Hotel Lone, the first design hotel in Croatia, is situated in the Monte Mulini forest park, Rovinj's most attractive tourist zone, located in the immediate vicinity of the legendary Eden Hotel and the new Monte Mulini hotel. The surrounding grounds and parkland is a unique and protected region of the Monte Mulini forest on the Lone Bay.
The term design hotel is meant to illustrate this as a space that nurtures the concept of an interesting and functional design. Created by a team of renowned Croatian creatives comprised of a new generation of architects, conceptual artists, product, fashion and graphic designers. The Architects from studio 3LHD were responsible for the design and construction of the hotel building. In addition to the overall architecture, the interiors and the furniture were designed and chosen especially for the hotel in order to achieve a distinct and recognizable identity. The designers from Numen / For Use designed the furniture. The fashion studio I-GLE designed the staff uniforms and other textiles. Artist Silvio Vujičić created graphics on fabrics for the rooms. Installations in the hotel lobby were made by a group of innovative artists: Ivana Franke - "Room for running ghosts"; Silvio Vujičić - "In the hanging garden no one speaks" and the fashion studio I-GLE - textile compositions No1, No2, No3. Studio92 designed the Wellness & Spa center, while Studio Kappo did Landscape design. The agency Bruketa & Žinić OM conceived and oversaw the visual identity of the hotel.
The hotel's identity is recognized through the external design of the building, with a facade that is defined by dominant horizontal lines - terrace guards designed to evoke the image of slanted boat decks. The building's floorplates contract from level to level going up, creating an elevation that is tapered at all angles. The site's complex terrain with dramatic altitude changes determined the locations of internal facility spaces through a dynamic interweaving of public areas and guest suites at all levels. The specific Y shaped ground plan enabled a: rational & functional organizational scheme; quality views from all rooms; and the grouping of public facilities around a central vertical lobby. The main lobby connects common spaces on all levels, creating a central volume of impressive height and scale with interesting views in and around where all vital functions of the hotel take place.
The city of Split and its waterfront, the Riva, as the paradigm of its history and character, are among the most interesting and most specific sites in the Mediterranean. Split waterfront is an urbanized, public, open and accessible space, 1700 years old. It stands in front of Diocletian's Palace, once the home of the Roman emperor. The modular Roman form of the palace in the latter phase became the framework that shaped the city and directed its expansion; in the same way, the dimensions, materials and form of the modular network of concrete elements laid on Riva directed the arrangement and positions of all the other elements of the public space. The waterfront is the focal point where the city meets the sea. 250 meters long and 55 meters wide, it is also the main public square,
the space for all kinds of social events, promenade by day, parade by night, the site of sport events, religious processions, festivals and celebrations. The project rearticulates the space for all the mentioned events and harmonizes them on a new integrated surface. The solution uses not only architectural design, but also materials, to respond to all the challenges of utilization set before the Riva.
All urban elements and equipment was specially designed for this project and they try to meet local spirit and atmosphere.
The New Silk Road is the future cultural theme park in the city of Xi´An, one of the Chinese imperial centres having intention of becoming cultural centre of China. The project is a competition work for an international architectural contest. Reflecting the historical importance of the Silk Road on the cultural exchange between Asia and Europe, New Silk Road project explores the contemporary influence of the global communication and travelling onto culture intertwining. The new location was planned to have 9 distinct areas with 9 houses ? that would represent 9 regions of the Silk Road territory; Scandinavia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Mediterranean in Europe, Middle East territory and finally China.
The task was to make a project that would define the region that it represents (3LHD represents Eastern Europe destination), its cultural and historical context, reference to the surrounding parts of the park/regions and reference to the bordering town matrix of Xi´an. The area of Eastern Europe has always been the geopolitical crossroad of nations, cultures, knowledge and technologies, an area of constant change. Therefore, similar to the semipermeable membrane character of the geographical and political situation of Eastern Europe was the 3LHD approach to the concept of the House respresenting Eastern Europe. The multifunctional object is planned to be in accord with the given context. Topography, landscape, climate, space and atmosphere are unified in sustainable organism under green roof. The building is defined by the combination of natural and artificial "landscape". Emphasised horizontal form and continuity of space suggests openness and accessibility. The 23 000m2 house consists of Theatre with 500 seating places, indoor and outdoor Exhibition rooms, Library, Archive and a small apartment section.
