• Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

  • Jure Živković

    Jure Živković

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3LHD create office space from former Croatian cinema

Urania: the project integrated new cultural spaces into the existing historic fabric, converting the building into a new office and public space

by Georgina Johnston 15 September 2020

Urania Cinema/Theatre is one of numerous old cinema buildings built in the city of Zagreb in the early 20th century. Cinemas were spread within the urban blocks across Zagreb’s Downtown, though with the opening of new and modern multiplex theatres 20 years ago, the old Zagreb cinemas have gradually started to die out, and the buildings, neglected and empty, started to deteriorate. The transformation of this building was done by thorough research, excavation, adding, and connecting spaces that will support communication and exchange between its occupants and the neighbouring community.

The old Urania cinema is a typical back-building in the block of Kvaternik Square. Although built in 1939, the entire concrete structure of the building has been well preserved with all the supporting pillars, the main arches in the large hall and all the ceilings. The ceilings are a special example as one of the first concrete structures with longitudinal repetitive narrow structural ribs from that period; this example of early concrete engineering technology was worth preserving, restoring and renovating.

The design kept in three of the four original building volumes; the three storey entrance foyer and office building, the big lobby and the spectacular main double height cinema hall. The only new addition is the glass pavilion, which originally served as an entrance space of the cinema.

The former cinema hall had a basilica cross-section with a nine metre high central volume and two three-metre high side aisles. The biggest challenge was converting this space without any natural light into a functional workspace. During the reconstruction the central volume was divided into two floors. Light was introduced into the ground floor by converting the old cinema halls side aisles into open atriums. On the first floor, the light was provided through the roof, three metre wide skylights were placed on the roof, through the entire length of the hall.

Most of the original structural materials have been retained with minimal intervention, original brick walls, raw plaster, concrete on floors and ceilings; while all new equipment is made of three materials; oak for floors and spruce veneer and raw steel for wall cladding and interior finishings.

The new Urania houses public spaces for various cultural events and a couple of office spaces. A multipurpose hall equipped with multimedia and stands is connected to a café bar with a patio and a roof terrace. It will be a point of social gathering and public activities, as well as a space for numerous events such as educational workshops, presentations, exhibitions, concerts, screenings and the like. 


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