceived as a continuous form that traces the slope. The volumes step with the terrain and open views toward the city. The houses are intentionally simple and solid, with a rough and contemporary character.

Water is another natural force shaping the proposal. It runs through the site along natural lines created between buildings. These open rifts collect rainwater and guide it down the hill into retention ponds, and further into the wild area at the bottom. The water system remains visible and accessible. It is not hidden infrastructure; it becomes part of everyday life. People can walk along it, cross it, and engage with it.

The network of paths grows from these water lines. The layout follows an organic logic where small gardens, intimate squares, shortcuts, and open clearings are distributed along the slope, creating a network of public spaces. The result is a neighbourhood that feels green and walkable, with constantly changing views and spatial experiences. A ring path connects sports areas around the perimeter. A suspended pedestrian bridge links the upper part of the site directly to the bus stop, creating a clear and safe connection to the city.

The housing is organized in rows that are divided into smaller clusters. Each cluster accommodates around twelve families. This scale supports a sense of community without losing privacy. Shared outdoor spaces sit between the blocks, offering room for informal meetings, sports, and children’s play.

The proposal is a gentle addition to a strong landscape. It keeps the hill intact, respects the city panorama, and introduces a solid yet quiet structure shaped by stone and water.

Infrastructure and Public Space

The underground parking is 16 meters wide and runs along the entire row of houses. It accommodates 510 spots for residents. In addition, there are 203 spots in the guest parking under the main square. All entrances are positioned as close as possible to the main street. This keeps car traffic at the edge of the site and leaves the inner neighbourhood quiet, safe, and suitable for children to play.

The driveway leading to the parking entrance is designed as a shared street with pedestrian priority. There are no designated sidewalks in this area. Instead, it offers a single paved surface where a driver feels more cautious.

The civic center forms the heart of the neighbourhood. A group of civic houses provides everyday services for residents. Each building combines several functions, but every house has its own main theme. Together, they shape the main square – an open and generous space designed to host outdoor events, weekend markets, and seasonal festivals.

In combination with a smaller secondary square and a promenade running along the eastern edge of the district, the civic center creates a connected network of public spaces. Shops, bakeries, and cafés activate these areas and support daily life.

The civic buildings have a warm and welcoming character, encouraging people to spend time together. The central volume is clad in copper panels, referencing the town’s mining history. The use of honest local materials gives the place identity and continuity.

“A proposal that responds sensitively to the site’s topographical conditions, with a high-quality architectural expression of the buildings.

The project creates a pleasant environment between the individual structures. The concentrated civic amenities are strong in both character and architectural articulation”

Katarína Michalková – BMX Studio

In the quiet pause between city and mountain, where the urban fabric yields to wilderness, lies not merely a site but an opportunity for a profound reconciliation. Our vision for the Karlovo Living Landscape is not one of imposition, but of integration, a neighborhood conceived as a living, breathing extension of its terrain. We propose a “nature gateway” where the boundaries between dwelling and landscape, private life and community, are gently dissolved. This is achieved through a tapestry of four distinct residential identities, each a unique interpretation of sustainable, community-focused living.

The core of our concept is the dissolution of the physical and psychological barrier of the fence. Instead, a continuous, fluid network of pedestrian paths, green ribbons, and shared courtyards forms the connective tissue of the district. Architecture, primarily in wood and other biophilic materials, does not dominate but dialogues with the landscape, framing the views of the Banská Bystrica valley and the surrounding hills. Water is not drained but celebrated, a positive, circulating system of retention ponds, rain gardens, and meandering streams that becomes both ecological infrastructure and the social heart of the community.

The masterplan’s connection system reflects the site’s landscape features and aims to minimize car intrusion into living areas. The main road serves as the core connection of the site. Aside from this road, there are no additional daily car routes. However, to accommodate technical vehicles, some connections around the main quarters are semi-pedestrian, allowing emergency vehicles access when necessary. Biking and pedestrian paths are located along the central road and extend into various residential and public areas. The core idea is to create not only connecting routes but also multiple options for cycling and walking throughout the site.

Regarding the strategy for parking allocation, the project proposes placing all parking and entrances along the single heavily used highway. The parking is located underground and follows the active terrain by stepping down through different levels.

As we turn to the architecture and residential areas, the site is divided into four main quarters:

The Urban Edge

At the southern boundary, closest to the city and main access road, the district formally greets Banská Bystrica. Four to five-storey hybrid buildings, with architecture respectfully echoing the materiality and rhythm of the city’s historic core, accommodate civic amenities and denser housing. Commercial activity lines the main street, creating a vibrant interface and enhancing urban connectivity.

The innovation here ascends: rooftop glass gardens provide year-round horticultural space, symbolizing the district’s core value of cultivation and sustainability.

The Pond Quarter

Here, the dialogue between built form and environment is most dynamic. A network of water retention ponds and cascading channels defines the space, with architecture nestled intimately within this hydrating landscape. Bridges, decks, and stepped pathways create multiple levels of engagement with water, transforming sustainable drainage into an enchanting, ever-present feature.

A kindergarten is integrated at the water’s edge, making nature its primary classroom. The large pond becomes a focal point for community gatherings, its edge a natural amphitheater. Solar panels cap the roofs, completing a cycle of sustainable living where energy, water, and social activity are in constant, visible flow.

The Courtyard Cluster

At the district’s core, a denser, more urban fabric emerges, seamlessly transitioning towards the existing city. Here, modular wooden buildings are configured to form a sequence of cozy, cameral courtyards, intimate, secure outdoor rooms for quieter neighborly interaction. The ground floors are activated with flexible common spaces: co-working lounges, libraries, and shared kitchens.

The architecture turns outwards with engaging, active facades along internal lanes, fostering a gentle urban buzz. The true expansion, however, is vertical: accessible rooftop gardens layering greenery against the panoramic mountain backdrop. This cluster caters to those who desire a more compact, connected lifestyle, without sacrificing the essential touch of nature.

The Gallery Houses

Inspired by the visionary, socially-minded communal housing experiments of the 1920s, this area is dedicated to family life in harmony with nature. Low-rise (2-3 storeys), timber-framed gallery-access buildings are lightly placed upon the slope, their lifted parts preserve the natural topography. Beneath them, a liberated ground plane unfolds: protected play areas, community leisure spaces, and lush, unstructured greenery flow freely.

The roofs are productive landscapes: greenhouses and integrated solar panels allow residents to cultivate their own food, turning the act of living into one of nurturing.

A Cohesive, Living System

These four areas are not isolated zones; they are variations on a singular theme, interconnected by continuous pedestrian route that meanders from the urban edge, through the shaded courtyards, alongside the sparkling ponds, and up to the airy gallery houses, culminating in viewpoints towards the reserves. Native planting, edible gardens, and shaded play pockets line this path, making every journey a sensory experience.

Our proposal is inherently future-proof, based on passive design, local timber construction, and a phased development that allows the community to root and grow organically. This is more than housing, it is a habitat for a new kind of urban mountain life, deeply embedded in the singular beauty of Banská Bystrica’s hillside.

“This proposal demonstrates a particularly strong evolution between phases, successfully advancing a clear conceptual framework into a more resolved and buildable system. The introduction of building typologies and floor plans significantly strengthens the project’s spatial clarity and feasibility.

The masterplan maintains its distinctive identity and strong landscape ambition, while increasingly addressing the practical requirements of implementation.

Overall, this is a confident and well-developed project that effectively balances conceptual ambition with growing technical resolution.”

Harrison Stallan  – OMA

Concept

The project is founded on a deep respect for the existing landscape and its ecological value. Rather than treating nature as a background for development, the proposal understands trees, topography and water flows as the primary spatial structure shaping the urban form.

The existing mature trees represent decades of ecological growth and form a living infrastructure that provides shade, biodiversity, microclimate regulation and spatial identity. For this reason, the design prioritizes preservation over replacement. Architecture adapts to the landscape — not the other way around.

Buildings follow the natural topography, minimizing earthworks and reducing intervention. Volumes are carefully positioned and slightly rotated to respect root zones, ensure natural daylight and

cross-ventilation, and create a porous settlement structure. Built and unbuilt spaces interlock seamlessly, forming a network of courtyards, pathways and ecological corridors.

Spatial Strategy

A sequence of differentiated courtyards forms the social backbone of the project. Each space responds to a specific character — from active communal plazas to quiet contemplative gardens. The ground floor is conceived as an open and transparent interface between private and collective life. Community functions such as shared kitchens, co-working spaces, small libraries, workshops and multi-purpose rooms activate the public realm.

Rather than emphasizing architectural objecthood, the project prioritizes human-scale environments that encourage interaction. In the 21st century, urban quality lies less in iconic architecture and more in meaningful spaces for

gathering, exchange and everyday coexistence.

Landscape and Ecology

Landscape is not an addition but the primary design driver. Biodiversity corridors connect preserved trees with newly planted native species. Meadows, community gardens and edible landscapes support pollinators and local food production while improving soil quality and microclimate.

Rainwater follows the natural slope through permeable surfaces, planted retention zones and infiltration areas, contributing to groundwater recharge and local cooling. Over time, ecological value increases through vegetation growth rather than additional construction.

Architectural Approach

The buildings are designed as a restrained and adaptable framework that supports long-term sustainability. A timber-hybrid construction system combines renewable wood structures with durable materials, reducing embodied carbon while ensuring structural robustness.

Vertical greenery, planted roofs and wooden shading elements improve thermal performance and create seasonal variation. Photovoltaic panels are integrated into roof surfaces, supporting on-site renewable energy production. The open ground floor enhances permeability and strengthens the connection between interior and landscape.

Architecture remains intentionally calm — allowing landscape, light and community life to shape the identity of the neighborhood

Phased Development Strategy

The project proposes a flexible, phased development model:

Phase 1 – Landscape First

Public space, ecological continuity and essential infrastructure are established before construction.

Phase 2 – Architecture Adapted to Landscape

Buildings are carefully positioned around preserved trees and topographic conditions.

Phase 3 – Landscape Growth and Vertical Adaptation

Future growth occurs primarily through ecological maturation and potential vertical extensions rather than further land consumption.

This strategy ensures resilience, adaptability and long-term environmental performance.

Vision

The project proposes a model of development that grows with the landscape rather than against it. By balancing ecological sensitivity, social interaction and spatial clarity, it creates a resilient and livable environment that values long-term processes over short-term architectural expression.

In this vision, architecture is not the protagonist — it is the framework that enables community, nature and everyday life to flourish.

“The building proposal responds to the site’s sloping topography, reflects the zoning defined by the master plan, and sensitively proposes a mix of building types in connection with natural features. A strong motif and a major asset of the scheme is its consistent approach to the existing mature greenery, treated as a lasting value of the site.”

Katarína Michalková – BMX Studio

Banská Bystrica is an old town with a long and fascinating history. Respecting the culture and heritage of the Slovak Land, we first studied the local context. Picturesque mountains and hills, the radial and ray-like layout of the districts, and the compact medieval center with astonishing architectural monuments—all of this is found here. Dissimilar buildings are brought together by a structural grid on the main city square. Examining other remarkable monuments of Slovakia, we also saw logical and ordered structures that leave room for artistic accents and boldness of architectural thought—such as the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising and the Slovak Radio Building.

Architecture as an organic entity that can have a conceptual organization similar to living systems. The successful example of the socialist-era Sásová district attracted us; there, architectural methods helped organize a sustainable community that fills the neighborhood with life. Therefore, we designed a powerful public attractor in the form of a multi-functional stylobate (podium) part featuring a pedestrian square and an accent building on the southern part of the site. This area houses a spa and thermal complex, a fitness center, necessary engineering facilities, and office spaces. Like a heart, this cluster acts as the engine of the new district, providing energy for the circulation of people and urban life. The connections radiating from this center are akin to vessels and a circulatory system. This is largely why our project is called heart of mountain.

