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Transforming the star. The pentagonal shape of the site for the ESC has seduced our design team to connect the corners of the site as to form an a-symmetrical 5 pointed star. By categorically lifting up two point of the star and leaving the third at ground floor level, we discovered a strong spatial image for the ESC. Braking the symmetrical rigidity of the communist red star, and replacing it by a set of 5 connected tetrahedron shaped pyramids, we transformed the star shape and gave it a new meaning.

Decentralizing forces. The tetrahedrons represent important active nodes in the history of the resistance to the oppressive  communist regimes in Central Europe: Gdansk, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, John Paul II. Opposite to the former red star which has its highest point in the middle as to represent centralist power, our concept features the highest points centrifuge away from each other as to represent the robustness of connected decentralized democracies. The decentralization of the free countries of Central Europe is still under construction, the Orange revolution in Ukraine just took place almost two years ago, and now there is a beginning revolt against the old-school regime in White Russia, the process of liberation continues and should never stop. We should realize that anti-democratic forces pop-up every now and then in Western Europe also, the ESC must function as a center for solidarity for the whole Europe, and establish relations with liberation movements all around the world. We have chosen to represent the dynamic nature of the transformation of Central Europe into a connected hive of free countries by having the tetrahedrons rotate away from the center.

Interference pattern mapped on 'Road to Freedom. The concept for the landscape is driven by the interference pattern of 5 active nodes. Each nodes expands in concentric patterns in exactly 21 ripples from the local epicenter. The Workers Monument expands in 21 circles with inscriptions of the 21 amendments of the Solidarity movement as declared in 1970, the Gdansk Shipyard gate radiates in 21 rectangles paved with steel, the new ESC building radiates light in 21 pentagons in a variety of forms, the BHP radiates in 21 parallel brickwork rectangles, the planned tram stop in 21 parallel wet strips. All these patterns interfere as to symbolize the solidarity efforts to create the democratic political arena, mapped on the 'Road to Freedom'. Public society is the addition of all patterns working together, not as one generic pattern. The landscaping of the 'Road to Freedom' features a strong interference pattern where the individual ingredients are explicitly visible. It represents the open society where the individual voices are heard, and are acknowledged for their contribution to the rich social fabric.

Design: ONL [Oosterhuis_Lénárd]
Design team: Kas Oosterhuis, Ilona Lénárd, Rafael Seemann, Paulina Seemann, Marta Szaban, Tomasz Krzempek, Michal Górczynski, Lukasz Pluta
Site: Gdansk, Poland
Date: 2007