Type
leisure

Source
invited competition, 1st prize

Client
Hoteli Baška voda d.d.

Address/Site
Croatia

Site area
16.998 m2

Building area
8.449 m2

Total floor area
14.775 m2

Program

hotel, pavilion villas, restaurant, swimming pool

Structure
reinforced concrete

Architect

SADAR+VUGA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Vita Grmovšek, Maša Ogrin)  ARTECH d.o.o. (Stipe Filipović, Ivan Filipović, Zvonko Filipović, Ivanka Filipović, Nikša Laušin), landscape architecture Darja Matjašec

The tourist complex Urania is situated next to the sea promenade in the Mediterranian oasis, nearby the tourist center Baška Voda. The complex location is enclosed by the Adriatic sea at the south and the mountain Biokovo at the North.

The pine tree forest, one of the site notable features, shade the landscape intensely and spreads the characteristic Mediterranean scent.  The leading idea of the project is to preserve as many pine trees as possible, for the future guests would be able to enjoy the natural shade of the pine forest.

The tourist complex orientation is the other project-shaping parameter. The sea orientation is dominant. Additionally, the views open towards the mountain Biokovo, the pine forest, and the swimming pool, resulting in the high-quality sight from each accommodation unit.

Furthermore, the design of the contemporary Mediterranean hotel is founded on the spacious exterior ambiances, united under the pergola to frame unique location flora. The Urania consists of sequence of distinct micro ambiences that are fully discovered only when one is walking around the complex – the shade of the Mediterranean forest, the bright sea and the waterfall, the sun deck with the panoramic view, the 32 meters long infinity swimming pool, the introverted swimming pool for children or the spectacular street foot bar along the promenade.

The diverse characters of micro-locations are united under the horizontal and vertical grid – the pergola. The pergola is both, the functional element that provides shade and the structure that support the climbing plants.

The compact building volumes assure the preservation of existing trees in the three main green zones. The building volumes are divided into two unities, the hotel building at the north and the pavilions villa at the south of the parcel. The restaurant and the swimming pool occupy the parcel central part.

The modern, flexible and sustainable hotel interior enhances the relaxed atmosphere of the various characters within the complex. Most of the interior pieces are designed exclusively for the project, while the rest of the furniture and the accessories are of the domestic design production. The domestic modern art in a form of artistic interventions is exposed in the hotel’s common areas.

The interior tones are marked by the blue/turquoise pallet of the sea colors, and all the mountain Biokovo shades of grey. The finishing of the interior includes both, the rough, but also the fine, highly reflective techniques that relate to the Biokovo stone, pine forest, and the Adriatic Sea.  The interior is thus designed with references to the surrounding context. Even within the built environment, the prevalent design feature is the connection with the natural landscape. The outdoor-indoor separation is blurred to the point that the pine threes scent spreads over the hotel interior.

The rooms are designed in accordance with the standards and normative, being functional and in some way generic. The design attention is focused on the grand terraces that celebrate the sea horizon and the Mediterranean forest.