Austro-Hungarian military riding arena is transformed into a gallery of contemporary art.
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A place where contemporary art meets a one hundred-year-old historical monument
In 1910 Emil Eisner and Adolf Ehrlich, the leading construction company in Zagreb, designed the Austro-Hungarian Cavalry Barracks. It was situated on more than 20 000 square meters of land, including a building for the brigadier officer school team, a smithy, horse stalls... and the riding arena.
In 1910 Emil Eisner and Adolf Ehrlich, the leading construction company in Zagreb, designed the Austro-Hungarian Cavalry Barracks. It was situated on more than 20 000 square meters of land, including a building for the brigadier officer school team, a smithy, horse stalls... and the riding arena.
The complex was transformed into factory halls for the national textile industry manufacturing top quality damask. Back in 1923, this factory had been established under the name of Factory for Cotton Industry JSC as a branch of the Vienna-based company Hermann Pollack and Sons. The barracks were then transformed into the Zagreb Textile Mill and the riding arena was transformed into a weaving mill. The merging of the three factories in 1964 resulted in the founding of the TKZ (Zagreb Textile Mill) which operated here until 2008. This is why this place is primarily remembered for the popular tablecloth and linen shop TKZ situated in the former Lola Ribar Street.
Today, the riding arena is the only preserved building of the complex. Its north facade faces Barun Filipović Street and it is the first example of renovated military architecture in this part of the city. Since the building is a protected cultural monument, we preserved its historical characteristics. At the same time, the building is adapted to the specific needs of the contemporary art works.
It all started in January 2007, when we organized an architectural competition by invitation for the People and Art House (still unnamed at that time). The participants in the competition were: Alenka Gačić-Pojatina, Branka Petković and Ana Krstulović; Ana Martina Bakić and Ivana Knez; Vesna Milutin, Nikola Polak, Jadranka Polak and Dario Sisak; Zvonimir Prlić, Karmen Prlić, Martina Jukić-Stanić and associates Bruno Lovrenčić and Marko Stanić; Petar Mišković; Studio UP. Studio 3LHD and Letilović & Vlahović were also invited, but were unable to participate in the competition at the time.
In March, the project by Alenka Gačić-Pojatina, Branka Petković and Ana Krstulović was selected.
The winning project best devised the key aspect of the competition: harmonious coexistence of Filip Tradeoffice spaces and the exhibition space for the activities of Lauba association. Investor’s project team envisioned interventions as recommended by conservation propositions;the removal of the existing mezzanine construction and incorporation of a cube with office spaces. This results in a visible contrast between different usage of the spaces – compactness of the cube used for the office spaces and flexibility of the free space used for various purposes (exhibitions, performances, concerts, dance performances).
The authors summed up the spatial concept and characteristics of the project proposal in five main points:
1. SPATIALITY - (NEGATIVE) / the feeling of spatiality/ incorporated hovering linear volume has no contact with the existing structure of the old object / good volume proportions enable the space to flow around, under and above it / concentration of an unchanging content within the incorporated volume; clear communication, line of office spaces, linear organization
2. MATERIALITY - (POSITIVE) / materials preserved from the past; roof truss, opening on the facade, brick walls
3. FLEXIBILITY of using the free space for exhibitions, performances, dance performances, etc. / by using sliding elements
4. INTERACTION between employees, visitors and artworks
5. SPACE AS INSPIRATION and a driving force for future interventions / potential energy for future use
1. The spatial concept of the House is designed in a way to preserve the feeling of the original space in its entirety. That spatiality was achieved with a disciplined and simple form of a linear volume, subtly incorporated within the given, existing volume of a bare and extremely simple structure of an ex riding arena. (Space within space.) This creates space for a large free space spreading all around, under and above it, and also activates the dialogue between the full and empty space, positive and negative. The volume hovering above the ground contains concentrated office spaces in a linear organization. Proportions of the inserted volume are a response to that idea, and they justify their own purpose in several ways. Subtle, thoughtful design of the gallery reinforces the rhythm of the columns within a spatial composition. Below the gallery is a more intimate exhibition space. Above is a space for overlapping contents, such as library, computers and such. The entire north wall, with its rhythm of openings, supports the play of the non-permanent exhibition in countless combinations. The liberated space becomes flexible and as such also an exhibition space, which does not limit, but provides maximum freedom to the organizer and curator in setting up an exhibition.
