Hotel Belvedere
project, Dubrovnik, 2015.

Steep terrain, the Mediterranean landscape and fragmented urban matrix of the area of Ploče are the main features of an exquisite location of the new Hotel Belvedere in Dubrovnik. The urban planning concept of the venue follows the readout morphologic template of Ploče as a logical answer to the context realities: situated along the coast road larger volumes are gradually dispersed into a mosaic of smaller buildings along the slopes.
The ensemble of the new hotel on the Cape of St. Jacob has been designed following the same approach - the main hotel building with public facilities is laid on directly along the seacoast, and the villas are carefully positioned on the slope of the upper part of the plot. This spatial disposition is made possible by deploying a funicular railway as a communication element connecting the arrival pavilion with the main hotel reception area.
The main focus of the integrally developed urban and landscape concept was to preserve the existing natural environment emphasized by a dense cypress forest on the western side of the plot. Thus, this highly varied Mediterranean landscape is more than just a park, and certainly not a mere hotel "amenity", it is the environment where the hotel is one of the resources embedded into the archetypal Dubrovnik scenery.
The hotel building has been designed as a soft terrace structure with a low number of floors considerately and carefully adapted to the topography and relief. The view of the hotel from the city asserts the dominant outline of the slope of the Cape of St. Jacob, the authority which all the designed volumes are subordinated to.
The integrated elements of the hotel venue are fully in the function of a dramatic promenade along which one descends from the upper, arrival pavilion - through the cypress forest, by the funicular railway down the slope, the gaze held on the horizon - to the lobby floor with the reception area, bar and fine dining restaurant.
The garden level is the main floor of the hotel where the outdoor pools, restaurant, children's club, and wellness & spa areas are situated forming the shared public facilities area. The social activities areas are also situated under the arrival pavilion (banquets, small congress facilities and similar).
The main hotel building is a structure with 75 rooms and suits each with an outdoor, partly covered terrace and associated garden. Situated on the slope in the upper part of the venue, the villas, with living and dining spaces on the ground floor and bedrooms on the first floor, are completely surrounded by the gardens with lush vegetation and a pool.