Moreni Residence Club, Sofia, Bulgaria by Landscape Design Studio

Resting just beneath Vitosha Mountain, the residential complex prioritizes a strong connection with nature through its open space design. Featuring thirteen large residential buildings, nine twin houses, and five row houses, it is structured to create a living environment where architecture and landscape form a seamless dialogue. The landscape concept draws inspiration from natural forms, mimicking organic patterns and volumes to shape outdoor spaces that feel alive and responsive. The layout forms a harmonious synthesis between the architectural language of the buildings and their natural context, using characteristic structural elements to reinforce local identity and spatial coherence. The pedestrian network ensures seamless movement. Hard surfaces are reduced to the minimum needed for functional access. The planting scheme is based on spatial dynamics, incorporating species with varied form and seasonal qualities to maintain visual richness and biodiversity throughout the year. A total of 1,229 trees are introduced across the site, with 1,018 broadleaf and 211 coniferous species. The broadleaf trees, selected for their strong aesthetic and seasonal character, dominate the composition, while conifers provide year-round structure and function as visual or acoustic screens. Shrubs and perennials, arranged in sinuous mixed borders, reinforce the organic aesthetic and create ever-changing layers of form, texture, and color. The plant palette is composed of drought- and frost-tolerant species suitable for urban conditions, ensuring long-term resilience.

The entire site is located on a sloped terrain, and where needed, retaining walls are softened with vegetation and vertical greening, integrating engineering into the natural flow of the landscape.
Functional zones are clearly defined and diversified to support everyday life, ecological health, and recreational value. Between the buildings, fully pedestrian inner courtyards are richly planted and organized to offer visual and spatial privacy to each residential block, framed by tree-lined alleys that separate zones and introduce a sense of enclosure.

Each housing unit is complemented by a private garden, offering residents individual outdoor space while maintaining visual and ecological continuity throughout the site. These gardens offer quiet places for meals, relaxation, or sunbathing, and are separated from shared spaces with soft planting to ensure intimacy while remaining part of the broader ecological framework.

The central park zone is the green heart of the complex. An artificial lake, framed by vibrant planting, serves both ecological and recreational purposes. It is part of the site’s sustainable urban drainage system, capturing rainwater and storing it for irrigation uses. Lawns and shaded seating areas encourage informal play and relaxation, while dense tree canopies and layered planting define outdoor rooms and create a rich visual tapestry. These areas support both passive enjoyment and active recreation, with children’s playgrounds, jogging paths, and open lawns integrated into the overall park composition.

A future lift line with easement zone is piercing through the middle of the plot. Regulation excludes almost all types of intervention. The lift line will connect the city with Vitosha mountain. A biodiversity corridor is planned along the easement. This ecological zone is planted with over 30 species of native wildflowers and grasses, creating a self-sustaining, constantly evolving habitat for birds, pollinators, and small mammals.

Car traffic within the complex is minimized. Internal roads function as shared spaces with integrated traffic-calming features, including planted islands and a zigzag layout to slow movement. This approach prioritizes pedestrian safety and comfort while maintaining essential vehicle access to inner buildings.

A designated dog area is visually and acoustically buffered with tree and shrub plantings, providing a safe and comfortable space for pet owners. To the north, a forest habitat zone includes dense tree planting to evoke a wild, calming atmosphere suitable for everyday escape and mental restoration. This green buffer also improves air quality, provides shade, manages rainwater, and acts as a noise and dust barrier from the nearby ring road.
In the southwest corner of the complex, a sports and recreation zone are planned, with sports courts and landscaping to support active lifestyles.

The landscape design in this complex is not simply a backdrop to residential life—it is an active, living system that fosters ecological resilience, social interaction, and sensory engagement. By embracing the site’s natural topography and combining together architecture, infrastructure, and biodiversity, the project showcases a model for sustainable urban living—integrated with the place, responsive to the environment, and deeply committed to the quality of life.

• Other landscape architecture offices involved in the design of the landscape:
Landscape Design Studio

• Architecture offices involved in the design:
E-ARCH studio

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