The Department of Urban Greenery in Katowice has shown what the new green bus stops will look like. Their construction will be carried out as part of the EU UPSURGE project, which supports the green transformation of selected cities in Europe.
A total of four such stops will appear. Their conceptual design was prepared by architects from the 44STO studio in Gliwice, which specialises in designing green areas.
As part of the project, in addition to the bus stops, a new green area will be created near Katowice’s Market Square. The creation of the project was preceded by a total of 15 workshops organised with residents. Three workshops each for five locations. The first meetings had a working character and allowed the concept of changes to be developed. At the second meetings, the architects presented the first concepts. The comments gathered at these meetings helped to create the final designs.
The new green stops will be planted with vegetation resistant to drought, salt and air pollution. The plants will not need to be watered or fertilised regularly.
The first to be built will be the Ochojec Hospital bus stop on Ziołowa Street. Three trees, perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs are planned to be planted here. The roof of the bus shelter will be covered with greenery. It is intended to slow down the run-off of rainwater and lower the temperature – this is to be appreciated by passengers using the bus stop on hot days.
The Dąb Kościół bus stop on Chorzowska Street will undergo another metamorphosis.
This location is characterised by high noise levels, gusts of wind and sunshine. In addition, the space around the bus stop is very small, so the project is very demanding here. A vegetated roof will appear on the bus stop shelter to collect water from rainfall. On theother hand, part of the paved surface will be replaced with decorative shrubs, perennials, grasses and climbers, informs the Katowice City Hall on the katowice.eu website.
Green solutions will also appear at the bus stop next to the Giraffe sculpture in the Silesian Park. This place is heavily sunlit and lacks shade in which to hide from the heat. The project involves building a green roof here and planting a new tree. This will be complemented by low vegetation.
The concept also calls for intervention in the square in front of the entrance to the former Silesian Museum building. Part of the area will be resurfaced and greened. Two trees, perennials, shrubs and grasses will be planted.
A tender for the work will be announced in the coming weeks. Residents will be able to use the new bus stops later this year.
The UPSURGE project involves cities such as Belfast, Breda, Budapest and Maribor, as well as academic institutions, companies and NGOs from 13 European countries. The aim of this project is to develop solutions that can be implemented effectively to improve the quality of life of citizens. The cities and institutions involved in the project aim to improve air quality, lower temperatures and facilitate water retention.
source: katowice.eu
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