Working from offices in Madrid, and Seville, Studio Práctica – Jaime Daroca, José Mayoral, and José Ramón Sierra – won a competition to reorganize a 15-kilometer stretch of the banks of the river Somes as it crosses the Rumanian city of Cluj-Napoca. The project takes off from viewing the Somes as a thick urban band that incorporates ecological systems and absorbs other public spaces. It involves several interventions: first, a system of terraces will widen the riverbank, bringing the river closer to the urban fabric,, the section of the river will expand, and the existing hard edge will become an ecological and natural boundary through the placement of natural rocks, local plants, and sand; second, several of the bicycle lanes and footpaths will improve riverside circulation, which is currently fragmented: third, a series of diagonal paths will stitch the river to its immediate surroundings. These paths redefine the existing urban connections, giving them continuity and enabling them to reach the water, thereby building a visual link between the urban fabric and the river.

The exhibition on the Somes River project is part of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale of 2022. It is on view at the Carpintarias de São Lázaro cultural center (Rua de São Lázaro 72) from 17 November to 20 December 2022.