3LHD architects

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Biography

3LHD is an interdisciplinary architects practice founded in Zagreb in 1994 by a team of Croatian architects Saša Begović (born Bjelovar, 1967), Marko Dabrović (Dubrovnik, 1969), Tatjana Grozdanić Begović (Zagreb, 1968) and Silvije Novak (Rijeka, 1971).
At the time of its launch, three of the four partners were still students at the Faculty of Architecture, Zagreb during a time of political and economical transition. The country became independent in 1991, and joined the United Nations and EU in the following two years.
All the partners graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb.

Paula Kukuljica (Oakville, Canada, 1976) also joined the practice in 2016.
3LHD partners are visiting professors at institutions throughout the world and currently are members of the Faculty of Architecture at Zagreb and Split universities.
In their architectural work, the practice focuses on integrating various functional aspects into their work which ranges from urban or rural landscape projects to design, including graphics and various art forms.
The practice is oriented towards society in all its many forms, from the point of view of continually changing behavior and lifestyle parameters.

Responsible for designing numerous public projects, principally in Croatia, 3LHD is noted "for their simplicity and visually contemporary aspect of architectural design".
This approach led to a series of construction projects primarily in Croatia but also in other countries including China.
3LHD gained international recognition in 2001 with the multi-award winning Memorial Bridge in Rijeka (Most Hrvatskih Branitelja in Croatian). This highly symbolic pedestrian bridge is dedicated to Croatian veterans. It is a "place of remembrance and respect, but also a place for meeting and socializing".

Consisting of a single 150 tonne steel structure, manufactured in a local shipyard and transported by sea on a specially designed barge, the bridge is designed in an L-shape with a thin (65cm) slab as the walkway and imposing vertical end sections which emphasize its commemorative aspect.

Villa Klara, constructed in 2001 and designed 4 years previously, as was the Memorial Bridge, has also received widespread acclaim and numerous awards. Located in the countryside on the slopes of the attractive Cmrok Hill, Villa Klara is a family home particularly adapted to the exceptionally steep terrain. Instead of the usual ground/first floor and public/private areas, the house features a series of linked units perfectly integrated into the surrounding landscape.
3LHD Architects have taken part in major international exhibitions such as Expo 2005 in Japan and Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, where the Croatian design studio created pavilions for its own nation.
In 2010 the practice represented Croatia at the Venice Biennale with an impressive floating pavilion. Constructed of 32 tonnes of steel mesh, the 42 layers of weldmesh create a structure which measures 19 x 9 x 5.5m. From a distance the structure seems compact but as you approach and enter, its lightweight, ephemeral design becomes apparent.

3LHD also took part in ‘Mare Nostrum’, an exhibition at the second Rotterdam International Biennale (2007) and the collective exhibition “New trajectories: Contemporary Architecture in Croatia and Slovenia” held at Harvard University, near Boston (2008).
Their numerous hotel projects include the Lone Hotel, Rovinj (2010), major renovation of Dubrovnik Palace Hotel (2014) and Adriatic Hotel in Rovinj (2015), and the recent LN Garden Hotel in the southern province of Guangdong in China (2018).
Other projects include Riva Waterfront, Split, Bale Sports Hall, Istria, Zamet Center, Rijeka and Zagreb Dance Center, Zagreb.

3LHD Architects have won prestigious international awards for their work including an award for best building in the Sports category at the first World Architecture Festival WAF 2008, IOC/IAKS Bronze Medal Award 2009, IOC/IAKS Silver Medal Award 2011, AR Emerging Architecture Award (UK), ID Magazine Award (USA) and Croatian Professional Awards. In 2012 the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipović, presented an award to 3LHD design studio for their outstanding contribution to contemporary architecture in Croatia and overseas.
 
