City Square Developing

The famous Debrecen Flower Market and its surrounding public areas have been reorganized for the annual Flower Carnival. BORD Architectural Studio designed a novel pedestrian area with pleasant green surfaces and creative street furniture. The location invites visitors to discover the reorganized area of the old urban tissue marked by the buildings of the Great Reformed Church of Debrecen, the Big Market, and Csokonai Theatre.

The love of flowers in Debrecen has a long history. The location of the Flower Market is traditionally in Csapó Street, in the city centre. This is the place where one can purchase flowers of endless selection every day, all year round. Unfortunately, the quality and space structure of the area had been underrepresented compared to the connecting public areas.

The city’s urban development committee opted for a new pedestrian area on the axis of the Big Church and the Railway Station. Thus, the city gained some exciting new spaces for pedestrians on Csapó Street up until Vár Street. The linear Piac Street – Kossuth Square – Kálvin Square pedestrian zone together with Dósa Nádor Square and Csapó Street grew out to be a significant walking area right in the heart of the city.

We created larger green spaces, tree alleys, playful fountains and event spaces that line up along the central walking path starting from the City Hall towards the intersection of Csapó Street and Vár Street. The zigzaggy promenade comprises of straight sections that connect to triangle shaped lawns, flower beds or pavements on the sides.

The Flower Market enjoys full focus in Csapó Street. The market stalls are placed one after the other in two lines – so as to be able to serve on both sides –  on the shadowy side of the street. The adjustable stalls, which also function as street furniture, are made up of 100x120cm units above which there is a unique shade system for protection against sun and rain. The market is perfectly equipped for further festivities and fairs too.

The municipality of Debrecen and András Kuhn, the head gardener of the city were very supportive and cooperative throughout the consultations, street furniture and other minor details’ designs, landscape and space design parts of the project.  This is how the exciting and modern layout of the area has been formed with its unique and characteristic concrete objects like the watch tower, the sitting pod, the bench and the play sphere were born.