Wonderful recognition for the new Westgate project in Split!
A press release from Westgate Tower:
Over the past year, the expert panel of the International Property Awards, consisting of 80 members and including four English Lords, has reviewed and assessed thousands of entries from 115 countries around the world. The award for the Best Commercial High-rise Development in Europe has gone to the Croatian company Westgate Tower for its attractive project “Westgate Split”, which has completely altered the Split skyline at the entrance to its city centre.
Goran Leš
The International Property Award is to the property development sector what the Academy Awards are to the film industry. Every year, the competition brings together the world’s best investment companies, architects, designers, consultants and managers in the sector. The glamorous awards ceremony will be held tonight in London’s Savoy Hotel, and the award for the Best Commercial High-rise Development was just accepted by Westgate Towers Ltd. representative, Josip Komar. Awards are also given in the categories of interior design, architecture and property management, and encompass projects from around the world, on all six continents. Among the entries, Westgate Split was recognised as the best project in its category.
“This recognition for the Westgate Split project is truly special, as this was one of the greatest challenges of my career. However, I would like to emphasize that this award was granted for the project as a whole, and not just the architecture, with a particular focus on the developer skills. The towers have been designed as clear, original, crystal forms, in a combination of glass and white vertical lines, in contrast to the blue horizon of the Bay of Kaštel in the background. The language of the architecture is clear, subject to the function of the corporate content, while being subdued and subtle in defining the space,” was the response of Westgate architect Otto Barić to the news of the award. A representative of development company Westgate Tower d.o.o. Josip Komar added, “The value of the Westgate Split project is evident, as it has been recognised by the world’s largest hotel chain, and the towers were built also to house one of Croatia’s largest banks. However, for us personally, this international award means a great deal more. We were up against the very best projects in Europe, in cities much larger and wealthier than Split, and we are so proud to be able to bring this recognition of our work home, to Croatia.”
Goran Leš
The Westgate Split project consists of two structures. The first is a business tower that since last year has been the headquarters of the bank OTP Splitska Banka d.d. The tower has four underground levels, the ground level and 12 floors. The second tower, currently under construction, was originally designed to include six underground levels, the ground floor and 17 floors. However, the tower is currently awaiting permits to expand the project to make it Croatia’s tallest structure. The tower has been selected by the Mariott Hotels Group as the site of its first hotel in Croatia. This, however, is not the end of the surprises that Westgate Split has in store. Josip Komar stated that the company is currently engaged in intensive talks with several of the leading international technology companies that see Westgate Split as their future regional headquarters. With this, the City of Split would receive added value in the sense of bringing a highly qualified workforce to the city, enabling the creation of a centre of knowledge, and providing young engineers in Split the opportunity to build their futures in their hometown.
Tonči Lučin
Situated on the main road connecting the entrance to the city with Diocletian’s Palace, the towers are shaped by the layout of the main city streets, and have already become a recognisable symbol, giving exceptional urban value to the City of Split. What makes the entire project unique is its form. The towers are designed as two triangles with rounded corners, their sides following the street lines. They are already considered officially to be among the world’s most unique architecture. An additional value to the contemporary urban concept is the 4th century Diocletian’s aqueduct along the northern side of Westgate, which has been preserved in its entirety and its full length. The project meets the highest quality and energy efficiency standards, and this is the first Croatian commercial structure to hold the LEED green building certificate, an A class energy certificate awarded for the application of “green” building systems.
Goran Leš
The planned expansion of the second tower to 28 floors would make this structure the tallest in Split and in the Republic of Croatia, creating yet another tourist attraction in the city. Already today, with the recognition received and this international award, this project has raised the profile of both the city and the country.
