First Prize: Reconstruction of the historical center of Sibenik, Croatia / MAP

Barcelona based architect Josep Lluís Mateo won the first prize for the public competition for the reconstruction of the historical center of Sibenik, Croatia.

For more information, click here. More images and architect’s description, after the break.

The empty space between the islands draws an axis that continues on dry land, on Draga.  The location is marked by a geological structure that produces empty and full spaces. We choose to respect, continue and construct it.

We build on the limits of the place. Volumes to either side consolidate the topography. At the far end, following the axis, our buildings construct the street, forming a gateway to the whole. The centre is empty public space that receives various treatments, moving gradually from the greater urbanness of the plaza beside the street to the increased presence of nature where the project meets the sea.

This proposal should be seen as a topographical, volumetric strategy for construction on this site. The materiality of the architecture is an open issue.