2. It is important to emphasize that a careful and subtle choice of materials emphasizes all the advantages of heritage, such as roof truss, opening on the facade and brick walls. In that way the space is perceived as it once was; compact, strong and original.
3. The essence of the House is its flexibility. It opens up great possibilities for various events, such as performances, dance performances, concerts, other installations, etc. A dance performance thatwould use up the entire space was a guiding idea of how to explain the notion of spatiality being offered. The idea was to outline the emptiness within the volume of the space, outline the immaterial, achieving the feeling of a free, untrammelled space that embraces the artworks. An artwork becomes of a priority importance, and architecture becomes secondary and inconspicuous, it only provides form and conditions for the expression of that content.
4. Exhibition space is not only used for exhibiting the artworks anymore, it is also used for the reception of the same. In any other context the artworks send a different message and tell some other story of the author, author in time and space.
5. We believe that space itself will be a source of inspiration for many artists. Everything mentioned above was a priority in forming our ideas while looking for possibilities of creating immaterial volumes in order to achieve an immaterial experience. Space has been liberated as a potential energy waiting to be used; it is here for us, for people and art.
In conclusion, the spatial concept and characteristics of the project were preserved during the realization. As Rem Koolhas would say – a framework for an event.Lauba is an example of a successful realization. However, this is only a beginning of new events and experiences of new qualities; immense, countless and the one never met before...Or as Marx would say – certain quantity of a product leads to new quality of the product, thus – certain quantity of spatiality results in a new quality of spatiality.
Due to the economic crisis, during the course of the construction Alenka Gačić-Pojatina left the project in the hands of Branka Petković. The design of the interior and parts of the exterior was then taken over by Morana Vlahović who had successfully collaborated with us on the design of Lovro Artuković’s exhibition “The Best Paintings” in Klovićevi dvori Gallery in 2008.
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When a site becomes an exhibition platform for masterpieces of contemporary art
The riding arena thus became the first example of a successful cultural heritage reconstruction in the western part of town. In close collaboration with Silvio Novak, Vesna Paladino and Lidija Zuber Hrelec from the City Institute for the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage, it has been adapted into a contemporary space with its preserved historically significant features.
The riding arena thus became the first example of a successful cultural heritage reconstruction in the western part of town. In close collaboration with Silvio Novak, Vesna Paladino and Lidija Zuber Hrelec from the City Institute for the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage, it has been adapted into a contemporary space with its preserved historically significant features.
The project was realized with modest and minimal resources just enough to clean out the building and return it to its state. Guided by the motto “back to basics”, the architect managed to preserve the valuable historical layers of the building. For example, the interior brick walls were cleaned up and given a protective transparent coating which allows for the “reading” of every phase of the building’s history. The position of the former weaving mill floor has thus remained visible, as well as the swollen eastern wall which had almost collapsed after the demolition of the attached building, the patches over the remains of the old industrial ventilation system and so on. The protected roof structure is placed within the interior, restored and coated only with a base colour. There are numerous similar details consistently implemented throughout the space, giving it the impression of “a frozen construction site”.
The inserted cube, on the other hand, is a high-tech contemporary interpolation covered with black glass. The offices are extremely comfortable: the south side of each office is adorned with a ceiling high window, the bricks remain visible, and perhaps the finest detail are the exits to the walkway overlooking the exhibition space.
Morana Vlahović gave the final touch to the building: by painting all of its facades in black, she transformed it into a black monolith. In agreement with the conservators, this was the only new element we had asked to implement in order to associate the building’s appearance with the contemporary objects we would be placing within this hundred-year-old ‘lady’.
It is interesting that today, a hundred years after it was built, the house is being displayed in accordance with its original design. At the time of its construction, the architectural decoration of the building was not realized in accordance with the plans. Only today is it revealing its true face.
