GOLI OTOK

Place Of Parley | Congress Center

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The Croatian island of Goli Otok, also known as 'Naked Island', served as a prison island until the fall of Yugoslavia. Since its closure, there have been ongoing discussions regarding the island's future use. As part of last year's design studio, we were tasked with designing a congress center on the site.

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The concept of "arrival" plays a central role in my design. All visitors arrive at the southeastern bay and walk toward the square where the former production halls were located. From there, I extended the axis of the street toward two water basins, using the space between them as the building site.
The design features two towers, each 40m long, 10m wide, and approximately 90m high. Both towers are aligned with the eastern and western water basins, respectively. These towers represent two opposing parties. Furthermore, it was important to me that the towers reach a certain height to ensure they are immediately recognizable from neighboring islands.

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Approximately half of the access path is carved into the rock, giving visitors the impression of walking through a trench. Both towers are situated within this trench. Since they are constructed without visible pillars, they appear to hover freely. This creates an oppressive atmosphere intended to evoke the island's dark history.

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WEITERFÜHRENDER LINK | WEBSITE GRADNJA: https://www.gradnja.rs/goli-otok-postaje-kongresni-centar/