Such flexible and multifaceted solutions require an elegant and simple superstructure in which they can exist, having a strong foundation. As our framework, we chose the theme of a transparent three-dimensional grid composed of similar modules. This constructive volumetric pixel—a spatial cell—can grow into large colonies or, conversely, be very compact. It can accommodate various functions: housing, communication and engineering spaces, and rental units. Like a transparent membrane, this three-dimensional system merges into the green hill, becoming an integral part of it. Banská Bystrica developed as a mining town, so these structures evoke the timbering and extensive underground constructions that were also highly structural in nature.

The project takes into account the planned road passing through the site. Entrances to underground parking are from peripheral streets. The project includes a system of logical pedestrian circulation. In the southern part, near the multifunctional core, there is a pedestrian square—this is the gateway to the district; a similar square is also in the northern part. At all major intersections, there are local, small-scale pedestrian squares. The eastern part of the district is connected to the western part via a pedestrian bridge that plays with the terrain, thus organically complementing the pedestrian routes. Short diagonal routes are provided within the block, reducing travel time. They make the topographically complex area permeable and open to urban flows, while the terrain allows for the organization of private courtyard spaces without fences or restricted access.

The project adheres to strict requirements regarding zoning, density, building heights, and apartment distribution. The majority of apartments are oriented to the southwest. Several zones are designated for underground parking to accommodate approximately 700 cars and 1,000 bicycles.

The buildings themselves are terraced structures with abundant greenery and a complex silhouette. Built on a logical grid, they contain different facade elements that make the district’s appearance diverse. The primary structural material for above-ground structures is wood; wooden materials are also used in finishing. Curtain wall systems with aluminum profiles are used, with small accents of warm copper-colored metal, which complements the color of the wood and references the city’s mining past. Paving includes a large amount of permeable and breathable materials such as gravel screenings, pebbles, and terraway. Hard paving is used only on roadways and main squares.

One option is a potential water route. A dry rainwater stream could be channeled down the slope. Additionally, in the eastern part, there is a pedestrian square with a small body of water, symbolizing a mountain lake and organizing the surrounding space.

The project incorporates green solutions and considers the climatic characteristics of Slovakia, where precipitation is sufficient (600–900 mm per year). Managing stormwater runoff is critically important, also due to the active terrain. A rainwater harvesting system is planned:

• From roofs. Water from all roofs is collected via open (or closed) gutters and directed to underground reservoirs (cisterns) located in the lower part of the site.
• From surfaces. Perforated gutters are designed along terraces and roads to collect water and direct it into the system.

Greywater collection and treatment principle. Root zone areas (Constructed Wetlands) are established. In the lower part of the site (where the slope decreases), a cascade of small bioplateaus can be placed near the pedestrian square. Water from showers and sinks (excluding toilets), after primary mechanical treatment, is fed into these ponds with aquatic plants (reed, bulrush, yellow iris). This creates biodiversity and purifies the water naturally. Treated water can be reused for irrigating the terraces. Erosion control and infiltration. Construction of dry streams along winding landscape paths and along the lines of greatest water flow. Dry channels lined with stone are created.

A large number of roofs and terraces are greened in the project. Plants characteristic of Central Europe are planted on the terraces. The climate of Slovakia is temperate, with relatively sunny summers and cloudy winters. It is important not to overheat buildings in summer and to maximize passive heat gain in winter. Therefore, solar orientation is proposed. Southern slope – living spaces with large glazing are located here. Northern slope – mainly non-residential and auxiliary spaces. Considering the terrain, houses can be positioned so they do not shade each other; the grid transforms into a cloud-like structure.

“Well-thought-out, very efficient development in a rectangular grid makes maximum use of the potential of the area while maintaining the quality of housing.

Generously designed public space for civic amenities. Simple architecture made of regular modules, the basic material used is wood.”

Martin Pavelek – Municipal Architect

Located in the natural setting of Karlovo, the Living Landscape – The Living Colonnade project proposes a masterplan that harmonizes architecture with sloped terrain rather than imposing upon it. From the outset, the design is guided by one essential principle: to respect the land, preserve its natural density, and create a symbiotic relationship between architecture and the surrounding forest ecosystem.

Harmonizing with the Sloped Terrain

Instead of flattening the hillside through excavation, the building steps gently down the slope, adapting to the site’s natural contours. The footprint follows the terrain, allowing the structure to ascend and descend organically while minimizing earthworks.

A key achievement of this strategy is the preservation of approximately 65–70% of the existing trees. By carefully positioning the massing, the project safeguards mature vegetation and maintains the ecological richness of the area. The architecture settles within the forest rather than replacing it, protecting biodiversity, supporting microclimates, and reinforcing the identity of the site as a living landscape.

A Conscious Reduction of Volume

The competition guidelines outlined a potential total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 123,491 m² and a Net Floor Area (NFA) of 86,443 m². However, analysis revealed that building to this capacity would overwhelm the terrain and reduce livability.

The proposal therefore limits development to 70,000 m² of GFA, producing approximately 49,000 m² of NFA– a reduction of 53,491 m² in GFA and 37,443 m² in NFA. This decision prioritizes environmental integrity and quality of life over density maximization.

Rather than dense monolithic blocks, the design introduces a fluid architectural ribbon that weaves through the landscape. This reduced volume prevents the “smothering” of the site and allows ground-floor retail, cafés, and childcare facilities to open directly onto community gardens, informal sports courts, and sunlit green areas. By building less, the project offers more open space, sunlight, and shared experiences.

Modular Construction and Topographic Adaptation

The architectural system is based on a modular construction method that ensures clarity and adaptability.

1. Topographic Adaptation
Portal frames of varying heights allow the structure to follow the slope naturally. By adjusting levels, the building steps along the hillside without heavy leveling, responding precisely to existing contours.

2. Roof as a Functional Module
The repeated structural system transforms the roof into an active surface. Solar louvers and photovoltaic panels are installed as standardized systems along the roofline. Where frame heights change, the roof of a lower module becomes a terrace for the adjacent higher module, maximizing outdoor space and creating layered communal platforms.

The residential floor plans are organized around a repetitive spatial module composed of a central circulation core and standardized apartment aggregation. Applied consistently across all residential blocks, this system ensures constructive efficiency, typological coherence, façade uniformity, and programmatic flexibility. The same logic extends throughout the PB 02 residential zone, with minor adaptations enabling transformation within the PZ 03 mixed-use zone. This repetition maintains architectural unity while allowing functional diversity.

Solar Strategy and Environmental Systems

Sustainability is embedded in the architectural form. A total of 645 solar panels are positioned along the southernmost curves of the roof to maximize exposure and avoid self-shading, integrating renewable technology with design.

Additional strategies include high-efficiency triple-glazed windows for daylight and insulation, reducing heating and cooling demands. A subterranean rainwater detention and treatment system collects runoff and recycles water for internal use. Green roof systems improve insulation, mitigate heat island effects, and promote biodiversity. Together, these measures enhance environmental performance and reduce energy consumption.

Community Green Roof Hub

A defining feature is the transformation of the rooftop into an active community space. The “Active Green Roof” converts unused roof surfaces into a multi-purpose Sky-Commons.

Community gardens with raised beds encourage residents to cultivate vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Recreation zones with shock-absorbing turf support yoga, casual sports, and play, while shaded pergolas and seating areas accommodate gatherings and events.

An open structural framework forms a sunlit “living room in the sky” with panoramic views. Quiet lawns and pathways support relaxation, while structural ribs enable outdoor gym equipment and recreational nets. Surrounding vegetation cools the building, improves air quality, and creates habitats for pollinators, strengthening environmental resilience and neighborhood cohesion.

Vegetation and Seasonal Strategy

The planting palette follows a phenological approach to ensure year-round interest. Selected species provide spring blossoms, summer greenery, autumn color, and winter structure. Preserving mature trees and introducing compatible new plantings strengthens biodiversity while maintaining the forest character of the site.

This seasonal strategy enhances both ecological continuity and everyday experience.

Urban and Architectural Compliance

The proposal aligns with regulatory requirements while preserving architectural consistency.

PB 02- Residential Low-Rise Zone
Regulations allow 2– 4 storeys above ground, with an optional recessed fifth floor occupying less than 50% of the footprint. The maximum built-up area is 60%, with a target DER (NIA/GFA) ≥ 0.80. The design adopts a four-storey configuration with a potential recessed fifth level, allocating roof areas to terraces and green spaces while ensuring sunlight and green continuity.

PZ 03 – Mixed-Use Zone Adaptation
This zone permits up to five storeys, 65% maximum coverage, active ground floors, upper-level housing or short-stay units, and integrated parking. The same modular system adapts seamlessly: ground floors accommodate retail and services with increased ceiling heights, while upper levels retain standardized residential layouts.

Conclusion: A Symbiotic Living Framework

The Living Colonnade demonstrates that environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and architectural clarity can coexist within a unified modular framework. By reducing built volume, preserving natural density, and stepping the structure along the terrain, the project achieves a balanced relationship between architecture and nature.

Rather than maximizing square meters, the masterplan maximizes quality of life. It integrates renewable energy, promotes biodiversity, creates layered communal spaces, and protects the forested identity of Karlovo, offering a sustainable, human-scaled neighborhood shaped by harmony rather than dominance.

Context

Banská Bystrica is shaped by the close relationship between everyday life and a strong mountain horizon. The 53,105 m² competition site sits on a south-facing hillside at the western edge of Sásová, positioned between established housing and the foothills of the Low Tatras. This setting frames a clear ambition: a 21st-century neighbourhood where nature is not a boundary, but the organising structure of daily life.

Site Reading

The site falls from higher ground in the north to lower ground in the south, where the primary site access and a nearby bus stop provide public transport access. The northern edge meets more natural hillside vegetation, while the south-east ties into the neighbourhood street network. The proposal operates as a Nature Gateway, extending ecological continuity into Sásová while introducing a compact, human-scaled structure to the vacant edge condition.

Organising Framework

A simple grid establishes coherence, clear addresses, and phasing logic, but it is interpreted first as a pedestrian and landscape framework. Two axes define identity and movement. A north–south nature axis draws the forest condition deep into the site, while an east–west neighbourhood axis extends the surrounding street network into the site, strengthening connectivity and defining a more active mixed-use edge.

Meandering Passage

The hillside demands an adjustment beyond the grid, and the meandering passage cuts decisively through it, becoming the primary organiser of movement and built form. It follows ridge lines and contour logic to maintain gentle gradients with frequent level landings, improving walkability beyond an orthogonal system. It becomes the primary public room of the district, stitching wilderness to civic arrival through a continuous sequence of courtyards, gardens, and shared terraces where movement, landscape, and social life operate as one system.

Public Space Gradient

Public space is organised along the passage, shifting from passive to active. In the quieter northern and central stretches, it expands into everyday communal settings such as an outdoor amphitheatre, community gardens, daycare, and playgrounds. Toward the southern edge, where access is most direct, the sequence intensifies into civic spaces including a plaza, square, viewing deck, and sports amenities, anchored by the water landscape.

Water-Positive Landscape

The landscape strategy follows the site’s natural fall from north to south. Permeable surfaces, planted swales, and retention gardens slow and filter runoff, supported where required by subsurface drainage layers that direct overflow to the lowest point. Here, a retention pond operates as both infrastructure and civic foreground, improving water quality, supporting habitat, and supporting groundwater recharge, while creating a climatic and social focus. Green roofs and roof terraces extend planted surfaces upward, reduce heat gain, and reinforce a continuous ecological network by minimising sealed ground for long-term durability and low maintenance.

