The initiator is the stonemasonry school Klesarska Škola on the limestone island of Brač together with the Oris House of Architecture in Zagreb
The Tripun Bokanić Awards were staged for the 3rd time in Croatia. They award projects in the categories of architecture, design, preservation of monuments, and in other thematic areas in which natural stone appears in an extraordinary way. The initiator of the award is the School of Stonemasonry on the limestone island of Brač together with the Oris House of Architecture in Zagreb.
There are five categories, and the jury likes to take the liberty of not awarding a prize in one category. It consisted of Nikola Bašić (dipl. ing. arh., F.C.A.), Dinko Kovačić (dipl. ing. arh., F.C.A.), Professor Nenad Fabijanić (dipl. ing. arh.) and Zdravko Matijašić (master stonemason).
Below we present the awarded projects for 2023, give the laudation of the jury and show photos from the award ceremony.
The Klesarska Škola stonemasonry school in the village of Pučišća in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2019. At that time, there were great celebrations and, among other things, a stonemason symposium and the first awarding of the prize commemorating the Renaissance stonemason and architect Tripun Bokanić. He created numerous imposing structures in Dalmatia, such as the clerestory in the bell tower of the cathedral in Trogir, the stone altar in the church of St. Mary in Zadar, and the altar in a church in the town of Hvar from 1605. The head of the school is Tamara Plastić, who tirelessly strives to cultivate the craft of stonemasonry.
Stone Masonry School Klesarska Škola
In the architecture category there were 14 entries; 3 prizes were awarded:
(Photo above) Studio Ante Murales / Ante Nikša Bilić for the Emotheo Heritage Hotel project, Imotski, Croatia: This architectural achievement reinforces the argument that true interpolation superimposes values. In this case, this is enhanced by the stone sculpture of the new façade as a record of both place and time. The impression of stone voluminosity is achieved through technology that is subordinated to the conditions of modern construction. This realization contributes to those efforts in which the combination of the old and the new is expressed in unobtrusive elegance.
Ira Rechner Šustar, Tatjana Baković Kukoč and Enija Kukoč for the renovation project of the grand courtyard of the Old Town of Zrinski, Kraljevica, Croatia. With this award, the jury accentuated the requalification of the historical environment that was approached through a subtle reading of the architectural stratigraphy. With respect and restraint, the regard for heritage successfully resisted the temptation of the authorial competition with the historical substrate. In the exposure of historical layers and the ambient rehabilitation of the space, both stone and concrete harmoniously contribute to the overall design and semantic character of the project.
Neno Kezić, Nora Roje, Emil Šverko for the Hotel Ambasador, Split, Croatia: After many years of apprehension, the long-awaited Hotel Ambasador materialised as a pleasant surprise. Its airiness and contemporary elegance create a companionship with the environment and present a harmonious contribution to the Split vista. This harmony, achieved by the articulation of the volume and its height graduation, is greatly enhanced by the skilful use of the Brač stone, applied in all its variety of textures. The rhythmic articulation of the façade is defined by the module and grid of horizontal and vertical lines of stone ties, which vary depending on the nature of the hotel facilities’ interior spaces. The stone, in the form of massive grid claddings, contrasts with the smooth surfaces of stone fillings. The structures and textures of stone processing result in the effect of glass plate negatives in the design of the façade. Expert application of architectural principles is evident in the details of corners, eaves, footings and cornices.
In the restoration category, the jury did not bestow the prize.
In the category product design, or individual architectural or decorative element there were 3 entries, and the award went to Srđan Lukšić for the Lukšić and Rendić family tomb: A convincing and the only possible choice of material in view of the location, tradition and design patterns in stone resulted in skilful and discreet messages and symbols, subtle mouldings, measured but non-standard tomb dimensions and a uniform treatment of surfaces. The inspiration is evident in the stone cuts and cracks of various dilations and technologies. The graphic design of the family inscription is a subtle complement and the bearer of the entire composition. A controlled work without the usual modern art pathos.
In the category of educational, curatorial, non-fiction, critical, scientific and theoretical work, there was only one entry, and the award was given to Goran Nikšić for the monography Marko Andrijić egregius et prudens magister (published by the City of Korčula and the Ivan Vidali City Library, Korčula): After more than 40 years of studying Korčula’s urbanistic and architectural-sculptural themes, Goran Nikšić has produced a monograph on the most important Korčula artist, Marko Andrijić. The author meticulously interprets the master’s famous masterpieces, i.e. the completion of the campanile and ciborium of the St. Mark’s Cathedral, presents them in the light of numerous new archival and field findings, and compellingly contextualizes them in the Mediterranean realm of the late Middle Ages.
The category of design of stone souvenirs received 3 entries. The jury did not bestow an award.
The special recognition for the contribution to Croatian stone architecture went to the Portuguese architect and Pritzker Prize Laureate Álvaro Siza for the Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Miljana, Croatia: The monolithic, almost completely closed volume lined with sandstone blocks is built into the slope on the highest part of the estate of the baroque Miljana castle. The closedness towards its surroundings indicates the aesthetic introversion of the chapel itself. However, in order to create a transition between the natural and the built, artificial environment, the architect designed a terrace, a piazzetta, with a view of the hilly Hrvatsko Zagorje region and the mountain ranges in the background. The strict purity of the author’s approach recalls early Christian churches, where the past becomes immanent in the present. With his rounded personal poetics, Álvaro Siza created a sacred space in Miljana that is as much individual as it is universal. The award was accepted by Rodrigo Lobo d’Ávila, the First Secretary of the Portuguese Embassy in Croatia.
Texts by Vera Grimmer.
(30.07.2023, USA: 07.31.2023)
