Fran Krsto Frankopan Elementary School

Located on the island of the same name, Krk is a historical city with some 3300 inhabitants. The decision about the location of the elementary school was a very important one with the options being to move it to a more accessible site on the periphery or to keep it at the original position in the centre of the medieval town.
The Mayor involved the City Council in the debate, engaging practically the whole community in a process that resulted in the decision to construct the school in a more complex location, but one that has recognisable character. Thus the school is situated on a northeast corner of the medieval town. Given the scale of the intervention – the 3900 m² school with its 20 classrooms is clearly the largest volume in the city – the project clearly has a marked urban character.

The first issue concerning the positioning of the school was its relation within the urban matrix. The initial idea was to erase the borders between the public space and school areas, making the school a part of the city. Street and square are transformed within the school territory: with the gym on the other side, the school opens to the street with the main entrance, the library and the restaurant, making the street part of the school courtyard.

The second important element was the relation to the city’s medieval wall. The construction of the school occurred simultaneously with the reconstruction of the wall and archaeological excavations. The building floor plan recesses from the wall and follows the topography of the terrain while adapting to the city skyline. The monument preservation department played a critical role in the realisation of the project.