Labin is a small Istrian town that was dominated by the mining industry until the 1980s. Today, thanks to the genius of young Croatian designers and architects, there is a modern and functional city library in the former factory premises above the mine.
Labin, a charming seaside town in the east of the Istrian peninsula, until a few decades ago, was characterized by the mine and the industry that developed around it. The factory buildings, which remained in the same place even after the mine ceased to exist, are protected as valuable examples of industrial heritage, that is why young Croatian designers and architects, following the example of successful European projects, turned them into spaces whose function will be both cultural and social. All objects will be like this Pijacal zone in Labin, which used to be the heart of the mining industry, will be renovated in the future.
In the first phase of the renovation, young Croatian geniuses set about designing the library in the former factory premises of the mine. The proof of their successful work is two important awards received by the library: the first is "Bernardo Bernardi" award association of Croatian architects for the most successful design and interior arrangement, and the second is "Vladimir Nazor" award' of the Croatian Ministry of Culture for the best artistic work in the field of architecture and urbanism in Croatia in 2013.
READ MORE: Fascinating renovation of a water tower into a superior apartment
The author team consisted of Damir Gamulin Gamba, Margita Grubiša, Igor Presečan, Ivana Žalac, and the authors of the competition work were Damir Gamulin Gamba, Margita Grubiša, Marin Jelčić, Zvonimir Kralj, Igor Presečan, Ivana Žalac. With their joint efforts, they managed to create a library that, despite its modernity and functionality, it preserves the ambiance and some old materials and fragments from mining times. The entire city library is based on the contrast between big white and bright the marble hall, where the library premises are located (there used to be miners who received their wages and organized strikes) and between dark and black entrance hall, staircase, lecture hall and internet corner (these were rooms intended only for miners). It is also interestingly transformed former miner's bathroom, in which today there is a space arranged in memory of the former mining activity that took place in this place. Green tiles, which used to cover the entire bathroom, now discreetly adorn the dark black walls.
You can see what the modern city library in the former mining premises in Labin looks like in our gallery.