Moreover, after the demolition of a building to its east side along Baron Filipović Street, which had been attached to it for seventy years, the house has now again become a detached building.
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Taking it off and putting it on
The space of the gallery is functionally and aesthetically envisioned as a platform for contemporary art, from traditional media to multimedia installations. Given that the building has no storage space, Morana Vlahović developed an inovative way of exhibiting contemporary art works. Due to its status as a protected cultural monument, no digging was allowed beneath the floor level of the building. Therefore, our depot functions inside and together with the exhibition space.
The space of the gallery is functionally and aesthetically envisioned as a platform for contemporary art, from traditional media to multimedia installations. Given that the building has no storage space, Morana Vlahović developed an innovative way of exhibiting contemporary art works. Due to its status as a protected cultural monument, no digging was allowed beneath the floor level of the building. Therefore, our depot functions inside and together with the exhibition space.
The architect came up with aluminum panels that replace the exhibition walls. Each panel is 5 meters wide and 3.5 meters high, with each panel being divided with a 3 meter wide solid part, and 2 meter wide net-like part. The panels are placed by the north wall, which, due to the position of the windows and air conditioning units, is simply unusable as a display surface. Therefore, the works are either exhibited there or the panels are moved into the space where they can be differently arranged. It is possible to switch from a completely open space to a dense maze of panels.
Architect Morana Vlahović described her project in these words: “A building that plays with striptease: amazing on the outside, yet constantly changing on the inside. It takes off and puts on its parts like items of clothing. Sometimes it strips in some kind of order, other times more randomly. It can then either throw the pieces all over the floor, or organize them neatly... depending on the mood. It is scarcely buttoned right up to the top. It really needs a very good reason for that (maybe a party or some other site-specific event). It all comes down to having a lot of fun while taking off its classy attire and stripping down naked.”
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Reconstruction in the words of the supervising construction engineer
Reconstructing this protected cultural monument is an important part of the revival of our architectural heritage. For those reasons, we asked our supervising engineer Dinko Žele (Niva) to describe the precondition of the house and the course of the building. “The reconstruction of the old riding arena was based on removing the elements of prior upgrades and existing coatings, repairing the important frame elements, and giving it a 'new look'“. During the demolition of the construction between the storeys and the process of taking down the old mortar, the gable walls turned out to be in a very bad condition.
Reconstructing this protected cultural monument is an important part of the revival of our architectural heritage. For those reasons, we asked our supervising engineer Dinko Žele (Niva) to describe the precondition of the house and the course of the building:
“The reconstruction of the old riding arena was based on removing the elements of prior upgrades and existing coatings, repairing the important frame elements, and giving it a 'new look'“.
During the demolition of the construction between storeys and the process of taking down the old mortar, the gable walls turned out to be in a very bad condition. For that reason, the west wall was re-enforced from the outside by shotcreting, while the eastern wall was re-enforced with a system of steel braces on the inside. Only after finishing the mentioned repairs could the construction between storeys be demolished and the works could continue. While taking down the facade, the original decorative molding was reconstructed, and the final project for the front was made. The steel grid frame was kept from the existing roof. After its repair, the static analysis was confirmed through a trial weight force. The seismic stability of the building was ensured with a new, reinforced concrete roof chaplet along the entire brim of the house.
One of the new characteristics of the house is its black colour, which served as a starting point for defining the layers of the outer walls and roof. The façade was finished off with a black acrylic mortar and a metallic varnish. Aluminium panels were chosen because their colour, water tightness and durability are perfect for the existing tilt of the roof. Old mortar was completely removed from the inside brick walls, after which they were impregnated without changing the appearance. The floor was reconstructed according to the rules of the physics of construction. Three-layered oak boards were placed as the final covering, as required for the underfloor heating system of the house. Opposite the exhibition area is the office space, which is distinguished by modern materials. The installations, in the offices as well as in the exhibition spaces, allow for a high level of flexibility, functionality and safety of the building.”
