Koper Central Park: the beginning of the regeneration of the Slovenian coast?

The Koper Central Park, in Koper, is located between Piranska Road and the waterfront, between the Grand Canal and the area just beyond the city market. Piranska Road represents a new stage in the city's infrastructure development, while the waterfront is one of the most important urban features that has acted as a connection between the city on the island and the mainland.

Green urban regeneration prototype

The area of the new Koper Central Park covers a significant part of the site and its design can serve as a prototype for future outdoor projects and urban interventions. The new intervention, designed by ENOTA, offers a uniform and attractive appearance to the area and, with its lush green interior, softens the heterogeneity of the surrounding built structures. The fusion of elements from an urban beach and a contemporary city park encourages residents and visitors of the area to experience the space in different ways.

A visual and functional bridge between city and sea

The main feature of the area is the immediate connection to the sea, which should be recognized as a significant spatial quality. The area is partially occupied by a large parking lot behind the city market. In the broader context, the area represents the first contact with the sea for visitors to the Slovenian coast, and the starting point of the riviera between the cities of Koper and Izola. Only a comprehensive and coordinated treatment of the entire belt along the promenade will be able to visually and functionally connect the two currently separate parts of the city into a logical whole.

Functional islands between urban waves and nature

The fundamental elements of the new park are monolithic and undulating urban elements. Their controlled positioning in space, combined with the pronounced topography of the green areas, gently divides the entire park surface into introverted "islands" each hosting a function. The design of the individual urban elements consistently follows the activities they contain. In some points, they are taller and act as a shelter from the surrounding views and noises; elsewhere, they are lower and allow unobstructed contact between park areas.

A multisensory park inspired by the sea

Urban elements with organic design host an obstacle course for children, climbing walls, a space for a seaside bar, a concert hall, a children's playground, a reading area, and more. Drawing inspiration from the nearby sea, the park areas are enriched with numerous water features: a pond, ground sprinklers, a geyser, parabolic water jets, waterfalls, and a water platform combined with diverse urban elements encourage active use of the space and an expansion of the future beach into the park.

A Mediterranean landscape without predefined paths

The planted part of the park is designed only with indigenous Mediterranean vegetation. In order to encourage diversity in the use of its space, Koper Central Park does not feature traditionally designed paths: the paving with interlocking tiles arranged freely in grass-colored tiles is limited to access points and sections where more intensive use of the land is expected. This way, visitors define their own path and way of using the space.

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