Public markets have always represented more than places of commerce. They are spaces of social exchange, everyday rituals and spontaneous encounters. Through their activity, movement and diversity, they often provide one of the clearest reflections of the community around them.
This understanding formed the basis of the design for the St. Stasije Market and Square, completed in 2024 in St. Stasije, a neighbourhood within Dobrota, Kotor.
Design and completion:
2024
Client
Municipality of Kotor
Author:
Nikola Novaković
An Urban Threshold
The project is positioned at the curved end of an urban block, in a location that can be interpreted as either the beginning or the conclusion of this part of the settlement.
Rather than treating this condition as a limitation, the design uses it to establish a recognisable urban threshold. The project defines the edge of the neighbourhood while creating a new point of orientation, gathering and public activity.
The architectural response was therefore not limited to the organisation of a functional market. The broader objective was to create a meaningful public space capable of contributing to the social and cultural life of St. Stasije.
The Market as a Public Stage
A market is not only an infrastructure for buying and selling goods. It is also a public stage where people meet, communicate and participate in the daily life of a place.
The design develops this idea through the integration of two distinct but interconnected public spaces: the market on the lower level and the square positioned above it.
Each level has its own programme and atmosphere. The market accommodates commercial activity and movement, while the upper square provides an open civic space for gathering, resting and informal interaction.
Together, they function as two complementary urban scenes.
Geometry as a Form of Connection
The composition of the square originates from the centre of a semicircle. At this focal point, a stone fountain introduces water as a symbolic representation of life, continuity and creation.
From the fountain, the paving expands radially across the public surface. This geometry gives the square a clear spatial order while directing movement and attention towards the market below.
The connection between the two levels is therefore not merely functional. It is embedded in the geometry, material organisation and symbolism of the project.
The square becomes an extension of the market, while the market remains visually and spatially connected to the civic space above it.
Landscape and Areas of Pause
Alongside the more active zones of circulation and exchange, the project introduces quieter areas with benches and carefully arranged Mediterranean planting.
The landscaping creates a green buffer between the two public levels. It softens the built surfaces, provides shade and introduces areas where visitors can pause without becoming separated from the activity of the market and square.
This balance between movement and rest is essential to the character of the project. Public space becomes successful not only when it allows people to pass through it, but when it gives them a reason to remain.
Architecture Rooted in Community
The St. Stasije Market and Square reflects an approach to architecture shaped by its micro-location, terrain, social context and the everyday needs of its users.
Instead of applying a predetermined architectural language, the design emerged from the specific character of the site and the role that a market can play within its community.
The resulting project is both infrastructure and gathering place: a market, a square and a new public identity for this part of Kotor.
