Bruno Raškaj wins first prize at the GAD Awards 21 with ‘Reliquiae Reliquiarum’

The diploma project by Bruno Raškaj, supervised by Petra Petersson (Institute of Construction and Design Principles), deals with the hidden potential of an abandoned silk factory in Zagreb and develops a renewal concept in the urban context of the Trešnjevka district. The proposition provides for the integration of a cultural center into the existing ruin structure. Raškaj’s retrospective concept lay the focus on placing the load-bearing structure in both the main building and the surrounding ruin park which were independent before. This results in a poetic relationship between the interior and the outside that seemingly removes the boundary between the old and the new. The jury, consisting of Jeannette Kuo (Harvard GSD/Karamuk Kuo, Zurich), Vera Bühlmann (TU Vienna) und Irmgard Frank (Vienna), in their statements highlighted the relevance of the project with regard to social and ecological sustainability, the thorough research on industrial architecture, as well as the sensitive development of the project on different scales.

The 1st prize was donated by the Styrian Provincial Government, Department 16 for Transport and Building Construction – Specialist Team for Building Culture. The jury statement and further information on the project can be found on the GAD Awards 21  website.