Rijeka is a city in which settlements coexist quite low, with houses of 1/2 floors with gardens and terraces and tower blocks of 30 storeys. The effect of this coexistence is scenic and interesting: the first are rooted to the ground and bind to the green, the latter bind to the sky, the sight of sea and landscape around it.
In this context Ulica Lipa is a decidedly suburban place now, full of houses, with the presence of gardens, orchards and small and self-building cabanons for DIY.
A district where strong is the link with the open space, all the houses have a terrace and the morphology of the terrain allows sighting the sea. However, the density required by the notice is definitely urban and main street (Osjecka Ulica) is busy and very important because it binds to the center.
The strategic location and the topography of the site, the unexpected sight of the sea from all points of the area have given rise to the idea of setting up a compact, powerful, conceptually, all based on counterslope. A place compact and not scattered, so recognizable. A place where every house could have a terrace from which to admire the view over the gulf. A hill renewed and rediscovered, a new Gebel Zghir (small mountain).
We therefore decided to develop a site with different densities, each linked to a residential typology. In front of Osjecka Ulica, which is the most polluted and noisy part of the district, we develop tall buildings that will turn to the sky, while climbing the hill towards the park buildings were lost height and gained ratio with the soil. The position of the lot is difficult but strategic: it is located on one of the main entrances to the city and its exposure can take advantage, thanks to the drop of a beautiful sea view of the gulf of Kvarner.
The idea is to create a residential complex which as a whole has to become a sort of landmark.To do this we decided to develop all the buildings until the same height (equivalent to 35 meters on Osjecka Ulica), irrespective of their altitudinal range, in order to create a kind of intervention that worked in counter-slope, creating an awesome and impressive, inspired by the Burri’s Cretto in Gibellina.
As for the character of the place, urban and suburban themes coexist in the project: those living in apartments have large windows and terraces overlooking the sea and the open space and more space between the buildings, those living in lower case has a garden or a roof -private terrace and more closeness with neighbors. The origin of the place is not lost, but was supported by a more urban development and a new model of housing, in a sort of synthesis of the two souls of the city.
The project involves the construction of a compact and coherent block, where plan reflects the proportions of different heights of the buildings: taller is a building, bigger is the space around it. The common denominator was always to try in every way to take advantage of the best kind of exposure and relationship with the surrounding, preferring, where possible, the view towards the sea.
Each housing has terrace (on the ground or at 9th floor) with a panorama, with less interferences as possible. Gardens and terraces are natural extension of the houses to the outside. Facades to the other buildings are as blind as possible in order to seek the maximum privacy for each apartment.
The tallest buildings on the lower limit to the Osjecka, are ideally placed to defend the site. The apartments are small and medium sizes and all have a balcony facing the gulf. The slope constant has developed extensive public hall inclined, as routes that covered the slope continues. The three halls, which contain public functions: shops and a nursery for children, serve as covered squares for residents. They are all trasparent, making the buildings lighter and floating.
From here we depart the paths to get to the cellars and underground parking.
There are three different residential typologies on the project; everyone is referred to a different height of the building: from taller to smaller they are APARTMENT, PENTHOUSE, STACKED VILLA, SINGLE HOUSE.
DATA
Gebel Zghir is at Rijeka, Croatia.
It is Europan 10 competition (1 st prize).
Built surface is about 12.000 sm.
Francesco Maracchioni collaborated with us.