The interior of RiHub, designed by Ana Boljar and Ida Križaj Leko, has been nominated for the Croatian Architects’ Association annual Bernardo Bernardi Award.
In the words of the designers, RiHub is one of the renovated infrastructure points envisioned as the operational hub of the RIJEKA 2020 Company. At the same time, this is also the most important meeting place where citizens can be introduced to the European Capital of Culture project and exchange ideas, socialise and establish cooperation and new contacts. – In terms of renovated infrastructure provided “by the citizens – for the citizens“, which is adamant that culture can transform the city and that the event can shape its architecture, this project is practically an architectural and programmatic relict on a Croatian and a larger scale. There is something gloriously enthusiastic, college-like and idealistic in this notion, which this city, as a last resort, genuinely fosters and RiHub tries to give a home, the designers Boljar and Križaj Leko pointed out for the portal vizkultura.hr.
Among other things, RiHub is a place where important decisions about the city are made, due to the efforts of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture Citizens’ Council. They make decisions and plans regarding the activities of the projects submitted for the Civil Initiative and Green Wave projects, whose aim is to take concrete measures or solve the problems and improve the living conditions of the residents of Rijeka and involve them in the decision-making processes. In light of strengthening the community, RiHub also opens its doors to potential partners requiring a high-quality space for their own programmes – presentations, conferences and/or seminars.
Let us go back to the 2018 Annual Croatian Architects’ Works Exhibition, where the works were evaluated by an expert panel, this time comprising the international guests Maruša Zorec (Slovenia), Pippo Ciorra (Italy) and Vedran Mimica (USA), as well as the Croatian members of the Expert Council of the Croatian Architects’ Association Ana Šverko, Maroje Mrduljaš and the coordinator Ana Mrđa. A total of 64 original works were submitted for the 2018 Annual Croatian Architects’ Works Exhibition, all of which will be displayed in Rijeka.
It should be noted that the annual exhibition and the Croatian Architects’ Association award ceremony will be held outside Zagreb for the first time, with the Delta in Rijeka as the new venue. The entire event is being co-produced with the Rijeka Architects’ Association (DAR) and DeltaLab, as well as the Sweet & Salt flagship, which is part of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture project. The opening of the exhibition, as well as the award ceremony, is scheduled for 28 March at the IVEX building at 5 Delta. The exhibition will be open until 28 April.
As residents of RiHub, we are proud of the nomination and we congratulate Ana and Ida, in the hope that the Bernardo Bernardi Award will find its place at the former location of Bernardi and the present home of RiHub. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!
Photo: Jure Živković
