River Somes

First, the project envisions the Someș as a green corridor, linking previously isolated green spaces through pedestrian paths, footbridges, and bike lanes. Second, it softens and widens the riverbanks, replacing hard edges with terraces that support diverse ecosystems—local vegetation, rocks, sand, and biorolls—enhancing biodiversity, microclimates, CO₂ absorption, and invasive species control. Third, the river becomes a dynamic social hub, encouraging interaction through urban and architectural interventions that unite communities and stakeholders in a shared space.

The Someș River flows through Cluj-Napoca, Romania, for 15 kilometers, cutting across a variety of urban landscapes. For centuries, the river maintained a strong connection with the city, but this relationship began to fade in the latter half of the 20th century. Treated increasingly as hard infrastructure—a channel for transporting water and energy, marked by electric towers—the river lost its civic and ecological roles. Concrete embankments imposed a sharp elevation difference, restricting both physical access and visual connection. Over time, the river became domesticated and detached from daily urban life. Recognizing the river’s untapped potential and the need to restore its role in the city, the project seeks to redefine this relationship. A system of natural terraces has been introduced to soften the river’s edge, replacing rigid barriers with a more permeable, ecologically rich riverbank that promotes biodiversity and restores access to the water.

Several materials are used in the Someș project. On one hand, the concrete channel of the Someș River—an inheritance from the Soviet era—is being transformed into a system of soft terraces aimed at activating the renaturalization process. This transformation uses materials with a low ecological footprint that naturally decompose and integrate into the riverbanks. The bioroll system, for example, hosts various local shrub species, while a network of coconut fiber and fascines helps stabilize the soil slopes. In terms of material sourcing, many components are extracted from the immediate vicinity of the project. Some materials, such as fascines and soil needed for topographical changes, come directly from the riverbanks. Excavated soil from certain areas is reused to fill others. Other elements, like granite, are sourced from the Transylvania region, and the wood used is of Romanian origin.