Viale Market
project, Poreč, 2018.

Viale Market is a part of the Poreč waterfront and as such, a part of the Poreč waterfront spatial study made for the city in 2016. It is located in the vicinity of the city center and represents a transitional part of the waterfront. The study foresees open vistas, clear and continuous pedestrian routes and various public amenities and contents in order to enhance the quality and duration of users stay in the area. The project is planned to be completed in phases. The design of the Viale Market, the so-called "city canopy", is the first phase of the construction and design of Poreč waterfront.
In order for the Market to become a place of active life for the local community and guests of the city, a new large public area is formed by overlapping squares, terraces and parks, removing parking, preserving existing trees and introducing new traffic regulation in the area of today's "bazaar" with a multitude of inadequate temporary kiosks and buildings.
The planned Market is multifunctional, with commercial, catering, exhibition and many other purposes. It should take over the function of a modern "city hall" and become a place for socializing, small concerts, events etc. It is conceived as a simple building with basic functions (toilets, storage...) placed in cores, covered with an accessible roof/viewpoint. The façade is almost completely flexible, allowing the space to open up and connect with the environment during the warm summer months. The façade defines the enclosed space around the cores (fixed "kiosks"), meandering and creating a relationship with the outer space in the form of covered entrances and terraces. It consists of fixed and movable panels. Fixed panels are conceived as shelves and seating areas (formed like booths) covered with glass and ornamented sun protection. The same protection is applied to the movable panels which open up the interior and allow the Market contents to permeate the public space.
The northern and southern end of the Market building can be closed off and turned into separate rooms with direct access to the bar and other necessary contents. This enables the organization of various smaller private, public and semi-public events (exhibition, congress, concert, poetry reading...).
Greenery and paving zones cascade around the canopy all the way down to the promenade. Seating and relaxation areas with benches, urban equipment, and bicycle stands are formed under the trees on these cascades. The benches are designed as wooden decks for seating and lounging. Existing trees are preserved and the tiled paving uninterruptedly passes into the Viale interior. In the summer, when the movable panels of the market open, the interior and the exterior act as one. A park with significantly larger trees and green areas, children's playgrounds and urban equipment integrated with the green islands is located south-west of the Market.