Caravanserais

Team Point of View

Gjakova has a strong tradition as a commercial town. The old groups of mercantile caravans that used to cross Gjakova triggered the construction of a bunch of bridges over the Krena River that became identifying meeting points for inhabitants and traders.
To maximize urban cohesion and empower the city’s identity, the intervention focuses on the existing bridges and their immediate spaces, becoming strong urban reference spots and recovering the spirit of the ancient Caravanserais by introducing new program related to sports, music, leisure and market. The new Caravanserais are a piece of structure acting as a bicycle stop, street furniture, lighting and allowing public accessibility to the riverbanks. At the same time, we propose the subversion of the actual river condition from a residual space to a reclaimed and sanitized natural area by adding restorative nature and canalizing sewage water. Then, we bring forward an urban environmental strategy that consists in a green ring along the rivers and three green arteries structuring the city.
Thanks to the re-activation of the bridges and their surroundings, we can reinforce the existing streets to define an urban network that connects Qabrati Hill with the Erenik River, linking the architectural heritage and the cultural and educational areas of the city with the nature. The proposal is complemented by targeted interventions in existing buildings on both sides of the river.

Jury Point of View

The proposal has landscape continuity. It creates two arteries along the river. More dedicated to a bicycle path, bridges are the social centres of the project and they are bringing back their own importance. Interventions are very light. Proposal for urban furniture is lacking. The proposal is concentrated on the definition of current uses of existing roads for business clusters. What is interesting is that it is bringing the bazaar near the river. Even with light interventions the authors achieved to read the city and its functions correctly. By adding particular values to certain areas, they created an interesting approach.