The New Bulgarian Community Center
Dr. Arch. Aneta Slavova
The new Bulgarian community center as a challenge in the 21st century. The topic is innovative for the conditions in our country with morally outdated and depreciated community center buildings.
Our success depends on our spiritual foundation, the richness of our connections, the strength of our families and the character of our communities. These communities are an interdisciplinary process for the local people of a neighborhood, for example, strongly tied to the new school, to the new community center, which shelters everyone, for various activities, 365 days a year, as a social factor for a more meaningful life. The community center is returning and becoming a cultural, social phenomenon and mediator for the community, in the new cultural and educational centers of the 21st century. We are contemporaries of a great dynamic of changes today. In them, architecture has a leading role in these processes in society, even more specifically in the strategic areas of education and culture.
Against this background - Where are we ?
"Human power is never the product of individual effort. It is always born from the cooperation of large numbers of people." Yuval Harari
The Focus - The Community Center is Back! And its future is connected to architecture. As of January 2016 , the number of registered community centers in Bulgaria was 3614. In December 2017 , Bulgarian community centers were included in the Register of Good Practices for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, maintained by UNESCO .
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
How can the community center building change lives towards a more meaningful future?
Integrated, flexible, with many opportunities today, it can be a symbol of a better community. Bulgaria is rich in talents, in quality people in culture, who can act as a locomotive to pull the nation into the future.
What does the native Bulgarian community center look like now? Closed, outdated, suffering, unable to welcome people as a second home, people are not in it. The Bulgarian community center today in the 21st century does not correspond to the times, with a functional structure from more than 100 years ago. The big question is, what happens when the old morally outdated model of the native community center is renovated?, of a library?, of a school???
The short answer is - we are multiplying the old model for the next 50 years... Why?
Is this the path to the future and the cultural and educational growth of our nation? If we analyze how much money is invested in renovation - "renovation", we notice that in practice we are reproducing the old model for decades to come and paying money for it... Why?
We, the architects, have the say, together with the responsible institutions and politicians.
When analyzing how to change as a society for the better, there are two surefire paths:
1. Education - a difficult and cumbersome process for years...
2. Cultural growth of the nation, ready to work immediately, as long as we provide the environment.
We have both in the community centers!
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
From isolated places, community centers can become open, dynamic social catalysts, where people's everyday experiences become an integral part of learning. The result is an engaging environment that transforms towards more meaningful lives.
Why is the emphasis today on the Bulgarian community center?
If education cannot lead us powerfully, then we remain on autopilot mainly with culture! There is no one stopping us from doing miracles! There are no restrictive laws to comply with. There are quite a few brakes for education. For culture – community centers have two big ones:
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The inertia of time?!
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The inertia of piecemeal programs and redevelopment?!
We architects have a mission, we can create the new environment, motivating, provoking, as is the example of leading societies in Europe.
Where are we architects today?
First of all, the architectural guild has a mission, and it is - to show the path, the process of the dynamic changes that have occurred in the way of life in society in the 21st century, how this reflects on future generations, on children.
I will give the example of Israel - there has been a "cry" for decades for improving school buildings to meet the new, ever-changing needs of education.
On this occasion, a network of architects has been created that does not allow a school building that is "old in terms of layout and context" to be approved for construction or reconstruction, which was shared by Jacob Hecht in Sofia at an international Democratic School Conference.
An important question remains - Renovation - "To be or not to be?" Where is the place of renovation in this complex and expensive investment process? We are absorbing funds and implementing thermal engineering measures without improving the meaning of the environment and its activity for these same people of the 21st century.
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
The new community center in meaning and significance - with a strategy for the future.
How? My proposal, based on decades of professional experience, is: A process of preparation and implementation to obtain a new meaningful environment for people of the 21st century through stages:
Stage 1 - Preparation of a development strategy for each community center - conceptual competition projects organized by the SAB, KAB and the Municipalities. In them we provide a diagnosis - a forecast - a solution - a development strategy for each community center .
Stage 2 - Renovation/energy efficiency procedure.
Stage 3 - Technical project.
And what could the Bulgarian community center look like tomorrow? With a wonderful living room, a cozy environment for everyone, a social shared community of close people. The intrigue created by the architect, the creation of experiences.
Why is the community center so important today?
It provides us with a socially sustainable environment, a pillar of our society, creating community and more: caring for the unique Bulgarian identity and much more.
Where to start? From changing the essence, meaning and content of the community center.
A new functional-emotional model: The community center as a "second home". A rich leisure experience and community building.
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
© Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
Стратегически приоритети за промяна
1. Първи приоритет - Децата / Тийнейджърите.
Водещи в образованието и културата страни в Европа имат термин за новите сгради в тези области - Home base. Навсякъде се търси преживяването, уюта особено за децата, дори интимитета, за да може да стане магията – чудото, и тази нова среда да ги мотивира да посещават с нетърпение читалищните сгради. Наскоро в интервю, Маестро Камджалов сподели – „Детето да разбере къде е силата му, а не слабостта му ... ние се проваляме всеки ден с възпитанието на децата!" И предлага създаването на „Глобална концепция за защита на човека".
2. Втори приоритет - Библиотеката / четенето.
„Информацията е кислородът на съвременната епоха“. ЮВАЛ ХАРАРИ
Има промяна на парадигмата на библиотеката, на ползването и на общуването в нея, на традиционната схема до скоро. Библиотеката е фасилитатор на културния обмен и знание. Четенето за децата – провокирането на интереса им e грижа на обществото, на архитектурата, създаваща среда за преживяване, на семейството.
- България е на 1 място в ЕС по употреба на дрога…!!! Най-рано започват от 9-10 г!
- Ако искаме децата ни да бъдат свободни, да могат да разбират света, да оспорват идеи и да живеят в демокрация, трябва да осигуряваме условия, мотивация – среда да четат и общуват.
- За толкова години не успя реформата в образованието…
- Надеждата остава в българското читалище и култура.
3. Трети приоритет - Създаване на общност за всички възрасти чрез гъвкавото пространство на "Дневната".
На архитектурен език означава: С отворено пространство и гъвкава планова схема, приютяване на хората във „втория им дом“, в дневната, сърцето на читалището днес, в една достъпна многофункционална хуманна среда, „Третото пространство“.
4. Четвърти приоритет - Смислени спешни промени в закони, наредби и интегриране на ведомства с цел успешна съвременна среда за поколението сега в България.
„Бъдещето ще се оформи в резултат на изборите, които предстои да направим през идните години… Ако не можем да променим бъдещето, то защо да си губим времето да го обсъждаме“. Ювал Харари
Нека бъдем организирани заедно в подобна стратегическа промяна: Реформа в процеса на схемата / структурата и нови изисквания към бъдещите проекти за културно-образователни сгради.
Нека това бъде избора на българските архитекти – заедно, открито да се обединим за каузата за незабавна промяна в новата планова структура в съществуващите сгради и новопроектираните / реконструирани читалища.
Трансформацията да бъде като втори шанс за читалищата – тези инкубатори на промяната, обединяващи култура, образование, спорт и др. Новото „щастливо читалище“ с архитектура, създаваща удоволствия, предизвикателства, смисъл за хората. Няма друго средище, толкова комплексно ангажирано и отговорно за качеството на живот на хората.
„Всичко се състои според нас в нашите задружни сили. Против тях не може противостоя и най- силната стихия“.
Васил Левски
За кого бият камбаните днес?
За хората,
За нас архитектите,
За политиците,
За културната общност...
За всички!
Ние заедно да преведем поколението на България!