Sopot Business Centre by Urbane Tehnike won 1st prize in the competition for the business complex project in the center of Novi Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. The concept is for the design of a simple glass cube, structured within the surface of prisms which is visually manipulated by its context. From the urban planning point of view, the cube is derived from the constant movement along the avenues and the silhouette of the city beyond.
More on this project after the break.
The open public architectural competition called for highlighting the importance of a multilevel ground floor space. The basic tool is to achieve, to a maximum possible degree, a public and traversable ground floor and to form an indoor square surface accessible for everyone at all times and from all directions.
The ground floor, together with all its constituent cores, serves as a point of further flow, representing a network of streets within the building, a space offered for communication, encounters or shopping. Since the future users are not known, the intention is to position the program sets in such a way as to secure their adequate position and to provide the possibility to organize within in a quality way, with an emphasis being given to communication.
The building is designed as four separate prismatic volumes within the glass membrane. If required, the volumes can exist as separate commercial units, while they can also easily combine vertically or horizontally. Maximal flexibility in the organization of space is enabled through communication lanes which separate basic units, while at the same time allow, through their positioning, integration into commercial units of larger format.
Communication lanes function as longitudinal atriums through vertical strips, enabling combination of spaces, allowing for day light to reach deep into all areas and thus contributing to better work quality. A double facade with its two membranes functions as a buffer zone which is ventilated to achieve better energy efficiency, while energy is exchanged between the cube and the surroundings.
Architects: URBANE TEHNIKE d.o.o. Location: Novi Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Competition: National Open Public Competition, 03 2011 Site Area: 5,500 sqm Built-up Area: 2,150 sqm Floor Area: 25,000 sqm Program: Office / Retail / Hotel Architecture Team: Zdravko Krasić, Hrvoje Bakran, Ljiljana Gaši Landscape team: Mislav Deželić Construction: Juraj Pojatina, Studio Arhing d.o.o. Energy: Luka Čižmek, Solarvent d.o.o. 3D graphics: Freya d.o.o. Photography: Alan Vajdić
