SZA: residential and business center in zagreb

‘centar zagrebacka’ by sza in zagreb, croatia all images courtesy sza

‘centar zagrebacka’ by croatian practice sza is a multi-storey apartment and business complex located on the outskirts of zagreb. experimental in its spatial disposition, the project explores the notions of central-peripheral, inclusive-exclusive, and supercontextual-alienated living.

designed as a marginal structure, the center stands alongside a major suburban road that leads into the city of zagreb. this transitional ‘no-place’ site condition coupled with the plot-determining factor of the network of roads resulted in a corner building which intentionally plays up its massive scale and size to represent discontinuity in a mostly static and homogeneous suburban region.

aerial view

a series of residential apartments are raised up and away from the noisy suburban road while the lower levels house a mass shopping center. featuring deep cut outs from the overall volume, the building resolves the architectural program in a pragmatic but equally abstracted manner. standing at a gross surface area of 40,000 m2 with three storeys underground and nine storeys above, the center conspicuously lacks details or accessories: a thin red skin made of profiled metal sheets wrap the exterior faces while light translucent panels and thin, metal grating line the inward facing facades.

from the street