Swap on the River

2015
The site expanded for 16 km along the river and the brief targeted temporary programming to revitalize this vast territory. The winning project focused on the question of how interventions on four separate underused, yet critical sites could have holistic effect to change movements and relationships of the entire river with the city. Based on adaptability, the project stands as an exploration of opportunities to experiment the effect of relatively small, soft and temporary interventions in various scales:
- Small scale – Temporary scaffolding pavilions with different programs;
- Middle scale – Clustering of multiple pavilions to host various events;
- Large scale – Subtle landscape interventions to transform the 4 sites into gathering grounds;
- Extra large scale – Swapping and interchanging the programs and events between the 4 sites via water and land transportation to enhance the East-West connection of the city along the river.

2016-2019
In April 2016, Europan Hrvatska organized a workshop. The City of Zagreb contacted the winner one year later to continue with the implementation. The competition study site included 4 areas behind the dike and a riverbank, on approx. 16 km; the current sites are now located in front of the dike with a riverbank area of approx. 7 km.
The City held several meetings, in which the competition project was adjusted to the new site. The team worked with several city departments and Croatian Waters to decide on the budget, annual funding, phases, permit conditions, calendar, juridical organization: 5 types of pavilions with several multiplications (in total 9 pavilions) will be implemented on 4 different sites with landscape connections; the contract focuses on a masterplan with the supervision of construction works. All interventions are rooted in the competition proposal; changes were made concerning dimensions and location adjustments. Phasing the project and testing to explore the results before-hand (part of the project idea) made it possible for the city to start investing without taking greater risks.
The contract for the documentation of basic design and execution projects was signed end of 2017; it includes a masterplan and an urban project (adjustment of the project to the new location); the first-phase pavilions basic design and execution; the landscape project; a second-phase pavilions basic design and execution; the first-phase pavilions supervision and coordination of construction works.

2019-2022
In the summer of 2019, the Swap on the River project team moved to Zagreb for two months in order to follow the construction of the first phase of the project in situ : nine pavilions (which hosted leisure activities), landscape interventions and sports areas, showing and enabling new ways of occupying the previously forgotten riverbanks of the Sava. The municipality has welcomed the completed project very positively.
At the end of 2019, anticipating the high water season, the scaffolded pavilions were removed. At the same time, the design team completed the plans for the second phase of the project, with new pavilions to be implemented in the summer of 2020. However, the situation related to the Covid-19 epidemic stopped the process, while the contract for a second phase was under discussion in February 2020.
In 2021, Mr Milan Bandic - who was strongly involved in the project - passed away. This led to an early election in which the opposition won. Since then, the Swap on the River project team has been trying to get in touch with the new municipality to consider further steps.