The current ensemble of one of the main squares of the Georgian capital is formed mainly by the buildings of the hotel and the former telegraph, built in 1960-1970. In 2009, the hotel was reconstructed into the Radisson Blu Iveria chain hotel, and it was the architects of the GRAFT bureau who were doing this. In their new project, they consider the elongated square located on the hillside as a kind of courdoner in front of the high-rise dominant - the hotel, and as a source of inspiration they used the unique terraced topography of the city.
On an area of about 8000 m2, a calm but very varied public space will be organized. Using the natural relief, the architects came up with a complex, multi-level structure, in the "folds" of which will be located cafes, shops, recessed green areas, galleries, open and closed spaces for meetings and recreation, as well as car parking lots. An underground pedestrian crossing will connect this whole cunningly arranged system with the central street of Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue.
In front of the hotel itself, it is planned to place several austere fountains and a mirrored platform flooded with water. It won't be so hot here in summer, and in winter you can flood the ice rink. In the center of the square, an open amphitheater will be created for various, including spontaneously organized, performances. Its makeshift seat-steps offer an almost theatrical view of the famous Mount Mtatsminda.
Ultimately, nothing revolutionary (in every sense) is proposed by architects. They will not break rose gardens, playing with the name of the square. Rather, the project should be seen as another attempt to create a symbol of a modern state oriented towards European values, but not forgetting about its own foundations and traditions of the state.