Architecture and Typologies

Massing and typology are guided by sunlight, privacy, and the mountain context. Residential blocks combine compact courtyard blocks and terraced forms stepping with the slope. Varied pitched rooflines preserve view corridors, reduce mutual obstruction, and shape a village-scale skyline that echoes the mountain profile. The commercial block faces east and steps down with the terrain to sustain an active street edge without compromising daylight and views for the housing behind, extending landscape through planted roofs and terraces while supporting neighbourhood-scale daily services. The civic building is lifted to keep the ground plane open and continuous, allowing the main pedestrian route to pass through a shaded undercroft. Its roof becomes an elevated public terrace, and its section works like a bridge that maintains the Nature Gateway continuity while framing the retention pond as a civic foreground.

Mobility

Mobility is structured as a hierarchy that prioritises pedestrians and cyclists while keeping internal public space car-light to protect landscape continuity. Vehicular access follows the planned street connections, with parking consolidated underground or beneath podium conditions to minimise surface disruption and preserve a porous green structure. The proposal targets capacity for approximately 900 cars in consolidated facilities aligned with access corridors, supporting clear wayfinding and phasing flexibility. Around 1,000 bicycle spaces are distributed close to entrances and lobbies for safety and daily convenience, reinforcing links to sidewalks, cycle routes, and nearby public transport.

Phasing

The masterplan is structured in three clear phases to keep delivery realistic while protecting the project’s core idea. Each phase completes a functional neighbourhood unit with legible access, essential open space, and a continuous portion of the Nature Gateway spine, so walkability and landscape continuity are established early rather than deferred. Phase 1 delivers the initial residential cluster, including the commercial block on the east and the first Nature Gateway segment. Phase 2 completes the main housing fabric and courtyard network. Phase 3 adds the civic and mixed-use components, together with the pond-anchored public realm, to complete the district. The grid supports incremental build-out, while the meandering passage acts as the constant public armature that connects phases into one coherent neighbourhood.

Conclusion

Nature Gateway proposes a district where the architecture of everyday life and the hillside’s living systems are designed as a single system. By stepping with topography, preserving sunlight and view corridors, and using the meandering passage as a continuous public room from forest edge to civic plaza, the masterplan balances compact density with generous open space, and privacy with community. Water management is integrated as civic landscape through a water-positive landscape strategy anchored by the retention pond, reinforcing biodiversity, comfort, and long-term resilience. The result is a coherent, car-light, low-maintenance neighbourhood model rooted in the mountain identity of Banská Bystrica.

topography as urban ground

Valley Commons proposes a landscape-driven residential and civic development in BanskáBystrica in which topography becomes the primary urban ground for ecological performance, collective life and spatial continuity. The site’s natural slope is understood as an active spatial framework capable of structuring movement, public space and programmatic relationships across the valley landscape.

The proposal is organised around the introduction of a constructed hydrological valley carved into the existing terrain. This new landform operates simultaneously as a stormwater management system, a continuous public open space and a pedestrian circulation spine. Conceived as a blue–green infrastructure, the valley performs as the ecological and spatial backbone of the masterplan, structuring visual connections, circulation routes and programmatic distribution throughout the site. In doing so, the sloped terrain becomes an inhabited civic landscape where environmental performance and social interaction are embedded within the same spatial system.

Residential volumes are arranged in stepped configurations that follow the site’s natural gradient. This terraced organisation minimises ground intervention while enabling each dwelling to maintain visual continuity with the surrounding landscape. The buildings’ ground floors are conceived as permeable thresholds that allow circulation to pass through or alongside the residential fabric. This permeability establishes a network of walkable passages that reconnect previously fragmented pedestrian routes and integrate the development into the wider urban context.

At ground level, the hydrological valley becomes a sequence of differentiated spatial conditions ranging from planted wetlands and retention basins to accessible decks and pedestrian crossings. These landscape elements support informal recreation, slow mobility and everyday social interaction while maintaining the environmental performance of the water system. In this way, the landscape operates as civic infrastructure that structures daily life and movement across the development.

Private outdoor spaces for ground-floor residential units are integrated through floating timber platforms positioned at the edge of the central pond. These decks act as extensions for apartments without access to conventional private gardens, allowing residents to establish a direct spatial and visual relationship with the water landscape while preserving the continuity of the public ground plane. Gradients of privacy are introduced through spatial transitions between public walkways, shared edges and private terraces.

A compact community centre is positioned along the valley as an anchoring civic element within the masterplan. Its built form encloses internal planted courtyards that extend the landscape into the architectural volume, reinforcing continuity between terrain and enclosure. Adjacent to this programme, a linear commercial street is integrated within the ground-level circulation network as a pedestrian-only environment. Cafés, local retail and shared amenities activate the interface between residential and civic functions, supporting neighbourhood interaction throughout the day and contributing to an active public frontage along the landscape spine.

Vehicular movement is restricted to the site perimeter, while parking is accommodated within basement levels distributed across the development. This car-light strategy allows the ground plane to remain predominantly pedestrian, enabling safe and continuous walking and cycling routes that connect internal public spaces with public transport links located to the south of the site.

Architecturally, the residential buildings adopt a recessed glassline that generates shaded balconies oriented towards the valley landscape. This façade strategy enhances environmental performance while framing outward views towards the central landscape. On opposing elevations, more compact openings respond to privacy requirements and adjacency to neighbouring plots. Exposed concrete volumes are complemented by timber elements and integrated vegetation, establishing a restrained architectural language grounded in durability and contextual continuity.

The development is structured through a phased implementation strategy that aligns landscape formation with programmatic delivery. An initial phase establishes the civic centre together with the central water landscape as an active public core. Subsequent phases consolidate the commercial frontage and complete the residential fabric in coordination with the broader landscape network.

Through the integration of water systems, pedestrian movement and public space within a shared topographic framework, Valley Commons establishes a contemporary model of housing in which architecture emerges from the shaping of the urban ground. The resulting environment operates as a continuous inhabited landscape that supports ecological resilience, collective accessibility and long-term spatial adaptability.

The project begins not with buildings, but with the hill itself. The site is understood as a living terrain shaped by water, forestry, and agricultural use, positioned between settlement and landscape rather than belonging fully to either. Instead of imposing a new order, the proposal reads the hillside as an active system whose logic already exists: water flows downward, vegetation gathers along edges, and habitation settles where ground becomes negotiable. The masterplan grows from this understanding, allowing landscape to lead and architecture to follow.

The title Of Fuel & Forest reflects the site’s productive history, where woodland once functioned as material and energy source connecting nature and settlement. This legacy is translated into contemporary spatial elements rather than preserved as nostalgia. A series of contemporary artifacts, namely corten steel water rills, thresholds, and infrastructural markers, make hidden systems visible, allowing water, material, and memory to become part of everyday experience.

The neighbourhood is organised as a gradient between formality and naturalness. A structured civic core concentrates earthwork, shared infrastructure, parking, and collective programmes where intervention is unavoidable. Here, water management appears in its most legible form, shaping public space and revealing how the hill performs environmentally. Moving outward, the structure loosens as buildings respond to contours, vegetation, and ecological rhythms. Architecture becomes quieter, embedded within landscape rather than dominating it.

Three interconnected paths express different readings of one integrated system. Walking with Nature follows the softer landscape edge, where water infiltrates through swales and forest soils and ecological elements invite direct engagement with biodiversity. Walking with Memory, the civic spine, combines social life and infrastructure, where water flows through corten rills alongside playgrounds, outdoor dining, small-scale agriculture, and collective spaces. Walking with Innovation climbs the hillside through stepped landscape interventions that demonstrate how habitation and topography can coexist.

Water acts as the project’s primary driver. Rain is buffered on roofs, absorbed by planted landscapes, guided through civic rills, stored in intermediate basins, and ultimately collected in a new retention lake, ensuring water is slowed, filtered, and experienced before leaving the site.

Compact buildings step with the terrain, anchored by concrete plinths and finished in locally sourced larch timber that weathers into the landscape. Phasing begins with the civic core and parking, followed by urban-facing blocks, and concludes with quieter forest housing. By allowing landscape systems to guide development, the proposal adopts a reduced density of approximately 45,000–50,000 m², prioritising ecological performance and long-term livability.

Rather than separating city and nature, the project proposes a symbiotic condition where landscape, infrastructure, and community form one continuous living system.

This project proposes the creation of a soft threshold between the urban fabric and the forest density, understood not as a rigid boundary but as a lived landscape where architecture, flora, fauna, and community coexist in balance. Located in the city of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, along the strategic edge of the Šastovská nature reserve, the site contains mature trees, established vegetation, and wildlife that reflect an ecosystem in its purest state. Rather than imposing an architectural object, the proposal seeks to integrate itself as another element of the environment, acting as a gentle introduction to the forest and a gradual transition between the accelerated rhythm of urban life and the protective silence of the natural landscape.

The intervention emerges from a reflection on the relationship between construction and territory within a context of global environmental urgency. If architecture has historically contributed to the fragmentation of ecosystems, this project proposes the opposite approach: to restore, regenerate, and coexist. The building is conceived as a living system, connected to water cycles, soil dynamics, and human activity, where respect for biotic agents shapes every design decision.

Within this framework, the proposal places special attention on older adults, recognizing that aging requires spaces that are gentle, predictable, and free of obstacles. The project rejects functional segregation and instead incorporates reduced mobility as the guiding metric for the entire volumetry and circulation. For this reason, the intervention is organized through a system of gentle ramps that ensure true universal accessibility. These circulations are not merely logistical connectors but kinetic viewpoints that allow inhabitants to experience changes in topography fluidly, ensuring that the landscape is accessible to everyone regardless of age or physical ability.

The central concept is rooted in ecological regeneration and the coexistence of species. The project functions as an “inhabited forest,” where the limit between natural and built becomes blurred through rain gardens, guided water bodies, and biochannels that structure the landscape. These systems allow water to be absorbed, filtered, and returned to the soil, replicating the hydrological processes of the surrounding forest. Beyond their environmental importance for stormwater management, these infrastructures also create a sensory experience that uses sound and humidity as atmospheric design tools.

Vegetation becomes the true structure of the project. Existing pines, firs, and larches are preserved rigorously, maintaining the ecological memory of the site and its carbon-capture capacity. Local species such as Acer rubrum, Fagus sylvatica, and Sorbus aucuparia are incorporated, bringing seasonal chromatic variation that adds poetic temporality to the ensemble. The lower layers include a functional understory with shrubs such as Hydrangea paniculata, Spiraea nipponica, and Berberis atropurpurea, providing refuge for small fauna and pollinators. In humid zones, species like Carex acuta, Iris sibirica, and Juncus effusus act as biological filters along the edges of the biochannels. This selection helps regulate the microclimate, stabilize the soil, and maintain habitat continuity for birds and insects—considered legitimate cohabitants of the project.

The architectural program integrates living, learning, and caregiving within a continuous spatial fabric that dissolves the hierarchy between public and private. Housing is organized into flexible typologies ranging from one to four bedrooms, responding to diverse family structures and preventing generational segregation. All buildings are connected by ramps, eliminating physical barriers throughout daily circulation. Community spaces—including a contemplative garden, a productive orchard, a pedagogical greenhouse, a library, and a center for older adults—promote intergenerational interaction linked to the cycles of the land. The project also incorporates a bicycle center, environmental interpretation points, and nodes for ecotourism guides, reinforcing the bond between the local community and the Šastovská reserve. These infrastructures encourage a slow and mindful relationship with the territory, turning residents into guardians of the ecosystem.

