The Fantastic Forest Phenomenon

The City of Karlovac initiated the urban transformation of the former Luščić military barracks through the international Europan competition in 2019. Our winning proposal envisioned a hybrid urban-natural habitat, where the decision to preserve and activate the existing forest on the site became the primary design driver. On a wider scale, the site marks the termination of the city’s main urban axis, connecting the historic city center Zvijezda with the newly planned neighbourhood. Rather than concluding the axis with an emphasis on built form, our proposal allows it to dissolve into the landscape.

The project is conceived as a system rather than a series of fixed objects, allowing for future adaptation to the changing needs of the contemporary metropolis. Public programs – education, sports, and entrepreneurship – are connected by a network of public spaces set within the forest-like landscape, while housing is placed in slender towers rising within the tree canopy. A planned circular management of materials and resources ensures a degree of self-sufficiency and energy independence, positioning the site as an arena for experimentation in sustainable and productive spatial practices.

The first-prize competition entry was later implemented in the Urban Development Plan (UPU) Luščić-Centre, prepared in collaboration with Urbanistica from Zagreb, as well as experts from the City of Karlovac and the Europan advisory committee. The planning process also included a participatory approach, involving the wider public. The entire project – encompassing both the competition proposal and its implementation in the urban plan – was shortlisted for the New European Bauhaus Awards 2021 in the “Rising Starsˮ category.