Are you ready for skyscraper Split?
The architectural design competition for an area at the eastern entrance of Split has been concluded. The winning proposal envisages a shopping center, a public garage with 450 spaces and a four-star hotel with 25 floors at the intersection with Velebitska Street, which will dwarf the nearby old skyscrapers in Papandopulova Street. On the other side of the street, four new 18-floor towers will be constructed, according to a report in Slobodna Dalmacija on August 2, 2015.
The competition was divided into three distinct areas. In zone A, there will be a shopping center. The investor is “Asicon”, whose owner Mario Bagić has already brought Kaufland and Plodine to Split. The winner of the architectural contest, “Studio XXL”, is known for designing shopping centers for retail companies. “Because this is a unique location for this type of building, it is understandable that large domestic and foreign retail chains are interested in this project”, said Bagić, adding that he was pleased with the relationship between the shopping center and its environment. Zone B is reserved for a hotel. For the zone C, east of Velebitska Street, the decision has not yet been made.
Robert Plejić, a member of the competition jury, said he was surprised by the small number of competitors. “At first, more than 40 candidates were interested in this competition, so we were surprised when finally just six of them sent their proposals. The prize-winning proposal solves the traffic issues, and we were also satisfied with the shopping center design”, said Plejić who was quite vague when asked whether the new designs rise to the quality level of nearby buildings.
“Studio XXL” said that the most important question was how to define the areas for which end users are not yet known. “After an end user is defined, there are often significant changes to prior designs. Therefore, we have concentrated on detailed plans to solve the main problems for the functioning of the whole area, in order to maximize flexibility for the end users”, said Antun Diklić. “We have respected the existing urban matrix and character of the space in order to incorporate it into the overall image of the city”, said Diklić talking about the four skyscrapers planned for the top of Mertojak.
