Draga City Centre

Add To Collection

Draga City Centre

Firm

Type

Residential › Apartment
Commercial › Office

SIZE

1,000,000 +

Textual description: Draga City Centre

Identification of elements and recognition of the city’s extremely linear character, which has developed alongside of dominant traffic pats by following the terrain’s configuration, are motifs and inspirations used for the new project of Draga in Šibenik.
Attributes of its identity and physical and urban qualities of the city are the most important elements this project deals with, and a basic impulse and inspiration for the concept of the location’s further development. The proposed plan allows the continued development of a much wider area than the one set in the competition program.
Since the recent construction follows the main traffic arteries, the treatment of dense urban structure, the new eastern section structure and their relationship is intentionally strengthened. By connecting and „naturally“ continuing the main linear directions of existing streets from west and east, we create a new grid, which completely defines the new space and the newly planned structure. Urban terraces, used for developing new blocks, are created by following the natural terrain configuration and descent to the sea line. They are woven in to the city’s memory, connected to pedestrian transverses, small alleys and squares – piaceta’s that make up the new public space. Five verticals ascending from these new blocks are the main accents of the new space. They continue Šibenik’s tradition of verticals, from the church towers to the first residential skyscrapers (“red” and “blue”).
Draga is located in the central area of Šibenik and as such represents a potential for developing a new administrative and cultural city center. The zone already accommodates a number of public, administrative and cultural facilities. Increased density and variety of content, so-called urban mix of public, residential, tourist, commercial, cultural and business facilities extends the life of the zone to 24 hours a day. This high density is also a prerequisite for the development of the current coast which will open the city to the sea and become a new urban waterfront. The bus station and the market are transferred to a new location in the wider zone and new space is created for the implementation of more appropriate content.
The design proposes linear elongated blocks of buildings located on the borders of the transition from higher to lower plateau / terrace, primarily with two street facades. The diversity in façade treatment and volume shaping stimulated and inspired by the pace of the streets and Šibenik’s old town core, contributes to a harmonious volume, street fronts, passages and cascades rhythm.