July 10, 2025 | 5:30 PM
07/25
Ivana Šajn
/ 3LHD /
Silvije Novak
/ 3LHD /
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Cities are not shaped only by monumental buildings but also by the infrastructure that guides people’s everyday lives. That’s precisely why Rijeka’s Žabica Bus Terminal is much more than a transportation hub: it is an urban node, a catalyst for transformation, and an architectural statement on how infrastructure can redefine a city.
As part of the Sustainable Hour program, taking place at Urania – Space of Creation, on Thursday, July 10th at 5:30 PM, Silvije Novak and Ivana Šajn from the 3LHD studio—one of Croatia’s most influential architectural offices—will present the Žabica Bus Terminal project.
Project Žabica has a history spanning two decades. Initially awarded first prize in an architectural competition back in 2005, it is now finally moving toward realization. Its architecture doesn’t merely solve the need for new bus platforms and a garage; it directly engages in urban regeneration of an area that for centuries was closed off to citizens—the port zone of Rijeka between the railway station and the maritime terminal.
The new building, stretching 225 meters in length, carries the robust presence of port warehouses, while its height and internal organization fit the urban scale of the city. Its volume encompasses a bus terminal with 14 platforms, a public garage for over 800 vehicles, retail spaces, hospitality venues, as well as business and public facilities that ensure the building remains active throughout the day. Such a hybrid typology reflects a contemporary understanding of infrastructure—not merely as a functional object but as an urban generator of life.
Silvije Novak, born in Rijeka, is one of the project’s original authors, while Ivana Šajn is leading its current phase of realization. A particularly significant aspect of this project is that it will be the first 3LHD project to be certified according to the DGNB standard for sustainable construction. This makes Žabica a symbol not only of urban development but also of an ecological shift in how Croatia designs its public spaces.
Žabica is not merely a bus terminal: it is a strategic intervention that redefines the city center, opens the port to the citizens, and creates a new perspective on public space. Its construction will also free up the Rijeka waterfront, currently burdened by parking areas, paving the way for open, accessible, and human-centered urban spaces.
The lecture at Urania will reveal not only the technical and design aspects of this monumental project but also the complex circumstances of urban planning, political decisions, and the long process that lies behind any architectural intervention in the urban fabric.
Žabica Bus Terminal raises a crucial question: Can an infrastructure project be architecture that transforms urban daily life, redefines public space, and contributes to a sustainable future for the city?
Irena Križ Šelendić
Branimir Šegotić
Velimir Dvorščak
Tomislav Stašić
Dražen Pomper
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Prof. Kristian Jambrošić, PhD
Prof. Antonio Petošić, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Marko Horvat, PhD
Prof. Zoran Veršić, PhD
Mateja Nosil Mešić
Bojan Borko
Romana Ilić
doc. art. Mateo Biluš
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Alan Kostrenčić, PhD
Ivana Tutek, PhD
Maja Stanić
Eli Kodnik
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Aida Riđanović
Helena Matuša
Milan Koštro
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Kaja Šprljan Bušić
Ines Hrdalo
Ljuba Južnič
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Ivan Dell’orco
Tedi Chiavalon
Vladimir Sabo
Rudolf Šaravanja
Anica Petričević
Tea Pestotnik Prebeg
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Vesne Šoić
05/25
Morana Ikić Komljenović
Nerma Mehadžić
Sanja Borčić
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Tomislav Fabek
04/25
Vjeran Piršić
Marko Sušanj
Aida Čustović
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Nataša Ivanišević
Fausto Ferlin
Marko Iveković
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Saša Poljanec-Borić
Zoran Paunović
Davor Bruketa
Silvije Novak
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Marina Zajec
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Zoran Šuša
Juraj Pojatina
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Marko Dabrović
Boris Centner
Neven Mikec
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Marko Matejić
Nikola Ivković
Iva Šilović
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Romana Ilić
Ana Laslo
Irena Križ Šelendić
Željka Hrs Borković
Vjeran Piršić
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Jana Čulek
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Lucas Werft
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Ivana Šajn
Anica Petričević
Nikolina Markota Vukić
Monika Kordić
Ivana Krajinović
Vlasta Zanki, PhD
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Marko Dabrović
Saša Perko
Saša Marenjak, PhD
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The number of seats is limited, so please reserve your spot here. Admission is free!