Stanzia Histria Aromatica, Bale

Architects: Marin Mikelić, Tomislav Vreš, Hrvoje Vidović
Text: Dundović Boris
Photos: Ivan Dorotić

Contemporary architectural design amidst the traditional Mediterranean atmosphere of coastal towns once again proves to be the winning combination for Croatian architectural practice. Unlike continental parts of Croatia, where the tradition of building manors and curiae ceased to exist, the coast has preserved a variety of numerous traditional types of country estates and its homesteads. Characterised as country houses which serve as managing centres of the larger accompanying estates, stanzias have not only preserved their original status and function, but today they also immersed in ever-growing tourism. Aware of those inputs and following demands of the client Boris Filipaj (the owner of Bioaromatica company) for a tourist complex planted with indigenous medicinal and aromatic herbs, architects Marin Mikelić, Hrvoje Vidović and Tomislav Vreš committed themselves to designing a present-day stanzia on the Pižanovac Hill in the municipality of Bale in Istria, a kind of production and education-based theme park suitably named Histria Aromatica.

Architects: Marin Mikelić, Tomislav Vreš, Hrvoje Vidović – Mikelić Vreš Arhitekti
Fellow architects: Sara Pavlov, Silvija Pranjić, Stjepan Birač
Details, building physics: Mateo Biluš
Structure: Mario Todorić, Toding
Electrical engineering: Srećko Zubak, Shema ZS
HVAC: Marinko Zečević, Citara