Author:
Saša Randić, Idis Turato

Team members:
Ana Aščić, Igor Ekštajn, Margita Grubiša, Breza Paić, Janja Zovko, Ivana Žalac

Construction consultant:
Dragan Ribarić

Energetic concept: Velimir Tolić, Komfor klima grupa

Fire protection:
Milan Carević

Model:
Gordan Resan

Location:
Zagreb, Croatia

Area:
43 907 m²

Year designed:
2009.

The office building project on Zagreb Avenue is an attempt to redefine the model of office buildings that have two main characteristics: they want to be a glass tower and are indifferent towards their surroundings. This project is set up on an opposite assumption.

It’s debatable whether we can call an 18-storey building a tower, or just a somewhat higher building. Such structures are awkward or have condensed layouts so as to gain an elegant vertical line, much like a slightly reduced mock-up of real towers.

This structure isn’t a tower, merely a building of a slightly larger volume which regularly makes use of the available area for placing content. A part towards the Zagreb Avenue was revoked from the full volume of the building, where a new canopied city square was designed. This space is defined by the construction of wrought iron brackets, beams, and stairs that create mutual relationships with the building’s volume with clear references to New Babylon and the constructivists.

The issue of public space isn’t only tied to the typology of office buildings but to the character of significant city highways such as the Zagreb Avenue, which implies a passageway, while not stopping along the building itself. However, in this case, the surrounding densely built area grants the potential of transformation of the Zagreb Avenue from a highway to a city avenue. Of course, that’s dependent on the typology of buildings built in its vicinity.