Pierre-Alain Croset, Leonardo Zuccaro Marchi, Luca Capacci
with Yi Xing (Sean) Chow, Erika Sezzi, Alberto Geuna, Amir Adelfar, and Maria Chiara Giangregorio
Politecnico di Milano, DAStU Department of Architecture and Urban Studies
This two-part report presents the outcomes of the 2024 Architectural Design Studio at Politecnico di Milano. The studio invited international students to engage with the island of Uljanik in Pula, Croatia, and develop a "vertical social condenser" for the port city.
Part 1 focuses on the research and design process: site visits, local engagement, workshops, and preliminary urban analysis that informed the students’ vision for Uljanik’s future. Part 2 presents the resulting student projects and highlights their diverse strategies to foster the city’s productive heritage toward a forward-thinking, sustainable future.
In 2024, the Architectural Design Studio at Politecnico di Milano—led by Professors Pierre Alain Croset, Leonardo Zuccaro Marchi, and Luca Capacci—brought together international students to explore and design new urban synergies between the vertical programs of a “social condenser” and the heritage of the productive waterfront on the island of Uljanik in Pula, a port city in Croatia, following previous studios in Split and Rijeka.
In light of the post-pandemic condition, the studio sought to reflect upon the increasing demand for spaces that encourage social gatherings. It aimed to facilitate intergenerational activities and promote the blending of cultural pursuits with well-being activities, while rethinking new productive functions. Students were challenged to tackle this contemporary urgency by designing a program for a complex building—a vertical city combining cultural, sporting, and productive functions. Conceived as a “vertical social condenser,” the project was envisioned as a new landmark on Pula's waterfront, tracing a new identity for the city. The design challenge raised new research questions about the relationship between the city and the harbor, the legacy and history of port structures, and the balance between Pula’s historical struggles and future aspirations.
Collaborations’ Geographies: Italy, Austria, and Croatia
For the third consecutive year, the Architectural Design Studio was organized as an international collaborative class with the Institute of Architecture Technology at the Technical University Graz (TUG), with the participation of the teacher Christophe Haidacher. The collaboration encouraged productive exchanges among students, strengthening their on-site analysis and design development. Most participating students came from different countries, both inside and outside Europe, enriching the studio with their diverse global perspectives and backgrounds.
The Design Studio also emphasized collaboration with local entities and architects to ground the design proposals as closely as possible in the real socio-political and urban conditions of Pula. Partnerships were established with Urbanex (led by Ivana Katurić), an independent think tank, research, and consultancy organization dedicated to sustainable urban development and spatial policy based in Zagreb, and with Emil Jurcan, who recently completed the reconstruction of Pula’s Roman Theatre and is a leading expert on the city’s historical and geopolitical development. Other local professionals and authorities contributed to our discussions, including photographer Manuel Angelini, who helped students engage with the city's social transformation. The collaboration with local actors continued until an exhibition opened in Pula (16 May–6 June 2025) at the gallery of the Association of Istrian Architects (DAI-SAI). The exhibition was supported by the Center of Competence for Anti-Fragile Territories (CRAFT), an initiative of the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at Politecnico di Milano dedicated to developing methodologies and design approaches that address increasing territory fragility and decision-making fragmentation.
Learning from the Productive Island of Uljanik
Located on the Istrian Peninsula, Pula is renowned for its captivating ancient architecture, multicultural influences, and strategic geopolitical role. The selected site—the Uljanik shipyard island—lies directly in front of the monumental historic center. This island is significant for its complex functional heritage, socio-political value, and both territorial and historical stratification. Its complexity and ecological fragility make the island an important site for reflecting on the roles of contemporary urban design and architecture. Originally a natural island known as Scoglio degli Ulivi (“Rock of Olive Trees”), Uljanik was reshaped during the Austro-Hungarian period in 1856 to host a naval shipyard—one of the world’s oldest, still in operation until recently. Today, this historic site stands at a crossroads, awaiting a new and visionary future. Uljanik epitomizes the contemporary tension of the new productive city’s role in Europe and on a global scale.
Students’ Research Projects at the Waterfront
The students visited the site in March 2024. They interviewed local residents to understand key social issues and opportunities, recording videos that proved helpful in reevaluating the project program.
A main debate and workshop was organized on March 18 at the Cultural Centre Rojc, involving local politicians, photographer Manuel Angelini, and architects Emil Jurcan, Ivana Katurić (Urbanex), and Helena Sterpin. This initial exchange already generated social impact and curiosity, drawing media attention from Istra24, which reported the event in the article “The Real Life and the Collapse of the City Within a City Through the Lens”.
While investigating the area and speaking with local actors and residents, we gained an understanding of the island's symbolic importance as a productive organ of the city. During our Design Studio, we explored ways to envision a new, sustainable, and productive future for Uljanik—one that reinterprets its heritage into a multifunctional urban design proposal, fostering a new synergy of social, cultural, and sustainable productive functions.
Following a preliminary urban analysis and a social survey, students developed a renewed urban design strategy for the island of Uljanik and the archipelago of Pula. The research enabled students to envision a new multi-scalar mobility network, positioning Uljanik as a major mobility hub—serving both mid-distance maritime routes and functioning as a land-sea transfer point, combined with tram and other slow land transportation systems. In parallel, they developed a master plan for the island and urban waterfront that includes a fish market, cruise terminal, beach, and new bridge, along with the adaptive reuse of existing buildings to serve as an incubator for creative industries.
Finally, they positioned the vertical social condenser in harmony with existing structures and blended the island’s heritage with the innovation of a forward-looking social revitalization. On June 20 and 21, 2024, a main seminar, “Pula Reloaded,” concluded the design experience with reviews by Emil Jurcan and Ivana Katuric at Politecnico di Milano.
This radical proposal—to develop part of the city upward as a new vertical social condenser—sparks a dialogue with the city's strong vertical presence, characterized by cranes and ship elements, while connecting to it the city’s hilltop topography and monuments. Ultimately, it promotes a mixed, three-dimensional composition of urban functions that responds to a new future for the city and its vital role in the development of the Adriatic region, balancing land and water, heritage and progress.
This first part has focused on the research, analysis, and conceptual framework that guided the students’ work. In Part 2, we turn to the students’ projects themselves, highlighting the creative strategies, architectural proposals, and visionary designs that bring these ideas to life on Uljanik Island.
Acknowledgements
This blog post has been written in the context of discussions in the LDE PortCityFutures research community. It reflects the evolving thoughts of the authors and expresses the discussions between researchers on the socio-economic, spatial and cultural questions surrounding port city relationships. This blog was edited by the PortCityFutures editorial team: Yi Kwan Chan and Wenjun Fung.