A Place for Dialogue and Learning
In collaboration with local and international partners, TU-BA will host a rich programme of exhibitions, lectures, workshops, film screenings and educational events exploring architecture, placemaking and urban development.
Similar centres can be found in most European capitals – Prague’s CAMP (also a programme partner), Vienna’s Architekturzentrum Wien, London’s New London Architecture, Copenhagen’s Danish Architecture Center, and Paris’s Pavillon de l’Arsenal.
Built on Collaboration
TU-BA is the result of broad cooperation between partners supporting its renovation, operations and programming.
“Given the limited availability of public funds for projects of this kind, we chose to finance TU-BA through external partnerships – with organizations that share our interest in quality of life and urban development,” explains Petra Marko, Director of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava.
TU-BA’s main expert partners are the Institute of the Slovak Chamber of Architects (ISKA) and the Office of the Chief Architect of Bratislava (ÚHA), alongside a range of academic, professional and cultural institutions.
All partnership details are published online. Financial support does not influence the centre’s content: external events will be subject to MIB’s curatorial approval and quality standards.
“The municipality’s role is to set the framework for how the city develops, uphold those standards, and guarantee the quality of projects and urban growth,” adds Marko. “TU-BA will be an open platform for professional dialogue and collaboration – a space for everyone.”
A New Life for Štúrova Street
Situated at the corner of Štúrova and Medená Streets, TU-BA occupies a long-vacant ground-floor space now undergoing a full transformation designed by Diagram Studio. The revitalized premises will bring new civic and cultural energy to the street, complemented by improvements to the surrounding public space – new urban furniture, greenery, and reorganized bicycle and micromobility parking.
Talking About the City – Within the City
Since its founding, MIB has sought to foster public dialogue about urban development, organizing over 370 participatory meetings with residents. TU-BA will expand this mission, providing a dedicated venue for discussions on the upcoming Metropolitan City Plan and other urban topics.
The opening programme will begin with MIB Talk, a regular discussion series, focusing first on affordable housing in Bratislava, featuring Lenka Antalová Plavuchová, Deputy Mayor for Housing. The inaugural exhibition will present visualized urban data, accompanied by guided tours.
A new international lecture series, City Makers, will also debut, with guests Finn Williams, Chief Architect of Malmö, and Paco Bunnik, Chief Urban Planner of Amsterdam.
In partnership with the Goethe-Institut, TU-BA will host the Cities Ahead Academy with Charles Landry, author of The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. TU-BA’s partner ISKA will present CE ZA AR Award film screenings followed by talks with laureates.
Educational initiatives will range from urban programmes for primary schools to networking events for architecture and urbanism students, developed with Archtung.
As Bratislava’s first centre for architecture and urban planning, TU-BA is nearing completion and will soon open its doors to residents and visitors alike – a new space for creativity, collaboration and conversation about the city’s future.
