University Library Zadar
Zadar
15°14'16'' E
A regular urban raster has always been the dominant motif in the planning of Zadar, an element of regulation for the whole area and the distinctive symbol of the city. Authority of that existing grid in the context of this project is imposed as an essential element in the development of the entire area of the future campus.
The University library is the first significant new building, which plans to build in the area of the new Zadar campus. It must function in the surroundings it will be located today, not only in the ideal scheme conceived in the future. One of the main tasks of a modern library is the social obligation to house not only books but also the information media and allow them space for explosive multiplication.
The urban placement of the building volume in the south-eastern edge of the parcel and the determined urban parameters completely define the buildings character. Envelope in which the default library program must be made is also the default container frame.
The main communication axis is set in an east – west direction, from the park to the street and that clearly defines the main entrance (from the park) and opens the first floor space in that direction. After that large passage which is the main meeting and communication place the space completely opens and expands vertically upwards.
The openness and visual accessibility of each gallery floor and the representative public staircase, which we called Zoranic stairs, climb to the symbolic "mountain of knowledge", as Petar Zoranic climbs in the allegorical epic Mountains.
Due to the Mediterranean climate, but also because of the physical protection of the library content, the simple inner volume of the introverted house required a simple expression of the external volume and the library facade. Vertical stacking of the facade layers, with a space between them, makes the library more closed from the outside, but these layers also cancel out, dematerialize its real dimensions.
Except in a pile of stacked books, the inspiration for the façade was found in local materials. One of the most characteristic stones in the local climate is Benkovac stone. It is very specific, simple, popular and in use for centuries. Its most numerous use is in the form of a panel, usually randomly stacked, and it can always be found stacked on a pile.
Fact Sheet
Project name
University Library Zadar
project number
174
program
public, culture, education, urban planning
status
project
project
2009 - 2009
Location
Croatia, Zadar,
Site area
5000 m²
Size
18633 m²
volume
92000 m³
Footprint
2793 m²
altitude
7 m
author
3LHD
Project Team
Marko Dabrović, Saša Begović, Tatjana Grozdanić Begović, Silvije Novak, Vibor Granić, Joško Kotula, Željko Mohorović
Project team collaborators
Sanja Jasika Lovrić, Nives Krsnik Rister, Tin Kavurić
Building Physics, Details
B.M.P. - Mateo Biluš
Structural Engineering
Tehničke konstrukcije - Alan Sorić
Visualizations
Boris Goreta