The subject of this development study is the coastal area of Bale municipality which covers the surface area of 450 ha. The pristine natural beauty of the Bale shoreline is undeniable. Its well-indented coast, numerous coves and beaches, lush vegetation, scenic rural landscapes; and architectural and archeological heritage make the region one of Croatia´s best-kept secrets.
Bale Shoreline Development Study is based on the concept of active yet environmentally friendly tourism. Special attention is paid to the positioning and sizing of each proposed facility due to area´s unique features.
The area will cater to both day visitors and longer-term tourists who will be staying in local accommodation facilities. The entire shoreline zone is planned as a high-end destination of four- to five-star category. There will be two points for entering the Bale shoreline and the main means of public transport will be the electric train, as well as electric carts and bicycles.
All the facilities will be opened to the public and there will be no private lodgings. The planned accommodation capacity of the entire zone is 1,800 beds, with an ability to receive approximately 3,000 day visitors. This results in a low-density tourism where each person enjoys approximately 0.1 ha and 1.8 sqm of the shore all to oneselves.
The most of the accommodation facilities are planned to be in three new hotels positioned 700 meters off the coast.
Three recreational-entertainment centers will be geared toward different consumers
The coast will be a place for three new recreational-entertainment centers, and the valley will be a place for scientific-educational center. A signature 18-hole golf course is proposed for the Barbariga fortification area, fortification Benedetto will be retrofitted into a cultural center, and Fort Forno will be converted into a premium-priced hotel and spa center. Designing plans also include a botanical garden, beaches, an equestrian center, an airfield for hot-air balloons, a diving center, and a reconstruction of an olive grove from the 16th century, small churches and lookouts.
The goal is to offer a series of diverse yet complimentary activities, with programs and architecture that fit into the cultural context and environment of the Bale shoreline.
With its extraordinary natural and cultural assets Bale Municipality can be developed in a variety of ways that would lead to improving the region and the well-being of its inhabitants ? elaborates this strategic development. The main interest of the local population was to protect the coastline from overbuilding and to find a strategy for the sustainable development of the whole district.
These are the proposed elements of building the brand identity found in the region:
- Bale: the region of native Buža olives
- Bale: the region of dinosaurs and paleontology
- Bale: the region of unique traditional lodgings - stancija
- Bale: the region of butterflies
- Bale: residence of the Venetian Bembo family
The first phase of the study has been conceived as a commercial about the vision for the future of Bale. It consists of six stories presenting new capacities incorporated into the environment, about fortresses and inns converted into tourist accommodation, about the protected medieval town of Bale, the dinosaur museum and theme park, recreation zones and a multimedia centre dedicated to the butterflies. The population, the local authorities and the Ministry of Zoning and Physical Planning of the Republic of Croatia have fully accepted the study and the development plan it provides. We believe that it presents one of the possible development models that can also be applied to other local communities throughout Croatia. The plan protects the natural landscape and its resources and does not encourage major new construction projects. Tourism and progress are not a process which can be stopped, however they can be controlled.
The Monte Mulini zone is the most attractive tourist area of Rovinj, characterised by a spacious park and hotel architecture from the 1970s, which has lost its designed exclusive character over the years. Following a detailed analysis of the greater town area and the Monte Mulini zone itself, building and non-building surfaces have been defined, based on the evaluation of the given natural and already built surfaces, and on the wish to maximally enhance the quality of the environment. This has resulted in the design which follows the patterns of space and events, and has five characteristic settings: Setting 01 - the park area (the most valuable part of the zone, with paths; Setting 02 - the waterfront-beach (extended town promenade with minimum new facilities); Setting 03 - the "marina" with the new urban "deck" (town meeting point); Setting 04 - the interspace, a meeting place, a place of pleasure and entertainment (recreation and leisure area); Setting 05 - accommodation zone (new and old hotels)This master plan sets the basis for the development of the whole tourist resort and for upgrading the standards of all the facilities, ranging from the hotels, to catering and services.
