Prestigious European Design Award for newly-opened pool in Rovinj
- by croatiaweek
- in Business
(Photo: Studio Tumpić/Prenc)
Studio Tumpić/Prenc once again wins gold at the European Design Awards, this time for the newly opened pool in the Croatian coastal town of Rovinj.
Studio Tumpić/Prenc returned this weekend from Luxembourg with two European Design Awards – gold for the signage project of the pool complex in Rovinj and bronze for the design of Studio Kappo’s catalog.
The European Design Awards are annual awards given to European designers for outstanding work in the field of communication design. This places the Rovinj pool signage and Studio Kappo’s catalog among the top European projects.
Anselmo Tumpić and Sara Prenc Opačić (Photo: Studio Tumpić/Prenc)
The gold-winning project for the Rovinj company Valbruna sport d.o.o. received the award in the Signage & Wayfinding category. It involves the development of the visual identity and signage for the newly opened Rovinj pool, the largest investment in sports infrastructure in the history of this Istrian town.
It covers an area of 3,637 square meters and consists of a sports and wellness section. One of its main features is a large glass wall with a view of the sea just a few meters away, visually connecting the experience of going to the beach or the pool.
This inspired the innovative minds at Studio Tumpić/Prenc to use a towel as a motif – an essential item for going to the beach or the pool. The towel is present in all parts of the signage – hanging from the ceiling, on the sides, or on tiles.
(Photo: Studio Tumpić/Prenc)
Each icon has its own color, creating diversity and vibrancy in the previously neutral space. The signage, according to the creatives behind this idea, is a kind of celebration of the city by reminding people of its iconic “tiramolas.”
The project was worked on by Anselmo Tumpić, Sara Prenc Opačić, Hena Crnović, and Andrea Rosar, with “Sinam” responsible for the realization.
At this year’s record-breaking EDAwards, the design of Kappo’s catalog was also awarded bronze in the Book cover category. The catalog was created to celebrate the second decade of Studio Kappo’s business in Rovinj, showcasing their 10 most significant completed projects and 10 planned projects. Kappo specializes exclusively in landscape architecture, as emphasized by the cover representing the relief of the region it comes from.
In line with the anniversary name “10 plus 10,” the catalog has two covers. Once it reaches the middle, the reader is invited to flip the catalog to start with a new category.
On one side, there are the completed projects presented with a topographic three-dimensional representation, while on the other side, the planned projects are shown with just a topographic drawing. They are numbered with enlarged numbers reminiscent of roads or paths in urban planning projects. Once read and set aside, the catalog itself becomes a topographic representation. This solution was worked on by Anselmo Tumpić, Sara Prenc Opačić, and Anton Licul Grk, with the idea realized by Grafing from Zagreb.
Studio Kappo’s catalog (Photo: Studio Tumpić/Prenc)
Since its establishment in 2007, the European Design Award has celebrated design, raised standards, rewarded creatives, and created a database of excellent projects and agencies. What sets it apart from others is that the jury is not composed of designers, but of design journalists and critics – people whose job description involves studying and evaluating works.
The competition culminates in a festival held in a different European city each year, where awards are ceremoniously presented. This year, in Luxembourg, the most creative individuals in this sector gathered, including representatives from the Croatian Studio Tumpić/Prenc, who had the following to say:
“It was a great honor for us to attend the Festival and awards ceremony in Luxembourg, in the company of the best designers from all over Europe, whom we had the opportunity to meet and exchange experiences with.”
(Photo: Studio Tumpić/Prenc)
We would like to remind you that this is not the first European design award for our local design talents. They already have gold and Best of Show for the signage of the pool in Pula, as well as gold for the design of the “Latini” olive oil label in 2020, and gold for the design of the “Šuran” wine label in 2021.
