The Concrete to Culture project of the Collective Foundation is the Bulgarian finalist for the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes 2024. It is competing in the Regaining a Sense of Belonging category of the NEB Champions Strand.
The Collective Foundation launched Concrete to Culture in 2023 with a view to transforming an office complex adjacent to the residential Mladost neighbourhood at the outskirts of Sofia. The project brought together commuters to the office and local residents, using a combination of art and architecture, dissolving the boundary between the two community groups, the Foundation said. The initiative demonstrated that they both could find a new sense of belonging in their surroundings. Residents of the Mladost district can now enjoy more accessible outdoor areas, while office workers benefited from having a community.
The initiative has turned the office complex into a mixed-use public space for arts, recreation and shared activities through a collective design process that brings together local people, experts and artists.
The project's cost-effective, participatory approach is applicable to office districts across Europe which can be reimagined so as to combat social isolation and foster inclusion and belonging in "cultural desert" neighbourhoods, the Collective Foundation said.
Svetlana Kirova, Manager at the International Elias Canetti Society based in Ruse (on the Danube), has collaborated with the Collective Foundation.
The Danube Design Lab Ruse, developed as part of the Collective Foundation's Rivers of the City initiative, won a NEB Prize in 2023. It competed in the Prioritizing the Places and People that Need it the Most category of the Education Champions Strand.
The NEB is an initiative launched by the European Commission to translate the European Green Deal into tangible change on the ground that improves citizens' daily lives. This year, 49 finalists from all over the EU, the Western Balkans, and Ukraine were selected by public vote until March 27. The 20 winners will be announced on April 12, at the NEB Prizes 2024 Ceremony in Brussels. It will be held as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival, taking place from April 9 to April 13 at Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Arts & History Museum.
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