TIC

LOCATION                koper, slovenia
PROJECT YEAR        2020  
COMPLETION           2021
TYPE                         public
CLIENT                      tourist information center koper
RENDER                    mateja zerjal
TEAM                        igor marasovic, gaja brulc

The office of the tourist information centre (TIC) occupies two transitional rooms of the main entrance of a beautiful Venetian palace on the main square of the city. Due to the transitional nature of the rooms, the TIC office is directly connected to the old pharmacy that is part of the museum exhibition, to the inner atrium and to a staircase that leads to the meeting room of the city council.

The municipality wanted to combine the informational nature of the centre with a shop for local products. The historical value of the building dictated limitations in terms of interventions in the existing condition of the floor, ceiling, walls, ornaments and other historical indicators.

Due to the similarity in the way of display and use, we designed the equipment on the basis of old pharmacy cabinets in the adjacent room. The undercounter parts are closed and enable the storage of product stocks, while the abovecounter part represents a showcase for local products and merchandise. Due to the variety of display elements, especially in terms of shape and color, we opted for unified equipment, both in design and color. The only exceptions are movable benches with wooden trays, which are used both for exhibiting and sitting in case of tastings or other presentations.

The lighting of the originally dark space was also a challenge. First, we removed the existing curtains, thereby allowing a view of the main square and providing natural light. For the artificial light, we used a branching composition of new rails that descend under the arches and travel between the cupboard niches.

Finally, we placed vases with autochthonous plants among the elements, which add a local Mediterranean touch to the space in addition to the local products.