3LHD Architects selected works and projects
 
- Grand Park Hotel, Rovigno (Croazia), 2019
- Hotel LN Garden, Canton (Cina), 2018
- Stadio e Centro sportivo e ricreativo, Đurđevac (Croazia) 2018              
- Complesso residenziale Blok Bužanova, Zagabria (Croazia), 2018
- ResoLution Signature Restaurant, Rovigno (Croazia), 2017
- ACI Marina, Rovigno (Croazia), 2016
- Ristrutturazione Hotel Adriatic, Rovigno (Croazia) 2015
- Ristrutturazione Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Dubrovnik (Croazia) 2014     
- Amarin Holiday Apartments, Rovigno (Croazia), 2013
- Lone Outdoor Pool, Rovigno (Croazia), 2013
- Park Muzil, Pola (Croazia), 2011
- Hotel Lone, Rovigno (Croazia), 2010
- Ski Restaurant Raduša, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje (Bosnia-Erzegovina), 2011
- Port Lands Sports Centre, Toronto (Canada), 2010
- Green Pavilion Restaurant, Zagabria (Croazia), 2010 - in corso
- Zamet Centre, Fiume (Croazia), 2009
- Zagreb Dance Centre, Zagabria (Croazia), 2009
- Spaladium Arena, Spalato (Croazia), 2009
- Sv Vid Housing, Rovigno (Croazia), 2008
- Sports Hall Bale, Bale (Croazia), 2007
- Kozala Square and Service Building, Fiume (Croazia), 2007
- Riva Split Waterfront, Spalato (Croazia), 2007
- House J2, Zagabria (Croazia), 2007
- Bus Terminal Žabica, Fiume (Croazia), 2005
- Croatian Pavilion EXPO 2005, Aichi (Cina), 2005
- Villa Klara, Zagabria (Croazia), 2001
- Memorial Bridge, Fiume (Croazia), 2001
 
Official website:
 
www.3lhd.com

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Interview

The young studio 3LHD architects talks about the interaction between regional architecture and contemporary movements in worldwide architecture and how it effected 3LHD main projects.
Interview by Flores Zanchi

1 - Talking about the contemporary Croatian architecture, do you think it is possible to identify a contemporary Croatian style and do you think 3LHD works in this direction?

We don’t think that styles are so important nowadays. Still, in the last 20 years, we can say that group of new contemporary Croatian architects emerges on our architectural scene with some of the most important realizations mainly in the public sector and housing. Participation of those emerging architects in lecturing on international universities, in competitions and publications, receiving international awards and recognitions are best proof of its quality and recognizable specificities. Maybe, it’s worth mentioning that very strong modernist tradition is always a source of inspiration as well as local regional architecture and of course being up to date with contemporary movements in world architecture.

2 - Recently 3LHD architects have completed the Hotel Lone located in Monte Mulini forest park, one of the most attractive tourist area of Croatia. Would you tell us something about the building? Which are its features?

Hotel Lone is the first design hotel in Croatia, situated in Rovinj’s most attractive tourist zone, in a unique and protected region of the Monte Mulini forest. The hotel has 236 rooms and 12 suites, 16 rooms offer an exclusive experience of a private massage pool built in the room's terrace. There are three hotel restaurants, two bars, a jazz club and a mini club. One of the characteristics of the hotel is a high-quality conference center as well as a Mediterranean-inspired wellness spa.
The hotel was designed taught by the experience and the highly successful collaboration of Croatian architects, product designers and artists from the 1970s generation, this time by a team of new generation Croatian creatives comprised of architects, conceptual artists, product, fashion and graphic designers. This was a great opportunity to promote worldwide Croatian creativity, especially since all designers and artist involved in the project are already internationally recognized.
In addition to the overall architecture, the interiors and the furniture were designed and chosen especially for the hotel in order to achieve a distinct and recognizable identity. The designers from Numen / For Use designed the furniture. The fashion studio I-GLE designed the staff uniforms and other textiles. Artist Silvio Vujičić created graphics on fabrics for the rooms. Installations in the hotel lobby were made by a group of innovative artists: Ivana Franke - "Room for running ghosts"; Silvio Vujičić - "In the hanging garden no one speaks" and the fashion studio I-GLE - textile compositions No1, No2, No3. Studio92 designed the Wellness & Spa center, while Studio Kappo did Landscape design. The agency Bruketa & Žinić OM conceived and oversaw the visual identity of the hotel.
The site's complex terrain determined the specific Y shaped ground plan which enabled a functional organizational scheme; quality views from all rooms and the grouping of public facilities around a vertical lobby that connects common spaces on all levels, creating a central volume of impressive height and scale where all vital functions of the hotel take place. Surrounding ambiance is the hotel’s signature visual element which also defined all views of the interior. The ambient light and Mediterranean greenery reflects on the glossy surfaces of ceilings in public areas and on the mirrored panels on the walls in the rooms, pulling them deeply into the interior and intensifying the effect of the surrounding plants.

