Work - Amanda Rekemeyer

Building a Cultural Gate:  Creating a Transition Zone Between the Old and New Cities of Sarajevo

Problem: The Marjin Dvor neighborhood of Sarajevo is located at a boundary area between the old and new parts of city. Although the area has sufficient programs to keep it active, the programs are not linked together in a way that would promote movement and long term activity within the site.

Solution: I designed a connection between the train station and an open area on the river near the end of the pedestrian river path. I used an existing diagonal road that existed directly between the two areas. I changed the diagonal road to a pedestrian-only area, moving the parking into abandoned buildings along the edge of my site. In the open area on the river, I created a cultural center, including a modern art museum and orchestra hall, to help reinforce the small amount of existing cultural programs in the area and bring more people into the area for longer period of time. I used a technique of compression between buildings into a release space between buildings to pull people all the way from the train station to the cultural area.