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14 July 2024 Unpublished

Revitalisation of Arta Creative Hub Courtyard in Piešťany

Our proposal for revitalisation of Arta courtyard is exhibited on site throughout this summer, continuing the gradual regeneration of the former chocolate factory into a creative and cultural hub. It’s been great collaboration with the client team at Arta to help drive their creative vision to bring young people back to the city of Piešťany in Slovakia.

15 December 2023 Unpublished

Petra Marko to take on leadership of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava

Petra Marko will be taking on a public sector role as Director of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB) in the New Year. Petra will start her role in mid January 2024, after 11 years since co-founding Marko&Placemakers, where she led our public sector work in place shaping, High Streets and town centre regeneration in London and spearheaded cross disciplinary collaborations including VeloCity, an award-winning vision solving critical issues facing the countryside. The Metropolitan Institute is in charge of developing strategic tools and projects in architecture, urban planning and participatory placemaking with and for the City of Bratislava, with the mission to safeguard public interest in city making, increase quality of life and quality of public spaces for Bratislava citizens and addressing global challenges the city faces. Link to full press release here. Photo: Marek Velček

22 November 2023 Unpublished

VeloCity part of Home Made Exhibition at CID Grand Hornu in Belgium

VeloCity, our collaborative vision for the future of the countryside is part of the exhibiton Home Made on the future of work at CID Grand Hornu in Belgium. In the era of open source technology, remote working and Covid-19 lockdowns, what links are being forged between the domestic space, work and objects? A selection of international designers and collective projects are presented to better understand the creativity at play in these new working environments. VeloCity presents new opportunities for home working in the countryside, incorporating its qualities and all-encompassing programme.

11 November 2023 Unpublished

Competition Win for a Mixed Use Tower in Tirana, Albania

Marko&Placemakers is part of the winning team led by Chybik+Kristof Architects for Tirana's new mixed use tower expanding the city's New Boulevard. We have developed an integrated approach to public realm, which will help activate the newly emerging city boulevard. More information coming soon!

25 October 2023 Unpublished

Petra Marko at Walk the City Conference in Prague

Petra Marko gave a keynote about the role and value of public spaces at the Walk the City conference in Prague organised by Pěšky městem. The international panel of speakers and city representatives unpicked ways how to achieve lasting and meaningful change in urban space and included lessons from the groundbreaking work of Janette Sadik-Khan and Bloomberg Associates team transforming streets from New York City through to Bratislava.

25 October 2023 Unpublished

Petra Marko at Utopian Hours in Turin

Petra led a placemaking workshop and gave a keynote at the Utopian Hours festival in Turin organised by Stratosferica. The 7th annual edition of this internatonal forum invites city makers, activists, architects and innovators to share their experience, stimulating new visions of Turin’s future and a reflection on the concept of the city. Petra's workshop focused on re-activating the waterfront of the river Lungo Dora around Dorado - a meanwhile creative hub occupied by Stratosferica who engage surrounding communities into shaping a shared vision for the future of this formerly industrial area of Turin. You can listen to this episode of Urbanistica Podcast who spoke to Petra Marko during the conference.

25 July 2023 Unpublished

Petra Marko selected onto Westminster Design Review Panel

Petra Marko has been selected onto the first ever Westminster City Council's Design Review Panel, a board of experts that will provide independent advice on major development, planning, public realm and regeneration projects in central London, home to some of the most recognisable buildings and public spaces in the world. The panel of 31 experts from architecture, ecology, sustainability, transport, inclusive design, landscape architecture, heritage, and urban design fields will guide the design of proposals to ensure they add value to local communities and help meet the council’s ambitious targets to create new jobs, new homes, and become a net zero city by 2040. Petra will bring placemaking expertise with focus on walking, cycling, inclusive public spaces and good integration of architecture within its surrounding context, helping to shape a people-oriented vision for the borough.

29 June 2023 Unpublished

Monocle's The Urbanist city profile on Bratislava and its urban changemakers

Petra and Igor Marko welcomed Monocle crew to Bratislava as part of the magazine's reportage about the city, discussing how Bratislava is changing with focus on quality of life and thriving public spaces. The Urbanist podcast episode portrays a snapshot of conversations with the mayor of Bratislava Matúš Vallo and his 'unofficial network of urban changemakers'. You can listen to the podcast here.

14 April 2023 Unpublished

Tirana's Center of Fairs and Exhibitions Competition Joint Winners

Our collaboration with Chybik + Kristof Architects for Tirana's Center of Fairs and Exhibitions and mixed-use development is one of the two winning teams of an international competition! Marko&Placemakers leads on the public space and landscape concept for our proposal which will support the city's identity and serve as a community gathering and exchange hub. The site is part of a larger masterplan led by Grimshaw which encompasses one fifth of Albania's capital city extending the existing boulevard connecting to the city's lakes and creating a new linear park.
11 April 2023 Unpublished

Vydrica Phase 1 Construction Topping Out

Topping out of the first phase of the New Vydrica quarter in Bratislava marked by a sunny site visit with the team. It is great to see the streetscape which will be fully pedestrianised emerge as the building works progress. Marko&Placemakers developed the public realm design and strategy for New Vydrica with the ambition of returning the missing continuity to Bratislava’s historic centre and eliminating physical and mental barriers. You can find out more about the project here.

23 December 2022 Unpublished

Merina Trenčín Masterplanning Competition Win

Marko&Placemakers in collaboration with Sadovsky&Architects won the Merina masterplanning competition in central zone of the city of Trencin. Our proposal works with the legacy of the Merina complex, a former textile factory. The fragmented urban fabric will be transformed into a new city quarter including over 600 new homes with emphasis on culture and wellbeing. The client is Occam Real Estate.

4 December 2022 Unpublished

Petra Marko in The Urbanist - a Monocle 24h Radio Podcast

Petra Marko talked to Andrew Tuck for Monocle's The Urbanist podcast - introducing Meanwhile City, a book on the role and value of temporary urbanism she authored with a team od designers and editors at Milk. You can listen to the podcast here and find out more about Meanwhile City here.

14 November 2022 Unpublished

Spartakovská Urban Block Competition Win, Trnava

Marko&Placemakers with Sadovsky&Architects have won the architectural competition for a new residential block Spartakovská in Trnava, Slovakia. The proposal incorporates a kindergarten and lettable communal spaces, along with high quality landscaping. The jury statement praised the proposal’s integration within the wider context and permeability of the site created through a series of inviting ‘harbours’ formed through public space and landscape; as well as rightly set scale respecting the surrounding urban character, and multi-aspect disposition of the apartments.

3 October 2022 Unpublished

Meanwhile City - a guide to best practices in temporary interventions

Petra Marko led the research and co-authored Meanwhile City, a best practice guide on temporary interventions created and published by Milk Places team. Meanwhile City offers actionable lessons, best practices and inspiration for city leaders, urban practitioners and private developers on how to use temporary interventions to shape the identity of places and build active communities around them. Find out more and attend upcoming Meanwhile City events here.

5 July 2022 Unpublished

Igor Marko Judging CE ZA AR Awards

Igor Marko is part of the international jury for CE ZA AR the national architecture awards in Slovakia organised by the Slovak Chamber of Architects. This year’s overarching theme is “green for architecture” alluding to the social and environmental role that architecture plays in our society. Last week, the jury toured around the country to visit selected projects and decide on a shortlist for prize nominations. Winners will be announced at the official awards ceremony in October. You can view all project nominations here.