A future canopy for historic Gudiashvili Square in Tbilisi
A new layer of trees will provide continuity as older plantings succumb to disease and age.
Gudiashvili Square sits in the heart of Old Tbilisi, just off Freedom Square and a few blocks from Sololaki. The square appears on maps of the city in the 18th century. It has had many names: Bejanas Baghi, Abbas-Abasi, Kolortaghi, Alaverdov, and Moghnis Square. In the 1990s, the square was named after Lado Gudiashvili, a 20th-century avant-garde artist famous for his portrayals of Tbilisi life.
The houses surrounding the square were built in the 19th century. During the 2010s, many of the surrounding buildings fell into disrepair and were in danger of collapsing, and the square was in poor condition. There were many ad-hoc structures, and a rough metal decorative fence surrounded the square. The trees were neglected and many had been topped, but a massive Celtis tree anchored the space. The first renovation proposal—to convert the area to a shopping center—was met with fierce resistance.
In 2020, Tbilisi City Hall initiated a plan to rehabilitate the buildings and the square and restrict vehicle access. Tbilisi architect David Giorgadze won the competition to redesign the square and surrounding streetscape. His scheme included leveling the square and removing any enclosures.
Our first studies focused on adding planting to small intersections and within the many residential courtyards that surround the square, to restore the lost color and vertical green elements during rehabilitation. Sadly, these “green pockets” were phased out of the project.
As there are few trees in the neighborhood, it was critical to conserve the existing planting even though many are quite damaged. We developed a scheme to incorporate a new, biodiverse canopy, and added a fragment of Georgian forest in the center. The new canopy is set within a grid. As the damaged trees die off and are replaced by new plantings in the tree wells, the loose organization of the original urban planting will be maintained.
Unfortunately, many of the renovated buildings surrounding the square remain vacant a few years after reconstruction as the property costs are too high. Yet today the square is a busy and shaded oasis in a dense neighborhood, a favorite place to meet a friend and order food from moto-courier. The trees we planted in 2021—though much smaller than anticipated—are filling in the middle ground.
