Reconstruction of the Underground Reservoirs in Tivat: When Infrastructure Becomes Cultural Space
On the southeastern edge of the Great City Park in Tivat lies one of those spaces that rarely enters the everyday perception of the city, although it played an essential role in its functioning for decades.
The complex of underground water reservoirs was built in 1898 as part of an infrastructure system that provided water supply to this area. It consists of a stone access structure with a basement level, from which a system of six interconnected reservoirs can be reached. These reservoirs are organized within a rectangular underground structure, while two separate cylindrical reservoirs are located nearby.
The system remained in use until the 1960s. After that, it lost its original function and became almost invisible, hidden within the layers of the park that surrounds it.
Research as the Basis of the Intervention
The starting point of the project was not only the physical restoration of the structure, but a deeper understanding of it.
Detailed research examined the history of the complex, its construction methods, functional organization, and transformation over time. Through technical surveying and documentation of the existing condition, a basis was created for understanding the reservoirs as a unique spatial and technical whole.
In this process, the structure is not seen merely as a remnant of former municipal infrastructure. It is recognized as a valuable example of infrastructural architecture from the Austro-Hungarian period — architecture that was functional, rational, and at the same time remarkably suggestive in spatial terms.
A New Function Without Erasing the Original One
The proposed intervention is based on preserving the authentic spatial characteristics of the complex and adapting them to a new public purpose.
The former reservoirs, which already possess a strong architectural character through their structure, are transformed into an exhibition space. Alongside the architecture of the building itself, the exhibition presents the history of the Great City Park, its development, and its connection to the industrial and urban heritage of Tivat.
In this way, the new function does not erase the original purpose of the space. On the contrary, the former function becomes an essential part of its interpretation. The reservoirs remain legible as an infrastructure system, while gaining a new role in the cultural and public life of the city.
Architecture as a Means of Reconnection
The reconstruction of this complex is not focused solely on the conservation of the structure. Its essence lies in bringing an almost forgotten infrastructural system back into the contemporary urban life of Tivat.
This approach raises a broader question about our relationship with heritage: what do we do with spaces that have lost their original function, but not their value?
In this case, the answer is not found in a spectacular transformation, but in a careful reading of what already exists. It lies in preserving the atmosphere, materiality, and spatial logic of the structure, while creating a new public function that emerges from the identity of the place itself.
The reservoirs of the Great City Park thus become more than a reconstructed structure. They become a space of memory, research, and public encounter — an example of how hidden infrastructure can once again become an active part of the city.
