The moment which ought to have been taken into consideration during the design process of King Tomislav Square by Nenad Fabijanic was certainly awareness of the historical significance of Opuzen (Croatia). Nevertheless, the greatest importance this region attained was in Roman times, when the Narona settlement (in the vicinity of today’s Opuzen) obtained the status of colonia.
The architect’s intention was “to enable the revealing of its qualities” and to remove “formative disadvantages by introducing spatial and content-related correctors“. The need to restore the decrepit infrastructure led to the idea of renovation and a new square design.
The remnants of Roman palaces and monuments were frequently built into the walls of village houses in this region. The presentation of Roman artifacts as identification factors became a leitmotif of the new design. A white stone wall, with protrusions, a slit and a curved segment, was built for presentation of the stone monuments.
In this place, the torso of Tiberius hovers over a base slanted in perspective; the Corinthian capital found its place in a curved wall niche, turned upside down so that the testimony about donor Anđelo Vidović can be read. This wall – at the same time divider and corrector of space.
The very piazza design primarily emphasizes its original and utmost asset – its spatiality and depth. In other words, from the axis or vertebra of the piazza – a gutter made of grey ground stone from Brač (green Adriatic type) – tongues branch out. They are made of the same stone and are of different lengths so that, after the good old Baroque recipe, they enhance the impression of perspective and therefore the length of the piazza.
At the end of each tongue, a square mad of cast Plexiglas is inserted, which leaves an impression of dark amber, but in fact a cover for floor illumination. The arrangement of lights is focused on floor spotlights which illuminate the more prominent buildings and archaeological objects.
The one thing that immediately sets this project apart is the fact that the author never seeks inspiration or a sanctuary within stravaganza of new and sophisticated technological materials, but rather chooses to use the rocky area’s language by refining it with optical illusions, while also creating a story that connects past and present, day and night, glance and touch.
Images courtesy of Miro Martinić
Discover: www.nenadfabijanic.hr