Materially, the proposal seeks the visual dissolution of the built object to give prominence to the context. Locally sourced wood is used as the main façade material, employing vertical grain patterns that evoke the texture of tree trunks and allow the architecture to blend with the forest through shifting shadows and reflections. The intention is not to create a dominant gesture or iconic object but a serene presence that respects the scale and rhythm of the landscape. The volumes are fragmented to integrate with the topography and vegetation, creating a play of solids and voids similar to the canopy of trees, where sunlight filters gently into the interior. With time, vegetation on balconies, terraces, and roofs will allow the architecture to be reclaimed by nature, behaving more like a living organism than a static object and enhancing the integration of the ensemble through the patina of time.

Above all, this project is a reflection on time, resilience, and the ethical responsibility of architects toward the territory. It is conceived not as a finished intervention but as an open system capable of growing and transforming alongside the landscape. Vegetal regeneration, water cycles, and community life will progressively shape the identity of the place, allowing it to evolve naturally toward ecological maturity. The architecture merely establishes the initial conditions, while nature completes the final construction process.

In essence, the proposal envisions a new way of inhabiting—one based on a symbiotic relationship between humans, animals, and landscape, where birds, insects, and native vegetation are essential components of the system. The project becomes a “soft passage” between city and forest: a space of deceleration where calm, respect, and ecological awareness emerge. Rather than standing out from the landscape, it aims to belong to it as a living fragment, where architecture and nature intertwine so that the landscape is not only observed but lived in all its complexity and beauty.

Proposed residential complex has been designed as a contemporary interpretation of a foothill settlement, harmoniously integrated into the landscape of Karlovo and its natural topographic conditions. The project uses the sloping terrain as one of the key compositional elements shaping both the urban structure and the character of public spaces. Varied building heights allow the development to blend smoothly into the hillside, minimizing landscape intervention while ensuring all residents have access to daylight, views, and greenery.

The buildings are arranged in terraces following the natural slope of the land, enabling a clear division into smaller residential clusters connected by a network of pedestrian routes and shared green spaces. This layout fosters the creation of intimate, semi-private courtyards that function as local neighborhood centers. Each serves as a place for meetings, relaxation, and everyday activity, strengthening social ties and a sense of belonging.

The urban structure derives from an analysis of classical city blocks. Instead of closed perimeter blocks, their reinterpretation is proposed-open, permeable blocks that interweave with the landscape. This results in a “soft block” structure that maintains a clear street frontage and sense of urban enclosure while introducing openings, passages, and visual connections to greenery. The layout loosely follows the slope, adapting to natural land contours rather than leveling them. As a result, the development avoids rigid grids and organically fits into the topography, giving inter-building spaces a dynamic, sequential character.

The urban concept also references the structure of historic streets in Banská Bystrica, which often lead from narrow, intimate spaces to open squares. In Karlovo Living, this motif is transformed into a sequence of green passages and landscape plazas. Narrow pedestrian paths gradually expand into shared spaces-green courtyards, rain gardens, and recreational clearings. This creates a clear spatial hierarchy from private, through semi-private, to fully public. Each block includes a main building with a green rooftop terrace dedicated to collective neighborhood gardening, fostering community integration.

Pedestrian and bicycle movement is given clear priority throughout the development, with a carefully designed network of safe, comfortable, and accessible routes encouraging active and sustainable mobility. Vehicular traffic is limited mainly to the main access street and four underground parking facilities, which reduces surface traffic, minimizes noise and air pollution, and enhances the quality of public spaces. This approach creates a calm, people-oriented environment that promotes everyday walking and cycling while maintaining efficient access for residents and services.

The architecture of the complex is based on the idea of contemporary regionalism. Wooden façades, simple volumes, and gabled roofs reinterpret traditional architecture through the language of modern, energy-efficient design. The use of local materials, natural textures, and muted colors allows the buildings to blend into the landscape and maintain cultural continuity. Rather than dominating their surroundings, the buildings form a calm, harmonious backdrop for everyday life.​

One of the project’s key principles is the implementation of the Sponge City concept-a city capable of retaining, purifying, and gradually releasing rainwater into the environment. The water management system is based on blue-green infrastructure solutions, including rain gardens, infiltration basins, retention tanks, permeable surfaces, and ponds. Rainwater is not discharged directly into the sewage system but remains within the development, nourishing vegetation, improving the microclimate, and reducing flood risk.

Green areas feature extensive vegetation adapted to local climatic conditions and requiring minimal maintenance. Flower meadows, grasses, and perennials enhance biodiversity and act as natural filters for rainwater. Centrally located water reservoirs and ponds serve both retention and recreational functions, creating visually attractive landscape elements.

Usable rooftops are another important component of the concept. Collective gardens accessible to residents are designed on the flat roofs of residential clusters. They function as shared recreational spaces, places for cultivation, social interaction, and relaxation. Rooftop gardens strengthen the local ecosystem, improve building insulation, and form an additional layer of water retention. Each housing cluster has its own garden space, supporting the formation of local communities.

The lower part of the site is designed as a recreational and service zone. It includes sports facilities, leisure areas, and everyday amenities such as cafés, small retail units, and coworking spaces. This part of the development functions as an open, accessible center connecting residents with the broader urban context.

Karlovo Living forms a coherent, sustainable organism in which architecture, landscape, and environmental infrastructure complement one another. The project combines local identity with modern ecological solutions, creating a climate-resilient neighborhood that promotes social integration and a high quality of life. It is a place where daily life unfolds in harmony with nature, and environmental responsibility becomes an integral part of the architectural narrative.

Genius Loci and Historical Narrative

The Karlovo locality, named after the prominent Karlov family who owned these lands north of Banská Bystrica’s historic core as early as the 14th century, represents a vital developmental axis. Our urban proposal does not introduce a foreign element; it is a reinterpretation of the landscape’s historical intelligence. The original agricultural fields, arranged perpendicular to the slopes, and the lines of hedgerows that protected the soil from erosion, become our primary compositional grid. The project thus seamlessly continues the transformation of the area from an agricultural periphery into an integrated and sustainable urban district.

Massing and Porosity

The fundamental goal of the urban solution was to avoid creating visual or physical barriers on the exposed slope. We propose a hybrid structure—a combination of point and sectional apartment buildings grouped into open blocks. This fragmentation of volumes ensures a high degree of porosity, maximizing southern views of the city skyline and the surrounding mountains. The gaps between buildings are filled with greenery, allowing for natural airflow from the Panský Diel massif and passive cooling of the district.

Three Sectors: From Urban Dynamics to Park Serenity

The territory is functionally graded into three sectors. The upper residential area (4.5 floors) serves as an oasis of quiet living. The middle zone defines the “Urban Corso” with mixed-use functions (5.5 floors). The Corso is situated exactly along the path of the existing trail leading to the Sásová Valley. Here, we propose an active ground floor with a bakery, local shop and a “pick-up hub” to serve Karlovo residents and the wider neighborhood. The third sector, located in a natural terrain depression (the “Pit”), is transformed into a central public park. The architecture here is smaller in scale and pavilion-like (up to 2.5 floors)—a community center, a kindergarten, a senior living community, and a restaurant are sensitively embedded in the greenery, creating a safe, socially inclusive environment.

Technical Infrastructure and Mobility

The transport solution combines competition requirements with the logic of the terrain. While respecting the planned road from the south, we add a second service branch that passes through a newly designed hedgerow. This road follows the contour line, efficiently serving the area without drastic terrain cuts. The key element of pedestrian mobility is the “connection.” By aligning blocks along the contours, residents can connect to the Urban Corso almost barrier-free. The main link remains a pedestrian footbridge, which safely leads passers-by from the heart of the development to the lower green buffer and bus stop. Cars “disappear” into semi-recessed garages built in split-levels, allowing residents “dry-foot” access to their apartments directly from their parking spots.

Blue-Green Infrastructure as a Priority

Water is a visible and form-giving element. We uncover original streams and trace them through the park zone. The historical system of irrigation ditches is transformed into a modern network of rain gardens and retention corridors. The hedgerows, perforated by pedestrian paths, function as biological filters and bio-corridors. Karlovo Living Landscape is not just a development; it is a living ecosystem where modern architecture bows to the logic of nature.

01.​Structure follows morphology

Urban composition responds sensitively to the site’s natural topography, adopting terraced or steppedconfigurations. The slope is understood as an opportunity for views, diversity, and human scale. Diagonalconnection with the Sásová and Sásovská dolina Recreation Area. Built-up platforms /60×15 m/ followthe slope and orientation of the terrain. The level connection between Ecopap Urban structure and BSB- Sásovská cesta represents the framework of future development. The diagonal  connection between theKostiviarska railway station, Sásová and the Sásovská dolina Recreation Zone connects different terrainlevels. Buildings are oriented towards the south and south-west to maximise natural light and penetrationof vegetation and microclimatic flow.

02.​New urban gateway

Implementation the Green Axes Model by focusing on pedestrian-friendly design, environmental infrastructure and the creation of green urban spaces. The promenade into nature connects different levels in the site. Continuous green network of courtyards, paths and squares prefers walking as an ecological mobility approach. Main goal is to stabilise and rehabilitate the informal network of paths and shelters. Traverse diagonal pedestrian movement for barrier-free access follows the tourist routes from outlook on the hill to swamp bank. Redesigning of the swamp for free public access with wooden deck for recreation and events, enhancing the district with green infrastructure and local amenities. Longitudinal path connects the site with Sásová village and potential development areas / Ecopap & BSB-Sásovská cesta/ everything on the same level. Pedestrian bridges connect different levels of public space in a barrier-freemanner, offering extraordinary views and walks in the treetops.

03.​Living systems of nature

Green tissue grows from the surrounding natural environment in varying intensity. Soft urbanism approach supports biodiversity and sustainable water management. Water management integrate natural retention ponds, rain gardens and permeable surfaces. Proposal respects existing wetland with localswamp to ensure natural water retention & slow infiltration. Front gardens and growing terraces are designed as a continuity of the Stará Sásová Gardening Area. The main goal is to increase resilience to climate change and create new recreational opportunities for locals and tourists. The reforestation strategy included the  use of “nurse plants”, fast-growing species that provide shade and protection and improve  soil conditions. Preserve the existing invasive and ruderal vegetation, which provided key ecosystem services to the city. We choose the species composition of vegetation with regard to the position in relation to the retained water, slope conditions  and functional use.

04.​Cohesive neigbourhood

Compact, low-rise neighbourhood with a smooth transition into nature. United flowing forms withseparate volumes for attractive interspaces. Southwest orientation illuminates the apartments. Variousbuilding volumes set naturally into the terrain. The height and functional diversity of the house typologyfollow the regulation limits of Urban Zoning Plan:

PO 01 / Civic Area / facilities as the kindergarten, fitness centre, restaurant or senior house

PB 02 / Residential Zone / Only apartment buildings with four above-ground floors

PZ 03 / Mixed-use Zone / Apartments with public ground floor / shops, cafés, bakery, pharmacy

05.​Community nooks

The future residents will primarily be families with children, seniors, or young couples. “A good place to live” means to build places for “good neighbours”. Community nooks are suitable foropen-air gym circuits, mini basketball courts, chess tables, kid’s playgrounds, pic-nic tables with vegetable gardens. These shared spaces are designed in different sizes, positions and with different activities for experiencing.

06.​Connective tissue

This area has potential to strengthen the city’s connection to its surrounding ecosystem. Public spaces are designed as open spaces for diverse social life. Small squares and nooks offer shady spaces for locals and visitors to stay. These spaces provide recreational features with the creation of numerous resting and walking activities, including a children’s playground, relaxation platforms, wooden decks, Italian stairs, or community gardens. Two footbridges provide barrier-free connections to overcome the local gullies. The landscape design follows the principles of permaculture and cultivated wilderness, preserving its wild nature and ensuring an open, inclusive and environmentally- conscious design.

