Hotel Salona Palace

The location is on the edge of the Archeological park Salona, area where was Roman city of 60.000 inhabitants. Area has strict heritage protection rules. The building program was hotel with all amenities which will be also used for conferences and daytime visitors of the archeological park. The requirement was to blend in the volume of the hotel with the surrounding topography and landscape.

The site topography is concave shape with olive trees on the lower area. The idea was to create building which "sits" on the existing terrain and at the same time "hovering" above it. The "extruded cross"shape of the building plan is shaped to accommodate hotel program and to reflect historic archeological findings nearby in the form of early christian basilicas and churches. This volume resides with its three edges on the terrain and fourth edge is cantilevered over the olive trees facing south and the view. This has as a result flow of the space from the back of the building, underneath it, towards south and landscape. The square plan base is glass box facing the outdoor pool and creates base of the building. This also references minimal contact with the site (allowing potential excavations and findings). The aim was to create form which is "archetypical" instead of "leisurely".

As the building is created as a cross shaped volume, the materiality and perforation is according to this aim. Cross volume is concrete wall with perforations focusing the views and providing privacy of the guests. Lower base is glass box accommodating spa and indoor pool and connection to the outside pool and landscape. All surrounding is treated as original cascade terrain with landscaped garden.