2025 | Tbilisi, Georgia
The Claw of Eliava
With the duality of “What is a market?” and “Why Eliava?” one can unveil a mystery within the question itself.
For this reason, in our view, the answer is concealed within the question, and we merely observed it slightly and then revealed it.
Bazaar
Given its Iranian heritage and the central geographical challenge of blocking intense light and heat, the bazaar takes the form of a covered structure; therefore, you find yourself inside architecture.
The bazaar is inherently event-driven, meaning adventurous experiences are integrated into the act of purchase through three main pillars:
-Natural Forces: Access to raw and natural materials.
-Human Forces: Skilled craftsmen and reputable vendors.
-Spatial Forces: Hallways and other undiscovered corners.
Thus, naming the competition with the word bazaar—and not market—is not a coincidence or an error by the organizers. Rather, it is a precise reference to the true essence and nature of Eliava.
Eliava
is a focal point and a fusion of dual forces:
It is industrial yet also a slum and marginalized,
modern yet also dilapidated and filthy,
mysterious yet also disordered and chaotic.
It is both unbearable and irremovable.
This landscape is interpreted through two components of pathology:
1. Lack of infrastructure
2. Lack of structure
COMPRESSION
A lack of space in District 3 was addressed through vertical expansion and underground development.
The Five Khantasi (Five Chimneys) concept resolved:
Space shortages for retail and workshops.
Air and noise pollution, discharged above residential units via chimneys.
Cooling, heating, and rainwater drainage.
Creation of an urban plaza at street level.
COMPLEXITY
The concept of «Claw» (Five Footbridges) addressed this issue.
By dividing the land in District 2, functions were organized along five elevated arteries aligned with the Kura river, integrating the Bazaar into the spatial flow and adding value.
This untapped potential could make Eliava more unique and distinctive if realized.
Client:
Orgnizer:
Design Team:
CG Artist:
Illustration Assistant:
Status:
Tbilisi Municipality
TERRAVIVA
Natalie Ishoonejadian
Mona Afrazi
Negin Falsafi
Faezeh Valoujerdi
Abdollah Ghavipanje
Natalie Ishoonejadian
Proposal