The proposal is grounded in the site’s vernacular architectural language and its exceptional landscape setting. Local precedents suggest a productive duality: linear collective housing that defines the street edge, and dispersed pitched-roof settlements that inhabit the hillside and woodland. Rather than replicating historic forms literally, the design translates this spatial logic into a contemporary framework—staging a dialogue between the civic and the intimate, the linear and the porous—while reinforcing a legible community structure.

A clear development hierarchy organizes the masterplan. Building intensity is highest along the urban road, where public programs and street-facing commercial uses activate the frontage and establish an address for the neighborhood. From this edge, the intensity gradually decreases toward the hilltop and into the forest interior, allowing architecture to become lighter, more fragmented, and more embedded within the terrain. This gradient not only responds to views, sunlight, and privacy, but also clarifies a sequence of public-to-private transitions across the site.

Two complementary housing typologies operationalize this strategy. Bar-shaped residential blocks front the primary street and act as organizing spines, partitioning the site into coherent bands. Their street-facing façades step back in a series of terraces to reduce perceived massing and relieve compression along the linear circulation corridor. These setbacks consolidate shared outdoor space vertically, culminating in accessible roof gardens that extend everyday life upward and soften the skyline. In contrast, point-block housing adopts a two-units-per-core configuration and is selectively distributed higher on the slope and among existing trees. The resulting micro-clusters form smaller, more enclosed communities with heightened privacy and a stronger relationship to landscape “rooms” rather than to the street.

A consistent material logic binds these different expressions. All buildings are anchored by a masonry plinth, establishing a robust, ground-hugging base that resonates with local construction traditions. Above, predominantly timber superstructures lighten the volumes and allow the architecture to age gracefully over time, developing a controlled patina that reinforces a tactile, time-worn character. Steel is introduced selectively—primarily within circulation elements such as ramps, connectors, and elevated walks—where slender spans, durability, and precision detailing are required.

Given the site’s abundant rainfall, water is treated as both resource and spatial generator. A rainwater harvesting network captures runoff from roofs and hardscape, reducing potable water demand and enabling reuse. Conveyance is made legible through a sequence of surface channels, dry-creek landscapes, and terminating landscape nodes, transforming stormwater management into an experiential ecological narrative. Water-based spaces are interwoven with the pedestrian realm, ensuring that hydrological processes are not hidden infrastructure but visible, inhabitable public amenities.

Finally, a continuous slow-mobility system stitches together the plan’s spatial partitions. A linear promenade mediates between street-front retail and the bar buildings, supporting everyday strolling and social exchange. Beyond, ramps, access alleys, woodland boardwalks, and intimate paths thread through the point-block clusters, aligning movement with terrain and water to choreograph a gradual shift from open commons to private gardens. Together, vernacular-informed typologies, a calibrated development gradient, and integrated water-and-walk networks form a coherent, resilient neighborhood framework—simultaneously contemporary in performance and rooted in place.

Housing in the Landscape of Karlovo proposes a housing structure that generates both home and community through its deep integration into the existing topography. Rather than imposing an external urban order, the linear building volumes follow the natural contours of the terrain, embedding themselves into the landscape. This strategy allows architecture and ground to form a continuous spatial relationship, where built form emerges from the site itself. The rhythm of the elongated housing bars is articulated by slender vertical towers that function as circulation cores and structural anchors. These elements not only organize access but also give identity and scale to the ensemble, creating a sequence of vertical accents within the horizontal settlement.

The project draws inspiration from the cultural heritage of Slovak longhouse villages and traditional street villages, where settlement patterns are closely tied to landscape logic and collective living. Instead of replicating historical forms, the proposal reinterprets their spatial principles in a contemporary architectural language. The result is a structure rooted in local identity while responding to current housing demands.

Constructively, the project is based on a hybrid timber–concrete system. The concrete base and vertical cores provide structural stability, fire protection, and long-term durability. Between these solid elements, prefabricated timber frame modules are inserted, forming the primary residential units. This hybrid approach combines the permanence of concrete with the flexibility and sustainability of timber construction. The modular timber units allow for internal reconfiguration and future transformation, ensuring adaptability over time.

The housing concept is intentionally open-ended. The structural grid anticipates the possibility of vertical extensions, allowing additional units to be built in response to future housing needs. Rooftop gardens with sun-shading structures create collective outdoor spaces while also serving as a reserve capacity for densification. In this way, the project does not define a final state but offers a spatial framework capable of evolution.

Central to the concept are the shared spaces between the buildings. These interstitial zones form the social heart of the settlement, hosting community gardens, informal meeting areas, and productive landscapes. Urban gardening enables residents to cultivate food collectively, strengthening social cohesion and resilience. The architecture acts as an infrastructural offer: it provides the structural foundation, while the inhabitants shape its appropriation over time. Housing in Karlovo is therefore not conceived as a fixed object, but as a living framework—embedded in landscape, rooted in cultural memory, and open to transformation.

TOPOGRAPHY AS SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

‘A hybrid settlement system where terrain, water and community spaces shape everyday life.’

This settlement is designed not to correct the land, but to listen to it. The slope is not treated as an obstacle, but as a guide that shapes the rhythm of life, movement, and encounters. Topography is approached not as an untouchable datum, but as a living ground that is preserved and carefully developed. Natural contours remain the primary reference; however, limited and controlled adjustments were made in response to the mandatory geometry of the planned main road. These interventions are not intended to dominate the terrain, but to establish a balanced relationship between natural form and public accessibility.

Connected Ridges Loop is a settlement model that accepts topography as the main generator of spatial organization rather than flattening slopes or imposing rigid schemes. The project brings together living ridges following natural contours and a green–water network that connects these ridges through valleys. As a result, the settlement gains an accessible and continuous public space system distributed throughout daily life instead of relying on a single center.

Living ridges re-establish one of humanity’s oldest relationships with the landscape: walking, pausing, observing, and sharing. These social spines run parallel to contour lines, generating uninterrupted pedestrian routes at different levels. With every step, the view changes; at every level, new encounters emerge. Public life is organized not around a single large park, but through small squares, resting pockets, transition gardens, and connection nodes along the ridges. Ordinary actions—walking to school, greeting a neighbor, resting by water—become meaningful parts of everyday life.

The valley functions as the heart of the system, not as residual space but as a place of collective memory and shared identity. It operates as both an ecological corridor and a social gathering ground. Water is understood not merely as a managed resource, but as a visible narrator of seasonal and environmental change. Retention basins, wetland pockets, and permeable landscape terraces integrate environmental infrastructure into public life, making water management visible, accessible, and educational. Architecture does not produce isolated objects; it creates relationships between people, land, and ecological processes. Walls define transitions rather than rigid boundaries between private, semi-public, and public spaces.

The environmental strategy is centered on an integrated rainwater harvesting and retention system. Surface runoff from terraced slopes is directed into a central basin through permeable channels, bioswales, and planted corridors. This systemregulates peak stormwater loads, reduces flood risk, and supports groundwaterrecharge. At the same time, the basin becomes an active part of the publiclandscape through seating terraces and walking platforms. Seasonal changes in water levels become part of daily experience, strengthening environmentalawareness.

The housing layout is organized along adjusted contours following principles of minimal excavation and minimal intervention. Housing bands are terraced to adapt to the terrain, while limited contour modifications are introduced in response to road requirements and accessibility needs. Water strips, plantedzones, and wooden walkways placed between retaining walls and housing unitscreate microclimatic buffers that regulate temperature, humidity, and windexposure. These transitional zones improve outdoor comfort, reduce energydemand, and function as semi-public interfaces supporting neighborhoodinteraction.

Public service areas are developed as low-rise structures with a maximum heightof two floors. Community-oriented functions such as kindergartens, fitness/yoga spaces, and elderly care facilities are accommodated within recycled modularcontainer systems. This approach enables rapid construction, low embodiedcarbon, and adaptability to programmatic change. Modular units can be reconfigured, expanded, or transformed over time, providing flexible responses to evolving demographic and social needs.

The mixed-use zone is designed as a permeable block system integratingresidential, commercial, and service functions. Buildings of up to five floors are organized around internal courtyards and semi-open streets, enhancing naturalventilation, daylight access, and social interaction. Ground floors host cafés, bakeries, pharmacies, and daily retail units that activate public life, whileresidential units occupy upper levels, creating a continuous daily rhythm.

Mobility within the settlement prioritizes pedestrian movement. Vehicularcirculation is organized along the mandatory main road and peripheralconnections, while access within central public areas is limited to service routes. All parking facilities are located underground and integrated into the topography, ensuring uninterrupted, safe, and socially active open spaces. This strategyreinforces human-scale environments and spatial continuity.

Development follows a phased and flexible model. Each living ridge functions as an independent phase with its own infrastructure, access, and public node. Completed phases operate as functional neighborhood units, while new phasesare added without compromising spatial coherence. This approach supportsfinancial feasibility, construction management, and long-term resilience.

Connected Ridges Loop is not merely a masterplan; it is a framework for collectiveliving. Topography becomes a social infrastructure organizing movement, interaction, and identity. Water, landscape, and architecture are integrated into a single ecological and social network. By prioritizing terrain, climate, and everydayhuman experience over rigid grids and suburban expansion, the project proposesa rooted, adaptive, and resilient model of living together.

When we are given the mission to establish rules within nature, such as in a masterplan or urban design, we deliberately explore the degree to which nature should be respected. In the 17th century and earlier, confidence in human power led to the belief that controlling nature was a symbol of authority. With industrialization, function and efficiency became central values, giving rise to various architectural movements throughout history.  Embedded in a vast natural landscape, Banská Bystrica has developed housing forms that respond to nature. Yet the boundary between nature and residential space remains. In this task of establishing new rules within a vast natural environment, we propose a strategy that gradually dismantles boundaries long embedded in the site. To dissolve the boundary between nature and architecture, we propose a four-step spatial arrangement strategy.

01 Condensed Urban Order

The proposal begins with a form shaped by the gentle flow of the sloping terrain and the orientation required for housing. The regularity that embodies urban order forms a fundamental framework that supports human relationships within nature.

02 Parent Continuum

As territories are divided, axes that connect them are simultaneously formed. The space generated at the intersection of the two axes operates as the most dynamic space. The areas defined along these axes begin to prepare for engagement with the exterior, establishing points of contact with the adjacent village.

03 Fragmented Continuum

The continuum linking the two edges of the site fragments in response to evolving living demands. At that moment, urban logic recedes into the sensibility of nature. What began as a system of order shifts toward an irregular flow.

04 Living in Continuum with Nature

Housing sustains its continuum through a courtyard structure shaped by the site’s slope and nature. Along the axis, divided territories orient outward and become semi-private communal spaces. Through these four methods, Cultural facility sits at the linear intersection formed by the Fragmented Continuum. The courtyard-shaped massing responds to the natural flow and organically organizes relationships between other zones. Consequently, the boundaries between interior and exterior are blurred, and architecture and landscape merge into a continuous spatial structure. Walking along two monumental axes, one arrives at their point of intersection. Here, residents and local community members encounter one another for the first time. Together, they shape a cultural space intertwined with nature.

In the residential space, units are organized by the Fragmented Continuum, linking the interior with the courtyard. This continuity extends the courtyard’s natural qualities into the interior, enhancing spatial quality and environmental comfort. Also, Rotating gabion wall along the corridor flexibly mediates the boundary between nature and dwelling.

The Fragmented Continuum, as a public framework, connects private courtyard housing with the public mixed-use complex. The spatial order and boundaries articulated by the walls no longer function as instruments of division; instead, they intersect spatial realms and generate continuity. The open space between buildings accommodates public activities.

