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1999 PROJECT

The Partner Bank office building is situated in front of the medieval gate of Rijeka's city centre. The building originates from the 18th century, when it was one of the first buildings of Civitas nova, the baroque new town that was erected outside the city walls. It is flanked by two higher and more recent buildings of the 19th century. The task of the project was to not only increase the density and floor area of the building, but to re-establish the presence of the building in the urban skyline. The Department of Historical Building Preservation demanded that the existing 3-storey building be preserved. In addition, numerous reconstruction and years of improvised additions have made the existing building and near-by department store a nearly inseparable, complex structure. The new owner admitted that the re-establishment of the buildings autonomy would be an impossible task. These facts have clearly influenced the concept of reconstruction. A new volume is placed on top of the existing one. It 'peels-away'from its solid base as it rises. Each successive floor has a set-back and a reduced 'materiality' of constructional elements, resulting in an increased transparency and culminates in the building's roof terrace. Behind the facade's metal screen wall the first floor has concrete wall, the second a concrete parapet, the third a glass wall, and the fourth only an empty frame. The main feature of the facade is a curtain of perforated panels which are placed in front of the glass. Openings inside this curtain follow the rhythm of the lower base, vanishing on the top two floors. The existing volume is kept in its original form.

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