Market Gruž in Dubrovnik
We gave our old town to tourists and were afraid to dream of the new one. Is this the moment when once again we can imagine the town that we want to live in? Can a new market on the waterfront be the beginning of a new town centre?
Standing on the shoulders of previous generations and the wings of a great past, we cannot be small. A dialogue with a grand Renaissance villa on the best part of the coast requires much respect, but even more character.
Nothing is as optimistic as the Mediterranean climate. Each and every one of our spaces is a plaything of the sun and the winds.
In the 16th century, Paladin Gundulić, a nobleman, tradesman and a skilful diplomat from Dubrovnik built a grand villa surrounded by gardens and enclosed by high walls in the best place in the Gruž Bay. The front wall on the very sea edge was almost 150 meters long. In later centuries, the waterfront was built in front of the villa. Within the walls, some houses were added for varied purposes that changed with time. In 1938, a market was built in the northwestern part, on the site of a fishpond, that later expanded into the surrounding public space. Since that time, it has been the central town market and fish market of Dubrovnik. The fish market has recently been renovated, but the area where fruit, vegetables and flowers are sold remained unchanged.
An overhang was supposed to be built above the market as protection from sun and rain. The construction of the overhang turned into a renovation of the entire urban complex. On one hand, the villa that had lost one of its corners because of the market was supposed to regain its monumental format and unobstructed views. On the other hand, the market, as a vital and relevant town feature, recognized by generations of Dubrovnik citizens as a part of their everyday life and urban identity, was supposed to be reconstructed as an important and complete public building. The covering of the market was meant to affirm and restore the heritage, organize the surrounding public spaces, and at the same time connect parts of the market both inside and outside of the historical walls into one spatial entity. The roof needed to remain low enough so that the elevated parts of the villa would be visible from the waterfront, while also being high enough to ensure the space was airy, naturally ventilated, and designed as a modern public space. The single roof needed to resolve all surrounding spatial relations and link together the historical layers of the square.
A series of large movable awnings resolved protection from sun, wind and rain. Ten identical triangular awnings, wrapped in fabric that enables light transmission, were installed within and outside of the villa contours. In that way, the market space is a unified, compact public building. When opened, the awnings let light and air pass through without obstructing the view of the heritage building. If it rains, they can be closed by slow hydraulically driven rotation. The space under remains well-lit and airy, yet still protected from the weather conditions. Prismatic volumes of the awnings illuminated from within provide light for the entire market.