This methodology dissolves the boundary between natural and architectural order, enabling a continuous life–nature continuum.

A Living Connection Between City and Nature

SYNAPSE is conceived as a connective structure – an urban and ecological link between the city of Banská Bystrica, its largest housing estate Sásová, the nearby village of old Sásová, and the surrounding mountain landscape. The site, currently underused and fragmented, lies at the threshold between urban density and open nature. We see it not as a periphery, but as a point of contact – a synapse wheredifferent environments, communities, and systems meet.  Our proposal transforms this edge condition into a vibrant residential district for youngfamilies, enriched by civic amenities and open to the wider public. The project does not function as an isolated housing development; it becomesa shared landscape integrated into the life of the city.

Beyond the boundaries of the site itself, SYNAPSE repairs broken relationships in the surrounding area. Former storage and industrialbuildings are adaptively transformed as co-working spaces, introducing new economic activity. An abandoned sports ground is reconstructedinto a year-round multifunctional public space capable of hosting concerts, sports events, and community gatherings. Private vegetable gardensin the vicinity are connected to a newly proposed local farmers’ market, allowing residents to sell locally grown food and strengtheningneighbourhood-scale food networks. A previously unused pedestrian underpass beneath the main road is restored, ensuring safe and continuousaccess between the new district and existing communities. At the edge of the development, small wooden cabins provide temporaryaccommodation for visitors, hikers, and winter sports enthusiasts, reinforcing the site’s proximity to mountain trails and ski facilities.

The sloped terrain beneath the forested hills defines the architectural response. Residential buildings follow the natural topography, rotatingalong contour lines to minimise earthworks and preserve the character of the land. Vehicular infrastructure is placed underground, allowing thelandscape above to remain pedestrian-oriented and safe for children. Above this hidden mobility layer, a car-free public realm unfolds – filledwith greenery, playgrounds, and communal spaces. The massing of the buildings reflects the surrounding mountain skyline. Sloped green roofsecho the geometry of distant peaks, creating visual continuity between architecture and landscape. Rotated and projecting balconies are inspiredby the dynamic movement of the samara – the rotating seed of a maple tree – symbolising growth, dispersion, and new beginnings. This gesturereinforces the project’s natural identity while giving the buildings a distinctive architectural character. Facades are clad in vertical timberlamellas made from locally sourced spruce, expressing warmth and material authenticity. Subtle pastel green window frames act as accents, enhancing identity without overpowering the natural palette. Ground-floor apartments benefit from private front gardens, while upper-level homes enjoy framed views toward the mountains and the city.

SYNAPSE operates as an integrated ecological system. The lower part of the site, naturally collecting runoff from surrounding hills, becomesthe strategic location for a retention-biotope pond. This water body captures rainwater, supports biodiversity, and creates habitat for birds and amphibians. In winter, it transforms into a public ice-skating surface, reinforcing seasonal adaptability. Stormwater is managed entirely on site through a network of green roofs, rain gardens, infiltration swales, and underground storage tanks. Harvested rainwater is reused for irrigationand non-potable functions such as toilet flushing, establishing a closed-loop water system. Meadows for pollinators and microhabitats for smallfauna enhance biodiversity across the site. A perimeter of trees forms a green buffer, mitigating traffic noise and air pollution while ensuring a gradual transition into the surrounding forest landscape. The urban tree canopy contributes to air filtration and microclimate regulation, directlysupporting public health.

Before the first residential phase is realised, we introduce a temporary yet iconic structure: a vertical wooden learning tower located beside thepond. This “Vertical Nature Observatory” serves as an educational and experiential landmark, attracting visitors and activating the currentlydormant site. The tower represents a vertical journey through natural systems – from community life at ground level, through vegetation and treecanopy, to bird habitats, wind layers, and finally the open sky and sunlight. It embodies the idea of SYNAPSE physically and symbolically: a connection between human and natural environments. Around the tower, small temporary pavilions for coffee, food, and local activities createan early public destination, ensuring the area gains social relevance even before full residential occupation.

A central pedestrian promenade structures the entire development. Beginning at the learning tower, it traces the edge of the pond, passes thekindergarten with its circular atrium, moves through community gardens and green-roofed civic spaces, and continues toward the residentialbuildings. Ground floors host small shops, cafés, and services, reinforcing everyday interaction. This promenade becomes the social backbone of the district – a space where urban life and natural processes intertwine.

SYNAPSE is not merely housing on a hillside. It is a regenerative framework that integrates architecture, ecology, economy, and community. By embedding mobility underground, embracing topography, restoring water cycles, and opening the territory to the wider city, theproject transforms a neglected edge into a living connector.

Here, city and nature do not compete.
They communicate.

Positioned at the threshold between the urban fabric of Banská Bystrica and the nature reserve to the north, this residential neighbourhood is conceived as a nature gateway that redefines the relationship between city and landscape. The proposal extends the existing green spine from the city centre while simultaneously bridging the neighbouring districts of Kostiviarska and Sásová through a network of shared civic spaces. Rather than treating housing as an isolated programme, the project frames residential living as an active interface between ecological systems and everyday urban life. Grounded in the principle of human–nature co-living, the proposal prioritises human comfort and ecological vitality in equal measure, positioning landscape as both social infrastructure and environmental mediator.

Building Forms and Arrangements

The building typologies are developed in direct response to the existing topography, using the natural terrain as a generative framework rather than imposing a flattened ground condition. By aligning the housing blocks with the downward slope, the proposal minimises artificial earthworks while preserving the continuity and ecological integrity of the landscape. This terrain-sensitive approach allows the architecture to follow the logic of the site, reducing environmental disturbance and reinforcing a close relationship between built form and natural ground.

All residential units are oriented toward the south, enabling the stepped configuration to maximise access to daylight, passive solar gain, and long-distance views across the landscape. The cascading arrangement improves environmental performance while establishing a clear spatial hierarchy, where buildings emerge as extensions of the terrain rather than objects placed upon it. Architecture and landscape, therefore, operate as a continuous system, shaping both environmental responsiveness and spatial experience.

In response to the site’s temperate continental climate, each housing unit incorporates a winter garden that can be extended into a balcony space. The threshold between the winter garden and balcony is designed as a flexible interface, mediated through sliding screen doors and bifold shutters. This adaptable enclosure allows inhabitants to modify spatial openness according to seasonal conditions, privacy requirements, and thermal comfort. As a climatic buffer, the winter garden functions as an intermediate living space that enhances energy efficiency while expanding domestic use throughout the year.

Working with the existing landscape levels also generates a naturally terraced roofscape. The vertical differences between buildings enable roofs to connect seamlessly, forming an accessible network of shared outdoor spaces. These collective roofs accommodate community food gardens, informal gathering areas, and green leisure spaces, encouraging social interaction and collective stewardship. Together, the interconnected roofscapes and streetscapes create layered social environments that extend domestic life beyond individual dwellings, proposing a model of future living grounded in ecological integration and shared community space.

Landscape

The landscape strategy is designed to respond to increasingly irregular rainfall patterns, including potential extremes of drought and flooding, while enhancing biodiversity and cultivating collective identity. Landscape systems such as butterfly gardens, sponge gardens, and food gardens are interwoven into the neighbourhood fabric rather than treated as isolated elements.

These gardens operate at multiple scales: environmentally, by retaining, filtering, and slowing water runoff; and socially, by creating recognisable communal spaces that support everyday use. Distributed across the site, these gardens function as both ecological infrastructure and social spaces, linking the residential, mixed-use, and civic zones, reinforcing spatial connectivity across the site. Together, the landscape systems curate a comfortable, vibrant, and legible environment, shaping cohesive living and visiting experiences for both residents and visitors.

Different residential, mixed-use, and civic building blocks are then connected with landscape features, with a hierarchy of sizes and publicness. The green belt serves as a buffer zone between the planned roadway and the housing development to mediate the environmental impacts and protect the surrounding buildings. Larger public spaces, such as the amphitheatre, are positioned adjacent to civic amenities, enabling communal activities, including performances and public gatherings. In addition, shared green corridors and courtyards function as transitional spaces, connecting the residential, mixed-use, and civic zones, fostering community interaction across programmes.

At a more intimate scale, small communal gardens within housing blocks encourage spontaneous neighbourhood encounters. Meanwhile, rooftop green landscapes on each housing block further extend this spatial gradient by providing elevated, semi-private retreat spaces that remain visually connected to the larger green network. Together, this hierarchy of open spaces from highly public to private responds to the diverse social needs of mixed-household living by carefully balancing collective and private environments.

Championing biodiversity as a central design driver, the neighbourhood is structured around the life cycle needs of butterflies, specifically the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus). Landscape elements are calibrated to support key requirements such as habitat, food sources, connectivity, and protection, translating ecological knowledge into spatial strategies. The consideration of this specific species serves as a starting point to support other species in the surroundings, especially species with European importance in Baranovo, a Natura 2000 important site, including large copper (Lycaena dispar), Dusky large blue (Maculineanausithous), and Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria). The neighbourhood, therefore, becomes a transitional habitat connecting (sub)urban and natural areas while reconciling human-nature relationships.

In this way, the project functions as a transitional habitat, mediating between suburban development and protected natural landscapes while reframing human–nature relationships as interdependent rather than oppositional. Extending beyond its immediate context, the project serves as an experimental and exemplary residential model that integrates climate adaptation and biodiversity strategies within ecologically sensitive settings. Its significance lies not merely in preservation, but in reimagining everyday living environments as resilient, regenerative, and futureproofing, where ecological performance and human habitation mutually reinforce one another.

Geometric yet alive, organic yet rational

This project emerges from the negotiation between several competing demands: a high demand of floor area, requirements for daylight access, views and privacy, and the slope topography of the site. The proposal strives to integrate them into a single spatial logic that governs circulation, massing, and housing typologies.

Most of the site is inclined at a rate between 1:4 and 1:8. If circulation were aligned perpendicular to contour lines, pedestrian movement would rely on stairways. However, to accommodate bicycles and ensure barrier-free access, paths must maintain gentler gradients. The project therefore establishes 1:12 slope paths across the terrain, which becomes the primary formal control. Roads follow this angled trajectory, producing a system of winding “mountain paths”.

Building placement responds to both this circulation network and privacy concerns. Instead of arranging volumes parallel to streets, the buildings are offset and interwoven with the road grid, forming a hexagonal grid layout. Compared to parallel bars, this configuration achieves higher density while enclosing semi-independent outdoor spaces. More importantly, the hexagonal geometry ensures that most angles at “forks” of the building exceed 90 degrees, minimizing direct visual confrontation between units. Meanwhile, the spaces in-between buildings and roads are activated as landscaped areas or activity grounds.

The residential volumes extend linearly, aligning to the terrain with fluctuating height. It varies from two to four stories, with occasional five-story segments, which would serve multiple purposes. It shapes the shadow so that buildings receivesufficient daylight, and it enables almost all residents above ground level to access outdoor terraces via corridors, without going up-or-downstairs. Despite these adjustments, the polygonal grid enables a high overall density, with a total developed floor area of approximately 82,700 square meters.

Across most of the site, architectural form remains consistent: 15–meter-wide linear buildings, unified by gently sloping rooftops that echo the terrain. While apartment sizes vary, all units follow a shared structural axis, allowing them to combine flexiblyand aggregate seamlessly within a unified building volume:

A 15-meter building depth accommodates a central corridor, with units subdivided on both sides at a 4.2-meter module, producing a 27-square-meter basic unit (Type 1). Two Type 1 units can be combined to form Type 2. While for larger Type 3 and Type 4 apartments, two apartments share one staircase. Type 3 & 4 apartments are paired with adjacent outdoor terraces, providing multi-directional views and private exterior spaces.

