s t . a n t e p r o m e n a d e
academic
2018
Šibenik is a medieval city in northern Dalmatia. Apart from the time of its foundation, it differs from other cities in the region by its specific location in the open sea and the estuary of the river Krka. The harbour of Šibenik stretches across the Krka and Skradin, while the St. Ante Channel leads across the open sea and islands. St. Ante Channel is protected as a significant landscape. It is a complex space, which, apart from its natural diversity, has a rich history of spontaneous and planned anthropogenic activity.
The coastline of Šibenik does not have a continuity of coastal shoreline, which is a consequence of the long-standing use of the most attractive areas in the military and industrial purposes in the 20th century. These areas have affected the development, planning and perception of the city. Because these spaces have made tourist devastation and construction impossible, they now represent an enormous potential for the city of Šibenik. But disconnection of the various areas remains a major problem. The new promenade on the south side of the canal has allowed access to spaces that have so far been perceived as off-limits, such as empty military facilities. The frequent use of the new promenade has shown the need of recreation, or the extent to which the other side has remained isolated.
One such area is the former Electrode and Ferroelectric factory (TEF) in the Crnica, which, after its closure in 1994, still has no new function. A large business complex is planned which could have a major impact on the future development of the city. The TEF was closed in 1994 and it took more than ten years to rehabilitate the area. Today, all the complicating legal and economic relations have finally been resolved, which makes the location highly topical and attractive. Despite that, Šibenik is still planning development of the city on the other side, to the southeast.
The aim of this project is to affirm the specific Šibenik position in the “second row to the sea” and to restore the balance. A new spatial system would be created by the re-firming of the built-up and the planning of new sea and land routes. The system would consist of points and curves – points are areas that already have content or have a potential and are necessary for the functioning of the system. At these points, land and sea traffic would merge.
Sea traffic would be carried out in summer and winter mode and would be forded on a stream. The summer mode would connect the Krka National Park with the islands and create a new tourist route. The winter regime would focus on connecting isolated settlements with the centre of the city and would take place on a regular daily basis. A new maritime route is planned to run on electric ships as part of the UrbEco system. Charging stations for electric ships are planned at two ports. The route would have two modes of use – summer and winter. The summer regime would connect the entrance to the Krka and Skradin NPs with the islands and include a dozen main content points in the route, while the winter regime would focus on connecting populated areas. In this way, a frequency connection with the possibility of transfer would be obtained, and the system would be more similar to land transport than maritime transport.
Three main points are Jadrija, Martinska camping sita and Martinska dock. New architectural interventions are appearing in places where this is necessary. Each point serves a different purpose: how to offer the users of space the experience of heterogeneous creation and use of space. This project potents the space itself as a main attraction, so new architectural interventions are always in and do not with its form.
