Traffic, dirty jobs and newcomers

It is young and freshly marked by pop-culture. It fits a manga paperback rather than a book.

An underpass there hosted the Rhythm discotheque – pioneer post-1989 Sofia nightclub. Traces of boisterous adrenalin still linger by the 80’s motor track. Bulgaria Boulevard now is a concrete Babylon and rarely checks its architectural grammar. Among its haphazard style statements are business centres like the tepid “Bellissimo” and residential buildings: “Jaclyn”– reminding of a Rubik’s cube, “ConAp”– elegantly black and white with bay windows, and “Michelle”– the confident.

“All the area looks as an overdecorated cake, a long-time resident says, having had enough of the excessive construction works in the southern residential areas “Hipodruma”, “Ivan Vazov”, “Belite Brezi”, “Strelbishte”, “Motopista”, and “Manastirski Livadi”. The top of the cream – “Bulgaria Mall”, is presently frozen. There are few decares left uneaten around the backbone of the boulevard. Is there a probability for these to be occupied by good examples such as “Jaclyn”?

After the “baptism” of the building, its architect Plamen Bratkov gloomily predicts that the neighbours will modify the name unflatteringly. However, they are friendlier and call it “The Tetris” after the computer game which requires fitting 3D shapes together.

The building arranges not only volumes, but the relations between neighbours as well. “Jaclyn” maintains a peaceful environment, using a world-successful model. Problems with the water supply, electricity, heating, cable TV? The music of Snoop Dogg thundering from the second floor? That will be fixed by the polite young man from the first floor office. The superintendent Dian Duchev is available to the people living in the building at any time. And will answer the question what would become of Jaclyn’s elaborate facade when the washing is hanged.

“The building relies on adamant internal rules, so this could not happen”, Dian explains. The prospective occupants were acquainted with the rules when the foundations of the building were being laid. One rule claims the facade should not be altered, installation of washing lines and satellite dishes included. Air conditioners were the only exception. “Sofbuild” implements these requirements for all their buildings. The investor lets the occupants decide about building management – a service widely unknown here. If occupants accept, the daily trouble goes to the domain of the superintendent. A huge file of letters to the municipality lies on his desk. It is an epistolary novel, constantly enriched by new stories and characters. Duchev has lost track of the number of requests to local authorities about fallen trees in need of clearing, or about sand ruts on the boulevard to be cleaned. Duchev superintends the near-by “Michelle” where he lives, as well.
Life there is more expensive compared to the typical housing block. The owners care generously for the facades and landscaping. Would somebody follow suit? Would the gipsy woman who sweeps the boulevard stop fertilizing the recently planted trees with garbage? Who knows.

However, what sends a Sofianite into a fit of despair, inspires a world-famous artist. When Wim Wenders came to Sofia, he inhaled deeply the smell of overflowing garbage bins and bowed in front of a typical local basement shop. “I bent in two in front of the low shopwindow and I saw the friendly face of an elderly lady – the famous director told me – then I realized that this woman has an incredible perspective on life. Throughout the day, all she sees is feet passing her window. If you want to talk to her, you have to go down on your knees. That is fantastic!”

If Bulgaria Boulevard is to be captured on camera, Wenders would probably choose the point of view of Damiel from “Wings of Desire”. The site looks great from above. Near the city centre, and at the same time far from the crowds. With a little bit of imagination you can touch Vitosha mountain.
Zooming, however, changes the scene. Bulgaria Boulevard starts to resemble a marketplace where the best tomatoes are displayed at the front, and the rotten ones hidden behind. The second line of buildings away from the boulevard is booked for towers and pinnacles of medieval flair and multicoloured insulation additions on some elevations which would astound even Hundertwasser.