National Bank Residential Block Change this

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This residential skyscraper and two lower residential blocks create an open public space that is appropriate to the ground floor programme. The facade is designed with wooden sliding shutters, the wall between the windows is painted in basic colours and creates a dynamically changeable, abstract canvas that is shaped by the residents every day by moving the shutters.

This popular apartment block of a former national bank in Laginjina Street 7-9, more known as the Vitić skyscraper, is one of the most significant examples of modern architecture in Zagreb. It is striking due to its characteristic wooden window shutters that cover the facade in a playful grid. The facade is further complemented with other distinguishing elements — yellow, blue, red and green panels, which have unfortunately faded over the years, still awaiting the desperately needed restoration of the complex. Built from 1958 to 1962, the complex also includes, in addition to the skyscraper, two smaller buildings, a three-storey and a four-storey one, as well as a courtyard and a small children’s park. Often compared to Le Corbusier’s ‘Unité d’Habitation’ in Marseilles, the ‘Vitić Skyscraper’ is rightfully considered to have shaped the identity of the ‘Martićeva Zone’ and the entire city centre of Zagreb.

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