3 - One of your on board project is the Green Pavillion Restaurant in Zagreb. The idea behind the project brings out the high quality of the existing vegetation. Can you describe in detail what the project is about?

This is actually the project for Canteen of Agriculture and Forestry University in Zagreb. The most important element and the inspiration for this project is the location itself, with extremely high quality existing vegetation, which is densely distributed throughout the plot and gradually diluted out toward the eastern edge. The idea of the new Pavilion / Restaurant is to construct a space by mapping the area of high quality trees and to define the remaining territory for construction. By raising this "cut" green territory in the air the space “below” is created. The basic formal and functional element and a seasonal regulator of light is so-called “vegetative” canopy that has been formed along the entire roof edge around the whole building.
The large entrance atrium is the main entrance Plaza, a meeting place, an open terrace and a main entrance to all building spaces. Two main restaurants (canteen and a’la carte) are located next to two main building atriums. The canteen space is oriented to the Forest Park and the sliding doors enable its expansion to the outside environment. The Students association offices and the multifunctional Hall are part of the eastern volume, thus allowing the pavilion to be built in phases.
The small temporary buildings and greenhouses that have always been present throughout the campus as part of the faculty culture have served as inspiration for the accommodation units with ten apartments which have been incorporated into the project concept. The apartments are designed as freestanding volumes raised up on the roof for privacy. Zones with different plants which may also serve educational purposes were formed around the apartments, on the roof surface.
The idea is to create a sustainable house, which will contribute to the environment in every respect - with building materials, construction and structure. In designing, a special significance is given to natural lighting and natural space ventilation, which further reduces the energy requirements for artificial lighting, heating and cooling. The roof and its oversized vegetative canopy are excellent regulators of heat, a thick protective cover that keeps the house from cold in winter and heat in summer.


4 - 3LHD is a collaborative architectural studio which guests several collaborators from different fields and backgrounds. How do you manage the team work and which are the features of working in a collaborative atmosphere?

The most important thing in our practice is a team work. From a beginning we were working as a 4 equal partners. Now when office has 25 people, we are forming different creative teams depending on the projects and always bringing in creatives from different disciplines to contribute to the main idea. Negotiation, tolerance and low ego must be the main recipe to success in a team work. Creating good atmosphere for every project is essential, and people are much more important than ideas. Great ideas will always occur in this kind of creative and dynamic environment. Most of our projects, Memorial Bridge, Croatian Pavilions on EXPO in Japan/Spain, Riva Split Waterfront, Zamet Centre, Zagreb Dance Centre and finally Lone Hotel, include a large number of creative collaborators, people of different professions, areas of activity and affinity, construction engineers, light specialist, product, fashion and graphic designers, artists.

5 - What projects is 3LHD working on at this moment? Could you please tell us a bit about your current activity?

After the successful completion and opening of the hotel Lone, 3LHD is still working on projects in Rovinj, which include reconstruction of existing hotels in Monte Mulini zone and a new project of Tourist Apartments Resort Amarin.
Current project list also includes a bus terminal Zabica soon to be built in Rijeka, a residential project 4 Towers and Business Centre Miramare, both in Zagreb, as well as already mentioned Green Pavilion Restaurant, a competition project we won last year.
Another large project currently on board is a project for Toronto Port Lands Sports Centre in Canada, ice arena for 4 hockey fields at the site of the old harbour area. The project is very specific since it has a vertical structure in which hockey rinks are located one above the other. Currently the project is on hold.

Photo by
Aljosa Brajdic
Sandro Lendler
Damir Fabijanic
Domagoj Blazevic
Cat Vinton