Zagreb's Decades-Long 'Failed Project' Building Finally Under Construction

A prominent building at the intersection of Ulica Hrvatskog sokola and Zagrebačka avenija in Zagreb, which has stood as a symbol of stalled development for decades, is finally undergoing construction. Workers are now on-site, and the lower part of the structure is already being glazed, signaling a new chapter for the property that has been a local landmark of "tried and failed" projects since 1988.

The ambitious project, initially planned as a commercial facility with a shop and service center by the Slovenian company CIMOS in 1988, never reached completion. The concrete skeleton remained for nearly two decades before a new investor, Hypo Alpe Adria Consultants, took over in 2007. Despite obtaining revised building permits and announcing plans for a commercial building with a garage, ground-floor retail spaces, and upper-floor offices, this initiative also stalled.

After the old structure was demolished, a new framework was erected, but construction halted again before the building could be finished. The property eventually came under the ownership of B2 Portfolio before being sold last year to Zlatko Hrkać, co-founder of the company behind the Sofascore app, and Dario Bošnjak, a real estate developer. This latest ownership group has committed to completing the building and converting it into a commercial space, a promise now visibly being realized.

The current development is being managed by Vrbani Real Estate d.o.o., with architectural design by Studio 3LHD. The project is proceeding under a building permit originally issued in September 2010, with subsequent amendments in 2011 and March of the current year. The revitalized building is situated near a McDonald's in the Vrbanima area, a location that has long awaited this transformation.