Public space is an open place adapted for human use. It can be used by anyone for any purpose as it is a non-commercial organization. The "City Workshop" project is a universal platform for interaction. The place has become a unique space for the concentration of active citizens, where in an informal atmosphere you can contribute to the development of the city. This is a modern public space, oriented for an active public community, where you can join city initiatives, hold public discussions or other important events. "City Workshop" appeared as an impetus for the development of the community and the involvement of all its residents in the process of renewal of the city of Rivne.

It can be divided into some key factors that influenced its creation. 1) The new space was planned for joint meetings of authorities, businesses and the community, to raise the level of public awareness and inform residents, 2) A place for the presentation and discussion of innovative ideas and proposals for the development of the city, improvement of public spaces, 3) Demonstrations of interesting solutions and proposals of urban planners , designers, including issues of barrier-freeness, inclusion, accessibility (discussions, contests, exhibitions, master classes, etc.), 4) Expression of alternative ideas for the use of public and cultural space.

The environment of Rivne architects, designers, engineers, urban planners - both professionals and beginners - has long needed a modern multifunctional space. Town planning councils, architectural competitions, exhibitions, conferences, events in the Rivne Regional Organization of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences - this is a far from complete list of events that for a long time did not have an arranged space for them and took place in different locations of the city. There was no conference hall in the initial planning of the building of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture, the executive committee of the Rivne City Council. Therefore, after analyzing the needs and functional organization of this institution, certain decisions were made. For effective work, it is important to arrange a space for events, which will be designed for several dozen people. This place is a platform for exchanging ideas, for discussing architectural and urban planning projects, a space for bringing together like-minded people. The scenarios of its use are different: from holding urban planning councils and meetings of the architects' union to co-working, a place for discussions, discussions of various measures for the development of the city. This is precisely what the project of creating an innovative space "City Workshop" consists of. Our team of designers and architects, in close cooperation with the city authorities, worked on it for about a year, and on May 16, 2019, the grand opening took place. We share with you how the work on this important project for the city progressed.

The total area of the hall is about 90 m2 - enough for a comfortable stay of about 50 people at the same time. It consists of the main and additional zones, which can be separated by a mobile partition, or can be combined. The main area is a place for holding conferences, seminars, urban planning councils and other numerous events. For this functional use, the chairs are arranged in three rows facing a wall with a screen for presentations and visual materials. If a large table is placed in the center of the hall, and the chairs are arranged around it, the hall will transform into a spacious meeting room for discussions and debates, jury meetings, press conferences, etc. By combining the mobile partition, the main and additional zones, we get a common space for organizing exhibitions. For example, for exhibiting the works of participants in architectural competitions. At the same time, the usage scenarios are as follows: all the furniture is removed from the room, and the competition tablets can be placed on the brackets provided on the walls. Or on special racks, if they are models of buildings/monuments/other structures.

An additional function (zone) of the hall is a meeting room for individual consultations, networking, and small meetings. It can be used separately or in parallel with numerous activities in the main space. Designed for comfortable accommodation of twelve people. The zone is separated by a mobile partition and creates a comfortable and cozy environment for productive communication. Also, this meeting room can be used as a co-working space, for work and exchange of experience between specialists: architects, engineers, designers, urban planners, etc.

All rooms are decorated in the style of modern trends, many textures of natural materials, especially wood and stone. To maximize the openness of the hall, both from a practical and an ideological point of view, we lowered the windowsills to the floor level and enlarged the windows facing the main facade of the building. This allows for plenty of natural light and, most importantly, for outside observers, creates a sense of openness to the activities taking place inside. The hall is equipped with a projector, a large screen, various artificial lighting and mobile stands for presentation materials or exhibition works. The stands are part of the decorative structure and, if necessary, can be easily transformed.

The MOST team was glad to join such an innovative project for Rivne. We are sure that the City Workshop will become a publicly accessible space for the exchange of ideas, communication and discussions of all persons involved in the development of our city. This is a platform where creative ideas for spatial development projects that will further improve the city will be generated and worked out. The environment of the Workshop should unite both professionals and ordinary people around it.