WARSAW CENTRAL SQUARE by AA Collective

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AA Collective：华沙中央广场的设计是华沙市政府于 2017 年举办的两阶段城市建筑竞赛的成果。一开始就面临着一个清晰而艰巨的挑战：如何在曾经是欧洲最大广场的德菲拉德广场这片广袤无垠、界限模糊的空地上，打造一个有意义的公共空间？应对之策是探寻一个植根于华沙历史的叙事，赋予这片空间独特的个性和人性化的尺度。

AA Collective：The design for Warsaw Central Square Central was the outcome of a two-stage urban-architectural competition organized in 2017 by the City of Warsaw.The outset was a clear yet demanding challenge: how to create a meaningful public space within the vast, undefined void of Plac Defilad, once the largest square in Europe. The response was to search for a narrative rooted in the history of Warsaw, one that could give the place a distinct identity and a human scale.

该设计理念融合了20世纪塑造城市中心的多个历史层面。首先是重建的街道网格、公寓楼轮廓和庭院，其历史可追溯至1939年。这些建筑在二战期间遭到破坏，构成了该项目几何结构的基础。昔日的街道，例如Zielna街、Złota街和Wielka街，如今已改造成铺设花岗岩鹅卵石的步行道。建筑轮廓被改造成草坪，庭院则变成了由小型广场和葱郁花园组成的网络。其次，该设计理念旨在重现1940年华沙犹太隔离墙，并将其融入地面，作为一座永久的纪念碑。最后，该设计理念是对20世纪50年代德菲拉德广场的重新诠释，将修复后的社会主义风格路灯、重建的荣誉讲台以及文化科学宫的上层广场铺装融入新的布局之中。

The concept overlays the various historical layers that shaped the city centre during the 20th century. The first of these is a reconstructed grid of streets, tenement outlines and courtyards, which date from 1939. These were destroyed during the Second World War and form the basis of the geometry of the project. Former streets, such as Zielna, Złota and Wielka, now serve as pedestrian routes paved with granite cobblestones. Building outlines have been transformed into lawns, while courtyards have become a network of small squares and lush gardens.

The second stratum recalls the Warsaw Ghetto Wall of 1940 and has been integrated into the surface as a lasting memorial. The third stratum revisits the 1950s Plac Defilad, incorporating the restored socialist-realist lamppost, the reconstructed honorary tribune and the Palace of Culture and Science’s upper plaza pavement into the new layout.

▽场地改造前原始图片

▽广场改造后成为城市绿荫公园

▽设计理念是对20世纪50年代德菲拉德广场的重新诠释

▽施工现场图片，被历史掩埋的街道网格、公寓楼轮廓和庭院

110棵新树，分属11个不同品种，以及定制家具，被自由摆放，以营造“新的层次”。

该项目融合了集市广场（Agora）的典型特征——一个充满战损宫殿气息的城市广场——以及公园的典型特征——一个绿树成荫的休憩场所。这种混合式设计使得广场既能举办大型集会，例如音乐会或抗议活动，又能有效缓解过热、蓄积雨水，并确保华沙市民和游客的日常舒适。

广场的设计融合了石材、稳定砾石、旧广场的碎片以及茂盛的植被。这打破了广场和宫殿原有的宏伟规模，营造出绿荫环绕的“城市客厅”，并界定出一个可举办各类活动的宽敞中央空间。

近三分之一的铺路石取自原德菲拉德广场，将场地历史与可持续发展理念联系起来。四个大型地下蓄水池收集雨水用于灌溉植物和树木，使广场融入城市基础设施。广场能够自给自足地维持其生态系统。

110 new trees of eleven different species, as well as bespoke furniture,have been placed freely to generate a ”new layer”.

The project combines the archetype of the agora – a mineral, urban square – with that of the park – a green, shaded refuge. This hybrid approach allows the square to host big gatherings like concerts or protests while also mitigating overheating, retaining rainwater, and ensuring everyday comfort for the citizens and visitors of Warsaw.

The square’s design incorporates stone, stabilised gravel and fragments of the old square, as well as lush vegetation. This breaks down the former monumental scale of the square and the palace, creating shaded ’urban living rooms’ and defining a large central space for events.

Nearly one-third of the paving is made from stone salvaged from the original Plac Defilad, linking the site’s history with sustainability principles. Four large underground tanks collect rainwater for irrigating the plants and trees, integrating the square into the city’s infrastructure. The square is self-sufficient in maintaining its ecosystem.

这些层叠交错的空间营造出一个热情友好、多元灵活的城市空间，其中穿插着与景观设计事务所合作设计的绿化景观。这里既是举办音乐会、市集、户外展览的场所，也是日常休闲娱乐的好去处，让人们能够以全新的视角审视这座城市丰富多彩的历史。

A welcoming, diverse and flexible urban space is created by these layers, which are interwoven with greenery designed in collaboration with Landscape Practice. It is a place for concerts, markets, outdoor exhibitions and everyday leisure, allowing a new perspective on the city’s multilayered past.