The Victory Square, one of the most symbolically loaded sites of Timișoara, is not used enough by its people for leisure activities. Most of them usually perceive the square horizontally, as a transit area.

Pepiniera. 1306 plants for Timișoara invites passers-by to stop for a brief moment and experience the Victory Square from a new vantage. The temporary installation is made out of a modular steel structure that houses a plant nursery and is open to the general public for 10 months, until the end of 2023. Each platform creates a viewpoint with unique perspectives overlooking iconic buildings and settings, as well as a place for multiple cultural activities. The installation should be understood as a sandbox for testing new ways of using, imagining and perceiving public space. Given the planned future urban development of the area, the proposal aims to question different functions and timeframes within the city and the role of different communities and institutions in its regeneration process. At the end of its lifespan, the nursery will bring the structure, trees and plants back into circulation, following the principle of full reuse of resources.

The green component of the project integrates juxtaposed layers of vegetation, ranging from perennial tree species, shrubs and floricultural plants to annual species (productive and ornamental) produced in the community gardens of Timisoara and at horticultural research and higher education institutions. This project thus aims to convey a strong message regarding the importance of urban (bio)diversity as an element of Timisoara's identity and the ecosystemic services it brings to society. At the same time, the intervention promotes an important communitarian component by involving a local network of producers and wider audience. Through the natural component, the nursery addresses global issues such as climate change, desertification, lack of shaded areas, resource shortages, coexistence of different forms of life and the botanical heritage of the city.

Organiser: The Romanian Order of Architects - Timiș Territorial Branch
Project team: Anca Teslevici, Alexandra Trofin, Ema Cristescu, Georgiana Spiridon, Antoniu Sicra, Franciska Szemcsuk
Curator of Timișoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture, Territory “Places”: Cosmina Goagea
Graphic design: Ștefan Lucuț

Installation concept author: MAIO Architects - Maria Charneco, Alfredo Lérida, Guillermo López, Anna Puigjaner
Concept collaborators: Simone Marcolin, Ilaria Donadel, Filippo Tognocchi, Ignasi Sarria
Architecture project and lighting design: Studio Nomadic – Victor Popovici, Silvia Tripșa, Nicoleta Postolache
Design with nature: Studio Peisaj - Alexandru Ciobotă, Raluca Rusu
Structural project: Echo Universal - Balint Karoly
Scaffolding collaborator: ABT Motion Rigs, Salt Box
Specialities collaborators: Blaser – Bogdan Sere, DeBoot – Silvian Tecu, Melbo Instal – Emilian Zmeu, Emesis – Mihai Cojanu, Irigarden – Cătălin Lubeniță
Content collaborators: Architecture Tour

Partners: Horticultura S.A., Universitatea de Științele Vieții „Regele Mihai I” din Timișoara, Comunitatea GreenFeel Timișoara