Currently a large parking
area for residents and visitors of Slovene seaside town Piran,
the site is characterized by its elongated shape and narrow
northern and southern mouths. At its widest, it measures 60
meters. The existing buildings on its northern edge form a
nice arc shape, but have no protection from the summer sun.
To counter that and ensure an optimal urban effect, the concept
introduces two promenades: a shady and a sunny one. Shady
promenade, a double line of plane trees, also comprises car
and bicycle access. It provides a pleasant urban ambient next
to the existing buildings in the summer, at the same time
it diverts all traffic away from the seaside. In winter, softer
sunlight can warm the buildings behind through leafless trees.
Sunny promenade changes its function according to season:
in the summer, its forms the axis of beach activities, in
the winter, most of the pedestrian traffic diverts here. The
area between the promenades is conceived as a dynamic series
of slanted grass-covered triangular fields, connected by a
grid of paths. In the summer, most of them serve as public
beach, in winter as a public park. A large playground is arranged
in the northern part. Along the shore, a series of wooden
piers are connected by a gravel beach for comfortable sea
access, leading to a small local port in the southern part
of the site. The gaps in existing row of buildings are filled
with a small three volume hotel in the north and a mixed use
building in the south. In the middle, a new square serves
as access to the park house in the back. The northern edge
of the site comprises a park, a residents parking area and
a marine research and education centre. |