Look at the city: The Nursery - 1306 plants for Timișoara

Victory Square, a landmark location of Timișoara, is very rarely used as a square, a place to stay. Usually, it is perceived horizontally, on our way to pass through it.

2023 is the right moment to challenge the way we relate to the central squares of Timișoara. 

The project proposes us to look at Piața Victoriei from a new perspective, from high above it. The Nursery - 1306 plants for Timișoara is a temporary, ephemeral installation, made of a metallic, modular structure, through which we will be able to test various scenarios of use of public space. The platforms of the nursery will be open to the general public and will function as viewpoints, offering a unique perspective on the market; at the same time, each level of the nursery will tell stories of Timisoara and accommodate multiple cultural activities.

The green component of the project integrates successive layers of nature, from perennial species of trees, shrubs and flowering plants to annual species (productive and ornamental) produced in community gardens in Timișoara or at horticultural research and higher education institutions. The project thus aims to convey a strong message regarding the meaning of urban biodiversity as a central identity element of Timișoara and the ecosystem values it brings to society. In addition to these, the project also has an important community component by involving a local network of producers and society in general. Through the natural component, the Nursery brings into discussion global issues such as climate change, desertification, the lack of shaded spaces, resource crisis, urban biodiversity or the botanical history of the city.

Collaboration with LINA fellows

The two LINA Fellows (Ana Gallego - Public space as generator of social well-being and Lotte Luykx - Filter Café Filtré - Atelier- Openstreets) are going to participate in Beta's programme Look at the City, as part of Timișoara European Capital of Culture 2023. 

The programme aims to encourage the public to be active and concerned about the city they live in. It features a series of events for the communities and architectural interventions to enrich the public space. The Fellows will continue to expand their knowledge in working with public space and the local community by developing and implementing actions in a new context, the main square of the city of Timișora. At the same time, the programme offers a chance for the fellows to experiment in working with the local administration and its inhabitants, in order to generate a proper environment for collaborations between all of the stakeholders. The LINA Fellows will be working with Beta team, MAIO architects from Barcelona, a team of local architects, landscape designers and a handful of our collaborators from the cultural scene of Timișoara (activists, community oriented associations and projects) in order to activate MAIO's architectural installation that is going to be built in the city's main square. 

The work consists in developing and implementing a mediation programme that will contribute in building direct interactions between the public space and its users, creating a proper environment that encourages participatory design and a platform for dialogue. This programme will consist of lectures, workshops and debates on site, based on their experience working with public spaces, actions and interventions, giving them the chance to test, develop and expand their studies and methodologies on the subject.