Kantrida Stadium
Stadium + Hotel + Apartment Tower = HYBRID
by ZDL studio
Kantrida is a football stadium, home of HNK Rijeka, one of the most imortant and loved city landmarks on the sea coast of Rijeka. Plans for the reconstruction have began in 2015, and city club with all of its infrastracture was temporarily moved to Rujevica stadium. Since then there have been many ideas and proposals for the reconstruction of the home stadium. The location of this Stadium is very sensitive, and important for citizens of Rijeka for many different reasons. One among many things is the huge rock slope that penetrates the interior of the stadium making it on of the most unique stadiums in the world.
Navigating a challenging task, our team tackled the expansive coastal area and steep terrain. The first precondition was to rotate the stadium by 90 degrees for improved TV broadcasting sun alignment. Alongside the stadium, we envisioned an underground shopping mall, garage, a 5-star hotel, and three residential towers. Various public spaces and ramps connecting different levels were integrated into the plan, forming a continuous coastal expanse. The project, if conditions and agreements align, could become one of Croatia’s msot significant construction endeavors.
Leveraging Archicad and Rhinoceros, our team aimed for an iconic form. My specific responasbiltiy involved schematic design for the entire complex and creating base programmatic scheme, and also assting the arch viz team with 3d renderings. By carefully working between Grasshopper and Archicad we were able to create an architectural language that harmonizes various programs and spatial connections. Given the stadium’s significance, we aimed to achieve a fluid, wave like form, descending to open up a sea view for spectators.
