“Buried House Project” is an architectural idea which contains different vision of underground passages in Tbilisi. Idea is to overlap the concept of different cultural activities through bringing the natural condition of the street as well as buildings around it.

Location is a pedestrian crossing from main touristic route coming from sulfur baths area to Shavteli Street and Baratashvili Bridge underground pedestrian passage. Location is important also for the touristic path coming from Agmashenebeli Avenue crossing Dry Bridge, which is leading to old town.

According to our research, Baratashvili Street was sloping down to Mtkvari River and connecting to Mukhrani Bridge. In 60’s bridge was replaced by new two-floor bridge, which is passing over riverside road. In order to rise the height, half of the street was filled up with soil putting the first floors of the facing buildings underground. Task of the project was to create the semi-underground square which would connect all the touristic routes as well bring the buried floors of the facing building back to the original condition.

Project was developed by Nikoloz and Malkhaz Lekveishvili in 2012 as an alternative approach to Public Square. The underground square is seen as a mini form of the district including sequence of streets and squares. Streets are formed following the orientation viewpoints ending with visual landmarks, framing the commercial areas under vehicular roads, mini-squares on Shavteli Street side and area for the cultural activities facing main residential building on Baratashvili Street side.