Apart from housing, the master plan incorporates complementary civic and commercial buildings, in accordance with municipal planning requirements. The PO–01 zone accommodates community facilities and civic amenities at ground level. The PZ03 area hosts a commercial street that supported by active ground-floor retail, along with standalone restaurant, café, and retail buildings. Suggested bus stoplocations are integrated into the circulation framework, ensuring residents and visitors can reach key destinations efficiently on foot or by bicycle.

Together, these strategies establish a compact yet breathable residential environment, geometric yet alive, organic yet rational, one that reconciles density with daylight, landscape, and privacy through a unified geometric and topographic system.

Introduction

Emerging creative practices across Slovakia and the wider European context are placing new spatial demands on housing. While creative work is often associated with studios, workshops, or cultural districts, a significant portion of making, designing, and producing now occurs within domestic environments. Housing, however, remains largely unequipped to accommodate these forms of work.

This project explores how residential architecture might support hybrid patterns of living and making. Rather than separating production from dwelling, the scheme proposes a neighbourhood structured around shared working yards and civic terraces. In contrast to the street-block typology prevalent in the surrounding area, defined by perimeter enclosure, frontage hierarchy, and circulation-led public space, the yard operates as a productive ground condition. It prioritises occupation over movement, enabling workshops, small studios, and communal workspaces to open directly onto shared external rooms. These yards function as spaces of exchange for fabrication, discussion, repair, and informal collaboration among residents.

The integration of work is paralleled by the integration of care and play. Domestic thresholds are expanded to support collective use, allowing everyday life to extend beyond the private interior. A child might move from a living space into a shared sandpit within the yard, while adults gather nearby for reading groups, meetings, or small-scale creative activity. Play and production coexist within the same spatial field, supported by proximity and mutual visibility.

Typology

Linear gallery access blocks take precedence in this project due to their capacity to respond to the site’s topographic variation. The type is able to stagger and step down when oriented perpendicular to the slope, operating in a manner similar to terraced housing. When aligned parallel to the gradient, the block can shift laterally, breaking within its width to expand circulation, thresholds, and shared spaces.

This dual sectional and plan flexibility allows the housing to adapt to changes in level without losing continuity of access. Galleries remain legible as social spines while accommodating the highs and lows of the landscape, enabling both spatial generosity and environmental responsiveness within a consistent architectural system.

Masterplan Organisation

The site is organised into four quadrants, structured around a central spine that acts as the primary east-west transport link as planned. This spine connects to a continuous underground parking network running beneath the housing, freeing the remainder of the site from vehicular movement and prioritising a pedestrian-led environment that supports active and healthier lifestyles. A diverse housing mix is distributed across the quadrants, including market sale, build-to-rent, and student accommodation, fostering a socially and economically mixed neighbourhood.

The Garden Street, conceived as a stepped, terraced landscape, forms the social and programmatic heart of the scheme. This sectional public ground accommodates a range of shared services, with levels dedicated to cafés, diners, yoga and Pilates studios, co-working spaces, and a nursery. Terracing enables visual connectivity while organising activity through elevation.

South of the central spine, the programme becomes more overtly civic. Public-facing amenities, including an intergenerational healthcare lounge, an art school, and a children’s learning centre, support education, creativity, and community care, contributing to a self-sustaining neighbourhood structured around everyday social infrastructure.

Materiality and Green Infrastructure

Wood and metal are used as the primary material palette, selected for their durability, adaptability, and reduced construction impact. A strong emphasis is placed on sustaining the existing landscape, retaining site ecologies wherever possible and integrating new development sensitively within them.

Each housing block incorporates landscaped green terraces at upper levels, supporting community gardening and shared cultivation. These elevated productive landscapes encourage neighbourly interaction while extending ecological value vertically across the scheme. Housing modules are interlinked through integrated cycle stores, designed to accommodate the full cycling capacity of residents. Beyond storage, these connecting elements reinforce active mobility and provide an additional layer of shared infrastructure linking the housing clusters.

Conclusion

By replacing the rigidity of the street block with a network of working yards and civic terraces, the project proposes housing as a framework for shared life, accommodating making, caregiving, and social exchange within the architecture of the home environment. Rather than separating domestic, productive, and communal functions, the scheme brings them into close spatial proximity, allowing everyday routines to overlap and support one another.

This integration creates a neighbourhood model rooted in visibility, mutual support, and collective participation promoting an active lifestyle. Spaces of access become spaces of encounter, thresholds become zones of learning and care, and shared ground conditions enable both creative production and social life to unfold informally. In this way, housing operates not only as shelter but as civic infrastructure, capable of sustaining intergenerational relationships, creative practices, and community resilience over time.

Landscape As a Tool for Spatial Hierarchy

The project is built around a simple idea: creating a gradual transition from private life to public life. Instead of dividing the neighborhood into rigid functional zones, the masterplan creates a continuous spatial experience. Spaces move naturally from more intimate residential areas to fully public civic places. The district becomes a connected urban fabric where privacy changes step by step, and social interaction happens naturally because spaces are close and visually connected.

Semi Shared Courtyards

The residential buildings are arranged around green courtyards that are shared mainly by residents. These spaces belong to the people who live there, but they remain visually open, so the neighborhood feels connected rather than fragmented into separate blocks. Daily life extends beyond the apartment door into these shared outdoor areas. The plazas and green spaces are flexible and can adapt to different uses during the day and across seasons. Children can play, families can picnic, adults can exercise outdoors, and elderly residents can meet or read together. The landscape supports everyday life in a simple and natural way.

Topography and Circulation

The sloping terrain shapes the entire project. Paths and bicycle routes follow the natural contour lines instead of forcing artificial geometries onto the land.Moving through the neighborhood becomes a gradual experience, where different degrees of privacy and collectivity are revealed step by step.  A diagonal access street ensures accessibility while working as a connecting spine rather than a dividing road. It separates residential areas from civic functions without breaking visual continuity. A mixed use building that was originally planned in the southwest corner was removed to avoid creating an isolated fragment and to preserve the overall coherence of the system.

Civic Core

At the heart of the project is the main civic square facing the theatre. It is designed as a landscape amphitheatre carved into the slope. The stepped seating follows the terrain and turns the topography into public architecture. This space can host performances, public events, and informal daily activities. Together with the nearby educational and cultural hub, it becomes a clear landmark for both the neighborhood and the city. Other public amenities include a sports center with outdoor activity areas and a kindergarten that serves both residents and the surrounding districts.

Environmental Resilience

Sustainability is integrated directly into the landscape design. Shallow planted depressions work as water retention basins during heavy rain, but remain usable green areas for recreational activities in dry conditions. Surrounded by permeable gravel, they collect and absorb rainwater, helping to prevent flooding. A row of trees along the main road reduces noise and creates a soft environmental boundary.

Family Housing

Housing plays a central role in shaping the social structure of the neighborhood. Family oriented buildings include three room and four room apartments designed with dual orientation to ensure natural light from multiple sides. Ground floor apartments have private entrances and small gardens. Upper floor units are accessed from the opposite side, activating both façades and clearly distinguishing private and shared access. At ground level, shared facilities such as stroller storage, bicycle rooms, laundry areas and common relaxation spaces support everyday family life and encourage a sense of community.

Adaptability and Multi Generational Living

The layout allows flexibility over time. Adjacent apartments can be combined by removing non load bearing walls. This makes it possible for extended families to live close to each other while maintaining independence.The neighborhood can therefore adapt to changing household structures.

Co Living Clusters

In the mixed use buildings, housing follows a co-living model organized in clusters. Two one bedroom apartments share a common loggia or terrace that works as a semi private space between neighbors.External corridors overlook these shared terraces, increasing visibility and encouraging informal interaction. Units can also be combined into larger apartments while keeping access to shared outdoor spaces.

Active Ground Floor

The ground level of the mixed use buildings is designed as an active urban layer. It includes a food court, small and medium shops, coworking spaces and a fitness center. This productive base keeps the street alive throughout the day and mixes living and working within the same structure, supporting the local economy.

Mobility and Parking

Cars are kept mostly underground. Parking areas are located below ground level and many buildings connect directly to them from the lower side of the slope. The surface remains mainly pedestrian, with bicycle parking distributed across the district to encourage sustainable mobility.

Architectural Expression

Some building volumes are lifted at ground level to create covered passages that connect paths and courtyards, offering protected meeting spaces and strengthening continuity. The façades are defined by horizontal concrete slabs that extend into generous terraces, maximizing views over the landscape. These terraces provide shading and outdoor living space. Vertical wooden cladding adds warmth and human scale, balancing the solidity of concrete.  Large floor to ceiling windows bring natural light inside and create a strong visual connection with the surrounding terrain. The largest roofs are green roofs, while sun exposed surfaces integrate solar panels positioned for optimal performance. The material palette combines concrete, which reflects the urban character of Banská Bystrica, and wood, connecting the architecture to the surrounding natural heritage.

Phasing Strategy

The neighborhood develops in clear stages to remain livable from the start. First, the main infrastructure is built, meaning the streets. Next, the civic core with the square, kindergarten and public facilities establishes identity and services. The mixed use buildings follow, activating daily life with shops and workspaces. Finally, the residential buildings are completed, so new residents arrive in an already functional neighborhood with essential amenities in place.

This project proposes more than housing. It creates a relational neighborhood where landscape, movement and daily life are closely connected. The terrain becomes structure, public space becomes social infrastructure, and architecture acts as a bridge between private living and collective urban life. The result is a flexible district that can evolve over time while maintaining a strong and coherent identity.

Perched between city and mountain, Na Úpätí connects Sásová’s riverine fabric to the forested foothills. This residential landscape perches above Banská Bystrica and flows gently into the foothills of the Low Tatras National Park.

Responding to the southern-facing slope, the masterplan adopts an urban structure that follows the natural topography. Buildings are arranged in stepped east–west bands, ensuring optimal solar orientation, panoramic views, and natural cross-ventilation. The site establishes a gradient of spaces: from a more urban, mixed-use edge in the south-east to increasingly residential, intimate, and landscape-integrated apartments toward the north and west. Low-rise buildings define the predominant residential fabric, and their volumes are articulated into smaller segments to maintain a human scale and visual permeability between buildings.

Three Spines: Ecological, Social, and Active
The neighbourhood is structured around three continuous spines organizing landscape, community, and activity:

Ecological (Green–Blue) Spine
A pedestrian landscape corridor works as a retention system, forming an elongated vegetated swale that collects rainwater from the highest points of the slope and from the surrounding rooftops. The swale, approximately 40 cm deep, buffers heavy rainfall while flowing through courtyards, meeting points, and play areas, creating a quiet, nature-rich environment. Slopes reach 8%, but apartment entrances are levelled, and a gravel pathway with small bridges provides gentle pedestrian access. Plantings combine riparian, meadow, and drought-tolerant species such as alder (Alnus glutinosa), silver birch (Betula pendula), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), and native ferns. Courtyards and lush back gardensfeature sun-loving species offering shade and attract pollinators and birds. Through these corridors, nature flows into everyday life, inviting residents to linger and pause.

Community Spine
Flowing between residential units and the mixed-use edge, this spine acts as a social condenser. Cafés, bakeries, a pharmacy, a grocery store, and a sports/hiking shop provide daily services within walking distance, supporting a car-light lifestyle. Slopes reach 10%, and universal accessibility is maintained across small squares and communal spaces.

Active Spine
Emerging toward the centre of the plot, this spine provides multifunctional sports and recreation amenities. Integrated into the landscape and positioned alongside the road, it offers flexible spaces for informal play, fitness, and smaller–scale community events.

