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  COME VEDERE L'ARCHITETTURA CONTEMPORANEA HOW TO SEE CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
COME VEDERE L'ARCHITETTURA CONTEMPORANEA HOW TO SEE CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
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BUILDING
 
 
Aquatika
Karlovac Freshwater Aquarium and River Museum
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DESIGNER
 
 
3LHD
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CONTEXT
 
Relationship with the location
3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, Palijan
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DESCRIPTION
 
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3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, PalijanThe Karlovac freshwater aquarium is located on a site of a planned campsite by the river Korana. The building volume is partially dug into the ground and covered with earthen embankments from its outer edges. The design concept was inspired by the city’s historic center “Karlovac star” surrounded by “Šanci” – defensive earthen walls and mounds. The goal was to form a new city focal point on the right side of Korana River, to validate the promenade and make a new tourist attraction. A public square area is defined by the aquarium building surrounding it. The main pedestrian routes intercept it in three main directions: western towards the city center and the promenade, southern towards the neighboring polyvalent area used for concerts and eastern towards the main road approach and the stadium. The aquarium facilities are hidden around the square without disturbing the natural Korana valley.

3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, PalijanAll three parts of the aquarium building can be entered from the square: the exhibition, the reading room with a cafe bar and the office spaces. Each part has only one façade – the one oriented towards the square. The facades oriented towards the plot edges are “invisible”, their back sides and roofs are covered with earthen material and act as part of the park, playgrounds and walkways. Green roof gardens “hide” the building and preserve the natural landscape on the right Korana bank. All three parts of the building can function as separate facilities or all together as integral parts of the aquarium exhibition. The square is the starting point of the aquarium exhibition with a water surface that symbolizes the source of the karst river.

The aquarium exhibition displays the flora and fauna of Croatian rivers and their ecosystems, geological history, traditional culture and history of the four rivers of the Karlovac basin. The display layout follows the flow of a typical karst river – together with its flora, fauna and biodiversity. The exhibition starts outside, on the square. It continues inside the building with a system of ramps that wind like a river down into the basement level because specific plant and animal species require complete control of lighting conditions in order to survive. The exhibition layout linearly shows the different river habitats from its source to mouth, tracing its entire flow. Aquariums are placed along, above and below the visitor paths. Along the pedestrian ramps the fish are first observed from above, as they are when walking along the river; and then from the sides - they can be seen below the water surface. The visitors listen to the sounds of the flowing river, simultaneously going down the ramp system and following the river as it flows. After the headwaters (upper part of a river) the sounds quiet down, visitors plunge into caves that feature endemic species which are, in nature, often found in subterranean streams. The space expands, lighting comes from the tanks, and visitors can take a break in the central area, lay down on cushions, listen to the sounds recorded in caves, and observe the exhibited endemic species. After the cave, the visitors arrive to an aquarium with larger specimens of rare species that have disappeared from their natural habitats in Croatia. The symbolic river emerges from the underground to the surface. The visitors can observe the fish and aquatic plants that live in warmer parts of the riverbed. The aquariums are seen from the side, and then from underneath as the visitors walk into a tunnel that evokes immersion into a river. After the tunnel, visitors pass through a series of aquariums with water lilies and rushes usually present downstream, in the marshy habitats of a river. The exhibition ends with a system of cascading aquariums whose biotopes display waterfalls and a travertine barrier.

3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, PalijanFinally, a stairway and an elevator return the visitors to the entrance hall through the gift shop. A space for analysis of the technological parameters of water, a scientific research center and fish acclimatization spaces are located in the center of the layout.

Karlovac freshwater aquarium is a tourist attraction based on the bio-diversity of Karlovac rivers and lakes and the rich tradition of life on the rivers Kupa, Korana, Mrežnica and Dobra. It is co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund under the “Regional Competitiveness” 2007-20013 Operational Programme. The total value of the project is 36.691.939,28 Kuna’s, of which the grant from the European Regional Development Fund is 36,222,282.45 Kuna’s.
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3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, Palijan
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LOCATION
 
Continent
Europe
Nation
Croatia [Hrvatska]
Region
Karlovac
Town
Karlovac
Address
Gornje Mekušje
 
 
Website
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MAP
 
 
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TYPOLOGY
 
ARCHITECTURE
Museums and buildings for exhibitions
Natural history museums
Architecture of parklands and water
Aquariums
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CHRONOLOGY
 
Project
2013 - 2015    
Realisation
2015 - 2016
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CLIENT
 
 
City of Karlovac
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AMOUNT
 
 
€ 4,800,000
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DIMENSIONAL
DATA
 
Surface
site sq.m. 8,327
size sq.m. 2,915
footprint sq.m. 1,939
Volume
m3 12,068
Difference in height
MASL 112,30
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STRUCTURES
 
 
Ivan Palijan, Siniša Lulić
Palijan d.o.o.
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN
 
 
Luka Brnić (Uređenje krajobraza d.o.o.), Ines Hrdalo
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STAFF
 
Design team
Saša Begović, Marko Dabrović, Tatjana Grozdanić Begović, Silvije Novak, Irena Mažer Hranuelli, Vibor Granić, Deša Ucović, Ivana Šajn, Nevena Kuzmanić, Romana Ilić
Water engineering
Nenad Šutevski
Vodotehnika d.d.
(aquarium technology)
Hydraulic engineer
Tomislav Fujs
Vodotehnika d.d.
Electrical engineer
Erol Čičić, Antonio Praničević
Projekting 1970
Mechanical engineer
Zlatko Jakoplić
Ured 3T d.o.o.
Vertical transportation
Rok Pietri
Lift Modus d.o.o.
Physical engineering
Mateo Biluš
AKFZ studio d.o.o.
Fire safety
Nadan Kosanović
ING Labos
Plastic models, rendering, visualization
Boris Goreta
Graphics and signage
Bilić_Muller Studio
Dora Bilić, Tina Müller
Specialist consultant
Dražen Oraić
Hrvatski Veterinarski Institut
(Fish protection project)
Acoustical consultant
Franjo Jović
Tehnoekspert
(Aquarium technology project)
Exhibition design
Dora Bilić, Tina Mueller
Bilić_Müller Studio
Consulente per il colore e per la grafica
Dora Bilić, Tina Mueller
Bilić_Müller Studio
(Graphic design of the exhibition)

Ana Rako and Bilić_Müller Studio
(Educational wall illustration and design)
Decorating
Igor Lenard
(Artificial rock)
Audiovisual design
Miodrag Gladović
AVC
Lighting design
Petra Bašić, Petar Pintar
Aquatic design
General contractor
AB Gradnja d.o.o
ENA d.o.o.
KGH d.o.o.
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CREDITS
 
 
Photos © Jure Zivkovic, Miljenko Bernfest
Drawings © 3LHD
Text edited by 3LHD
Courtesy of 3LHD

3LHD, Aquatika, Karlovac, Croatia, Freshwater Aquarium, River Museum, Palijan



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