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Where military heritage houses 21st century investments
A hundred years ago, the west-end part of the city had an industrial and military character. During the last few years a dramatic transformation has taken place making this area a vital and modern part of the city. The Vozarska army barracks in Selska Street have been readapted to become the Square of Justice, a project designed by Zrinka Mrković, Davor Bušnja and Vedran Škopac, and the Črnomerec Artillery barracks have become the seat of the Catholic University Centre. Where the Cavalry barracks once stood, a residential-business complex is being built according to the design project by a team of architects: Iva Lončar, Damir Mioč, Zvonimir Prlić and Davorin Vaniček.
A hundred years ago, the west-end part of the city had an industrial and military character. During the last few years a dramatic transformation has taken place making this area a vital and modern part of the city. The Vozarska army barracks in Selska Street have been readapted to become the Square of Justice, a project designed by Zrinka Mrković, Davor Bušnja and Vedran Škopac, and the Črnomerec Artillery barracks have become the seat of the Catholic University Centre. Where the Cavalry barracks once stood, around Lauba, a residential-business complex is being built according to the design project by a team of architects: Iva Lončar, Damir Mioč, Zvonimir Prlić and Davorin Vaniček.
The design and building of the complex was based on a selective architectural competition and the participants were eminent architects and design studios. The investor is Črnomerec Centar Ltd., majority-owned by Niva Engineering Inc.
The Črnomerec Center complex is the first project of this kind to be realized in our neighbourhood. It is due to be built by the end of 2015. Three buildings will feature 600 high-quality apartments and the complex will comprise around 60 000 m2 of business space, of which 21 500 m2 will be in a 26-storey business tower, which will dominate the complex. Two thousand underground parking spaces will be made available for the inhabitants, businesspeople and visitors. There will be parks with walkways and playgrounds within and between each residential block. The entire complex will be pedestrian-friendly and there will be no parking places or traffic at ground level.
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A five-year road from idea to realization
Key building dates:
- 2006: the decision to re-assign a former factory into a gallery
- January 2007: in the selective architectural competition, the participants were: AGP Design, Ana Martina Bakić and Ivana Knez; Vesna Milutin, Nikola Polak, Jadranka Polak and Dario Sisak; Zvonimir Prlić, Karmen Prlić, Martina Jukić-Stanić and associates Bruno Lovrenčić and Marko Stanić; Petar Mišković; Studio UP. Studio 3LHD and Letilović & Vlahović were also invited, but were unable to participate in the competition at the time.
Key building dates:
- 2006: the decision to re-assign a former factory into an exhibition space
- January 2007: in the selective architectural competition, the participants were: AGP Design, Ana Martina Bakić and Ivana Knez; Vesna Milutin, Nikola Polak, Jadranka Polak and Dario Sisak; Zvonimir Prlić, Karmen Prlić, Martina Jukić-Stanić and associates Bruno Lovrenčić and Marko Stanić; Petar Mišković; Studio UP. Studio 3LHD and Letilović & Vlahović were also invited, but were unable to participate in the competition at the time.
- March 2007: the selection of the project signed by AGP Design
- July 2008: location permit obtained
- January 2009: building permit obtained
- January 2010: building work began
- January 2010 – March 2011: the building of the Lauba House
A special thanks to our associates who participated in the building process:
Planning:
Structure: Juraj Pojatina
Electrical installations: Tomislav Ćupić
Engineering: Mladen Trbović
Plumbing and sewage: Dragutin VukovojacExecuting:
Zagrebgradnja: Milivoj Tujmer, Željko Horvat, Anita Budić
Altegradnja: Zdravko AjdukovićSupervising:
Chief supervising engineer/construction supervisor: Dinko Žele, Dražen Šunjić, Zdravko Trampuš
Electrical supervision: Jakov Ratković
Engineering supervision: Zlatko Majcenić, Mladen Trbović
Aluminium panels: Brane Filipič, RPS
Conservators:
City Institute for the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage: Silvije Novak, Vesna Paladino and Lidija Zuber HrelecThis house features:
- 1350m2 of exhibition space: 60 x 22 m
- the exhibition space reaches up to 11m in height
- 500 m2 of office space
- 250 m2 café
Panoramic images of the construction site
Chronological view of Lauba House construction.
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