Squareone Atelier Wins Elin Pelin Town Center Redesign Competition

Squareone Atelier emerged victorious in the Elin Pelin International City Design Competition with a vision to reshape the town center of Elin Pelin, Bulgaria, into a seamless civic landscape. Their proposal aims to connect the existing central square and public buildings through a series of civic zones. A key feature is a pedestrian spine designed for movement and social interactions. The layout incorporates shaded seating, informal gathering spaces, play areas, market sections, and gardens, utilizing recycled materials such as crushed paving for terrazzo finishes. Additionally, a dry creek is included for stormwater management. Textual elements from Elin Pelin and Hristo Botev are embedded in the paving. The design team comprises Quoc Uong, Naranbaatar Erdenebaatar, Thy Uong, Ha Hoang, Quan Pham, and Anh Nguyen.