Foster + Partners is designing a green masterplan for Iași, a city in eastern Romania. The masterplan breathes new life into the land around the historic Palace of Culture, strengthening the relationship between the palace and the park, enhancing permeability and connections to the city centre, while creating vibrant shopping streets and extending the park with a variety of new public spaces and amenities. The project also reimagines the Palas Iași mixed-use development, reconnecting the buildings with their surroundings and creating a world-class retail experience for visitors. The practice has worked closely with the real estate developer, IULIUS, to develop the scheme.
Stefan Behling, Head of Studio at Foster + Partners, said: “The masterplan completely revitalises the heart of the city and improves connections to its centre with generous, tree-lined pedestrian walkways. Greenery and incredible new public spaces are woven through the urban realm, transforming the city experience and reframing the spectacular Palace of Culture.”
The neo-Gothic Palace of Culture is located at the centre of the masterplan. The practice’s design celebrates the palace by incorporating new landscaped areas, which unify both sides of the site, and creating a green entranceway from Stefan cel Mare Boulevard. The landscaping includes spectacular water features, sloping lawns, interactive play areas for children, and outdoor event spaces, which provide engaging and relaxing environments for visitors to spend time in. Archaeological remains and historic features are carefully preserved within the landscape for future generations.
The practice’s design retains and enhances the existing fabric of Palas Mall, with the inclusion of a new indoor-outdoor market plaza, which extends from the building’s central atrium towards the palace and the park. The plaza and a new floor-to-ceiling glass façade will significantly improve the visual and spatial relationship between the mall and its surroundings. To emphasise this transformative move, the plaza’s stone floor is decorated with traditional local motifs and a sculptural glass lighting feature is displayed above. Greenery and café spaces flow between the building’s atrium and the park to enhance wellbeing.
An adjacent events hall is also being redesigned by the practice – and its rooftop will be activated with new green event spaces with amazing views across the scheme. Inspired by the local architecture, a unified ‘plinth’ acts as a base for all the buildings around the edges of the site, tying together the various elements and providing sheltered spaces for restaurants and cafés.
Maximilian Zielinski, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners, said: “Our design seamlessly reconnects Palas with its surroundings – and extends the experience of the park through the atrium and across the rooftops. The revitalised building features an indoor-outdoor public plaza, which will open onto the landscape and create new lines of sight towards the palace.”
Daniel Zielinski, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, added: “We are preserving historic features within the landscape and incorporating traditional Romanian patterns to celebrate the city of Iași – and ensure the scheme sensitively reflects its context.”
