urban AXIS

 Entry
Badel Block Competition

Badel block, once an industrial site and city gateway, lies at an interesting historical and physical intersection of Zagreb. Bounded by two major streets, the block’s triangular shape is adjacent to two public spaces. urban AXIS uses Badel Block to link the adjacent square and market, creating a dynamic internal public corridor.

At its center the major axes merge to form a public square, which is surrounded by renovated historical buildings to form a new cultural district. Here the plaza is pulled up to create a focal point and pushed down to provide space for an information center below. A housing complex is added to the site’s vacant southwestern corner, reinforcing the pedestrian interior and defining the block’s outer perimeter edges.

Informally, the site is divided into 3 zones: residential, cultural, and commercial with approximately 16,500 m2 of total floor area added. The slower paced residential zone, located on the southwestern corner, lifts its edge to allow site access and the three historical buildings within the block are converted into a museum, gallery market, and cultural center. These cultural buildings reorient around the central public space thus linking the multi-programmed axis. At the site’s eastern edge, existing buildings are perforated and expanded to connect the block with Kvaternikov Trg square, while providing additional commercial program.

The premise behind urban AXIS  is to establish a new central public space, create a cultural district around that public space, and strategically insert new buildings to define a strong yet inviting urban edge.