CASE STUDY: Robna Kuca RI
the inner-city department store.
Composition-wise, it is able to slightly alter appearances from different angles, presenting itself as several layers now, then as continuous shape later. From a slightly different angle the shapes melt together forming a continuous shape, indicating architectural composition in the landscape played an important role, as opposed to a merely functional execution of what creates the most incentive for shopping.
The complex consists of several squares connected by stairs, on each level accessible from various directions meandering around the buildings. The square at the top of the first flight of stairs is provided with shade by the pergola. Much like the lower square, this square is almost empty and its main purpose is being the entrance to the stadium with a (closed) club on the opposite side. Between the upper square and the lower square is the main entrance to the stadium. The entire area is covered with a white pergola. Although completely open to wind and rain, the dimensions offer a completely shaded square in front of the entrance to the sports hall. Behind the ziggurats top, on the top level, it is clear that the entire building is perched against the hill, barely a free-standing structure. A small playground race-track is shaded by trees, otherwise lacking program: it is the only public program at the end of the route.
The stepped ziggurat shape is, together with the sports complex in the back, the most striking of shapes. The sports facility was already finished in ‘79 but its formal language, materialization and its harmony with the shopping center would suggest it was built and designed simultaneously. From the bottom of the steps the stadium is quite imposing with its big hovering roof, creating a grand gesture. The cylinder previously housed a department-store but now hosts a hostel, and a small restaurant. The café next to the cylindrical restaurant has been appropriated heavily and today, the cantilevered balconies have been screened off, creating a larger interior for the café. Even though, with its stepped balconies it creates a clear dialogue with the ziggurat.