Road Integration and Microclimates
The main road is carved to a 4 m depth, creating a safe, car-free environment at street(living) level. This approach preserves the hillside’s visual continuity. Three pedestrian bridges maintain full connectivity between the northern and southern part of the hillside. Retention walls along the road support microclimates, allowing native flora to colonise the mineral walls and provide refuge for insects and species of ferns, reinforcing ecological continuity.

Housing Typology & Unit Mix
A flexible mix supports a diverse neighbourhood for all generations. Across residential and mixed-use upper floors, units comprise 14% 1-room, 30% 2-room, 35% 3-room, and 21% 4-room apartments. Ground-floor units feature private gardens with direct access to the Ecological Spine; upper floors maximise sunlight and panoramic views. Two residential typologies are established: small blocks with 2–3 units per floor and medium blocks with up to 4 units of 4 rooms each. Floorplans are flexible, allowing units to connect or expand as residents’ needs evolve, supporting diverse household types from young couples and singles to families. Timber construction with bio-based cladding, upcycled bricks, and timber panels ensures warmth. Interiors combine timber finishes with recycled terrazzo details. The residential area totals approximately 26,400 m².

Mixed-Use and Civic Zones
South-eastern mixed-use blocks step gradually with the slope towards the sunken road. Ground floors host retail and daily services, activating the street edge and supporting a car-light lifestyle. Upper floors accommodate compact apartments and short-stay units, contributing to a vibrant, diverse community.
The southern civic buildings sit at the natural low point, near the water collection area, forming a hub for wellness, recreation, and nature-based exploration. Timber lodges and recreational facilities such as a sauna and a fire pit are nestled into green public spaces, providing activities for visitors, school and youth camps, and seniors. Residents and visitors can access nearby caves, waterfalls, and mountain trails, facilitating outdoor adventure.

Parking & Mobility
Underground parking accommodates approximately 400 cars and 700 bicycles, distributed on the northern and southern sides of the slope. Safe pedestrian routes connect all internal areas, supporting a walkable, car-free neighbourhood.

Net Floor Area
The total net floor area of approximately 53,000 m² remains below the competition maxima (PB02: 42,000 m²; PZ03: 27,000 m²; PO01: 17,000 m²). This reduction is a strategic design choice for human scale, ecological connectivity, and high-quality public spaces. By limiting building mass, the masterplan creates generous ecological corridors for wildlife, gathering areas for the residents, and an expansive water-retention intervention.

Feasibility and Phasing

Materiality
Buildings employ bio-based timber construction with timber panel facades and neutral finishes. Public terraces, pathways, and bridges use locally sourced stone and gravel, blending with the natural terrain. Retention walls along the sunken road and swale edges incorporate stone detailing, supporting native flora and ecological microhabitats.

The site is located within a strong natural landscape context and occupies a strategic position between two distinct and spatially separated residential structures. According to the zoning plan, the area is designated for transformation into a high-quality residential development that responds sensitively to its environmental and urban surroundings. Our vision for the site, “Connecting People Through Nature,” is grounded in three key principles:

The core of the urban concept is a hierarchised public space network that ensures spatial permeability and continuity across the site. It builds upon existing pedestrian desire lines and preserved vegetation structures. The development framework respects natural conditions and transforms them into spatial qualities, optimising southern exposure and working with the terrain morphology.

Public Space Structure of the Design Area

The public space framework forms the structural backbone of the proposal, integrating the site internally while reinforcing its external connections. The primary public spine is oriented southwards towards the civic amenities zone defined by the zoning plan. A secondary public network connects residential areas to the central public core. Transversal axes respond to the topography and introduce spatial permeability within the built structure. Community spaces – incorporating gardens, playgrounds and recreational facilities – are located in calm, residential settings and foster intergenerational social interaction within high-quality outdoor environments.

Land-Use Structure of the Design Area

The land-use distribution complies with the zoning regulations. Local civic amenities are concentrated along the primary public spine, reinforcing a vibrant central core with active ground-floor frontages and essential services (kindergarten, day-care facility, community centre, retail and pharmacy). Mixed-use areas are positioned along the site edges, allowing civic functions to gradually transition towards residential zones. Housing is located in the most favourable part of the site – a quiet, green environment offering southern exposure and panoramic views towards Banská Bystrica. Green spaces are evenly distributed across the site, while linear greenery along the perimeter establishes a protective ecological buffer from the surrounding road infrastructure.

Transport Infrastructure of the Design Area

The transport structure builds upon the existing primary access route crossing the site. Vehicular traffic is minimised through two strategically positioned service roads providing efficient access to underground parking integrated beneath the buildings. Internal streets are designed as low-speed shared streets prioritising pedestrians and cyclists, while allowing drop-off access and emergency services. Public transport integration is ensured through strategically located bus stops serving both the site and adjacent neighbourhoods. Sustainable mobility is further supported by a Bike & Ride system.

Green Infrastructure of the Design Area

The Blue-Green Infrastructure strategy builds upon existing landscape structures and ecological corridors. The sloping terrain is utilised for gravity-based stormwater management through contour-aligned retention lines. Stormwater is conveyed to the lowest southern point of the site, where a primary retention basin is integrated as both a water management feature and a key landscape element connected to the main recreational and social core. The system is complemented by green and retention roofs, as well as carefully composed linear and point greenery enhancing the quality of streets and public spaces.

Spatial Structure and Urban Composition of the Design Area

The central public core is positioned in relation to the site’s dominant spatial qualities and articulated by a principal compositional axis. This axis is reinforced by civic functions, a distinctive architectural element and a key water feature. Secondary compositional axes structure and hierarchise public spaces, interconnected through view corridors and landscape elements. Residential buildings respond to the terrain and maximise southern orientation and key views. Strategically articulated gaps within the built structure ensure visual permeability, particularly within the residential areas. The resulting composition is unified by an integrated green framework.

Development Phasing of the Design Area

The phasing strategy is structured around the implementation of the primary access route as the fundamental infrastructural framework. Each development phase ensures a balanced distribution of residential functions, civic amenities and public space, including essential services such as a kindergarten. Subsequent phases are added incrementally to ensure coherent, compact and efficient growth of the neighbourhood.

Architecture

The architectural concept is based on the composition of higher and lower mass blocks, created from rationally designed modules. The basic module is based on the grid of the supporting structural system, which is readable not only in the layout solution, but also in the division and tectonics of the facade.

The facade design works with a conscious citation of the original prefabricated buildings characteristic of the given region, the typical feature of which is a clearly defined grid on the facades of the buildings. By inserting the facade plane into the mass of the building, the exposed supporting system comes to the fore, which creates a protective frame for the loggias. This design principle ensures the protection of exterior living spaces from weather influences and at the same time contributes to the passive protection of apartments from overheating in the summer. The supporting system is designed with an emphasis on a high degree of variability of apartment units, enabling the implementation of various types of apartments in terms of the number of living rooms without the need to intervene in the basic layout or change the position of installation risers. Another significant advantage of the modular and supporting system is the efficient parking layout in the semi-sunken basement of the building.

Quantitative Overview

Built-up Area: ​​​​​15 943 m2 (31% from the area)
Total development floor area: ​​ ​72 255 m2
Area of ​​civic amenities in the southeastern as part of the territory (mixed territory): ​​7500 m2
Area in the civic amenities zone: ​​​3 780 m2
Number of Residential Units: ​​​400
Number of Parking Spaces: ​​​703
Number of Bicycle Parking Spaces: ​​1000 (approximate)

The project is located in the Sásová district of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, on a site of 53,105 m² characterized by a sloping terrain and a strong landscape structure. The proposal establishes a settlement model that integrates built form with topography through a continuous green system – the “Verdeline” – which organizes spatial relationships, movement networks, and ecological processes across the site.

The development is structured into three primary zones. The residential zone consists of approximately 15 housing units arranged along the natural contours. A commercial and mixed-use zone includes five mixed-use buildings and a commercial strip incorporating nine small-scale retail and event-oriented units forming an active public interface. The dynamic public zone contains three municipality-operated facilities (a fitness center, yoga pavilion, and kindergarten) embedded within the landscape and directly connected to the central park system.

A potential future road corridor is anticipated to divide the site into two major sections. Rather than treating this as a barrier, the design reinforces spatial continuity through landscape corridors, pedestrian connections, and programmatic distribution across both sides. The overall settlement strategy prioritizes low-rise, predominantly four-storey structures that are embedded within continuous green spaces, ensuring that the landscape remains the dominant spatial framework.

Three architectural typologies define the built environment. The V-shaped type responds most directly to the slope, allowing buildings to adapt to topographic variation while maximizing facade exposure and daylight access. The L-shaped type functions as a spatial organizer, forming semi-private courtyards and defining communal outdoor spaces. The rectangular type accommodates narrow parcels and transition zones, creating spatial continuity between building clusters. Together, these typologies generate a flexible and responsive urban fabric aligned with terrain conditions.

Residential parking is located underground, with vehicular access provided from the road-facing edges of the site. Building entrances are oriented toward landscaped areas, allowing residents to transition directly into green space upon entering or leaving their homes. This approach reinforces the project’s central objective: maintaining a constant spatial relationship between everyday life and the natural environment.

Landscape design is the primary structuring element of the proposal. A continuous green corridor extends along the topography, forming the ecological and spatial backbone of the settlement. This system connects residential clusters, public programs, and commercial areas through uninterrupted pedestrian and cycling networks. Movement is conceived as an experiential sequence embedded in terrain rather than a purely functional circulation system.

Water sensitive landscape strategies are integrated throughout the site. Rain gardens, retention ponds, and vegetated drainage systems collect and manage stormwater while creating ecological habitats and visual focal points. Landscape patches are differentiated in character and function, ranging from recreational lawns and seating areas to productive planting zones and biodiversity corridors. Plant species are selected according to climatic suitability and ecological performance, supporting habitat diversity while ensuring long-term resilience.

The mixed-use zone forms an active edge along the primary pedestrian route. Small-scale retail and community-oriented functions support daily activity and social interaction. The most distinctive spatial feature of this zone is a series of terrain-integrated decks embedded within the steep slope. These platforms transform elevation differences into usable public space, functioning as viewing terraces, gathering areas, and resting points. By extending outward from the terrain rather than reshaping it, the decks preserve the natural landform while enhancing spatial experience.

Public space is organized around a large central park that functions as the main recreational and social core of the development. The park accommodates diverse activities, including seating areas, sports facilities, a dog park, and basketball and tennis courts. Additional community facilities – including the yoga pavilion, gym, and kindergarten – are integrated within the park landscape and operated as public services. Clear movement hierarchies organize access, with cycling routes, pedestrian paths, and service circulation defined through distinct spatial layers.

The ecological landscape strategy prioritizes multi-sensory and experiential engagement. Planting compositions support visual diversity, seasonal change, habitat formation, and human wellbeing. Landscape areas are designed not only as passive green spaces but as active environments that support social interaction, recreation, and everyday use.

At the settlement scale, building placement follows elevation lines, creating a stepped spatial organization that preserves visual permeability and maintains continuity between built form and terrain. A central valley structure organizes ecological flows, water systems, and pedestrian movement, reinforcing the landscape as the primary ordering principle of the project.

Sustainability is approached as an integrated spatial and ecological framework rather than a technical add-on. By aligning architecture, movement systems, and landscape processes with natural topography, the project reduces ground intervention, supports ecological continuity, and promotes long-term environmental resilience.

Verdeline proposes a model of landscape-integrated living in which architecture, ecology, and public life operate as a unified system. The project transforms topographic constraints into spatial opportunities, creating a settlement where the landscape is not a background element but the fundamental structure shaping everyday experience.