The Rimac Campus in Sveta Nedelja unfolds as a thoughtfully orchestrated environment where high-tech production and everyday life blend into one continuous experience. Designed by Croatian firm 3LHD, this project brings together Rimac Technologys business, R&D and manufacturing under a single, barrier-free roof, all while weaving in public pathways, green spaces and even a racetrack. Below, we explore how the architects translated a complex program into an elegant choreography of forms and functions.
Crafting an Identity: 3LHDs Vision
From the outset, 3LHD set out to dissolve the conventional divide between front and back of a factory. Their triangular site layoutanchored by the existing Erdödy Castle, a glazed office pavilion and a vast production hallcreates three equally weighted points in space. By eschewing right angles and traditional façades, the architects forged a continuous metal envelope over the production volume and a softly curving glass skin around the offices. The result is a non-hierarchical campus that invites exploration from every perspective.
A Fluid Architectural Gesture
At the heart of the design lies a one-kilometer stretch of profiled aluminum cladding. Lightweight and flexible, the aluminum panels curve around corners without seams, dematerializing the buildings mass and reflecting the changing light. Above the transition between office and factory, a planted green roof spills outward like a folded landscape, concealing restaurants, a kindergarten and breakout lounges. This seamless blending of architecture and terrain reinforces the campuss open, barrier-free ethos.
The Showroom Factory in Action
Rather than hide machinery behind solid walls, the production facility functions as a showroom factory. Six-meter-high houses within a house accommodate distinct manufacturing stages, each framed by glazed viewing galleries. Visitors can witness component assembly, testing and final vehicle delivery in sequenceturning a tour into a layered storytelling experience. Meanwhile, mezzanine offices and atriums bathe workspaces in daylight, forging visual ties between engineers, managers and the assembly line below.
Navigating Spaces and Landscape
Movement here is deliberately choreographed. Goods follow efficient, street-sized corridors, while visitors meander along gently sloped ramps through landscaped plazas, past a lake, sheep-grazed meadow and eventually onto a secret racetrack. On special occasions, the internal loop becomes an actual circuit, echoing Formula 1 heritage. Sunlight studies shaped window-to-wall ratios, and a soaring cantilevered eave provides shelter without severing sightlines to the surrounding greenery and historic castle.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Project number | 285 |
| Project name | Rimac Campus |
| Status | under construction |
| Project start date | 25 March 2019 |
| Project end date | July 2023 |
| Construction start date | August 2021 |
| Construction end date (1st phase) | September 2024 |
| Program | business; production; public; tourism; sport; landscape; urban planning |
| Address | Kerestinec |
| City | Sveta Nedelja |
| Country | Hrvatska |
| Geolocation | 45°46?26? N, 15°49?2? E |
| Type | invited international competition |
| Site area (m²) | 197 575 |
| Size (1st phase) (m²) | 81 187 |
| Footprint (1st phase) (m²) | 76 200 |
| Client | Rimac Technology d.o.o. |
| Author | 3LHD |
| Project team | Saa Begovi?; Marko Dabrovi?; Tatjana Grozdani? Begovi?; Silvije Novak; Paula Kukuljica; Nevena Kuzmani?; Dragana imi?; Sanja Jasika Lovri?; Duje Kati?; Krunoslav Szoersen; Dora Kodri?; Ivana Mari?; Domagoj Osre?ak; Mia Kozina; Luka Cindri?; Roko Guberina; Marko Ramov; Jelena Prokop; Tena Kneevi?; Nives Krsnik Rister; Leon Lazaneo; Tamara Janji?; Tamara Paulina Pavkovi?; Nevenka A. Krelj; Josip Babec ua; Viktorija Genzi?; Alen Pu?ar; Lucija Pti?ek; Monika Prin?i?; Ida Ister; Tomislav Soldo; Andrej Filipovi? |
| Collaborators (Arhimetrik) | Tomislav olto; Miljenko Zeki?; Davor Vilupek; Matija Kokot; Maja Milat; Duka Jeli? |
| Competition-stage collaborators | Building physics: Mateo Bilu; Traffic planning: Boris Leovi?; Structural concept: Ivan Palijan; Energy concept: Damir aja; Landscape design: Ines Hrdalo, Kaja prljan Bui?; Veterinary advisors: Draen Mati?i?, eljko Pavi?i?; Model: Nikola Brlek; Animation: Boris Goreta; Visualization: Mario Harni, Branimir Tur?i?; Illustration: Ida Ister |
| Engineering & specialist consultants | Structural engineering: Studio Arhing; Traffic planning: C5 Koncept; Drainage & hydrant (int/ext): Bobanac, APZ Hidria; Geotech: Geotech; Landscape & lake: Studio za krajobraznu arhitekturu; Electrical: Elektroplan; MEP installations: BESTPROJEKT; Elevators: PPN Projekt; Sprinklers: Apin projekt; Lake tech: Zagrebinspekt; Kitchen tech: Dekode; Building physics: AKFZ studio; Fire safety: Inspekting; Lighting: Lighthouse Project; Multimedia: AVC Audio Video; Supervisory system: Autel; Façade project: Stratura; Explosion safety: Fiditas; Foundation pit: Grasa; Geotechnical study: Premur; DGNB consultant: Drees & Sommer; Consulting: Protema; Climate engineering: Transsolar; Energy efficiency: FSB; Visualization: Mario Harni, Branimir Tur?i? |