Oto Barić
Episode · #646
RITAM POSLA Otto Barić
Guest Oto BarićHosted by Lidija KiseljakMay 3, 2026
Oto Barić
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
Oto Barić is an architect who has shaped major projects across Croatia and beyond, yet many know him equally well from the world of football. This dual perspective—designing physical spaces while understanding the public and political currents that define them—gives him a unique lens on urban development. He rarely shies from a contrarian view, especially when it comes to the future of Zagreb's stadiums or the unchecked growth along the Adriatic coast. This conversation will make you rethink not just how cities are built, but how their past and future are negotiated, often in plain sight.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The chief city architect in Prague, in the early 90s, asked Oto Barić for a 1:500 model of his proposed 13-story building. They then placed it on a massive city model and evaluated it from specific viewpoints before approving it in seven days. A disciplined planning process, even a simple visual one, prevents ad-hoc development and accelerates approvals by providing clear, objective criteria. It's the clarity of process, not the complexity of the design, that often determines speed.
02
Along the Croatian coast, Oto Barić observes that "every new house has at least one floor more than the surrounding ones," a symptom of profit-driven development overriding urban character. When profit becomes the sole driver, even legitimate desires can create urban "bastards" that erode the character of a place. The market alone cannot design a city.
03
Oto Barić argues for Maksimir as the ideal location for a new national football stadium, noting its three hectares of land, of which the existing stadium occupies only 10,000 square meters, alongside superior transport links. The real value of a site isn't its current use, but the undeveloped potential around it, especially when that potential is supported by existing infrastructure. Don't just see the building; see the buffer.
04
For a country with "absolute world-class" football success, Oto Barić finds it "sad that these successes... are happening in a facility that is, in a way, worn out." Sustained success in any field eventually outgrows the infrastructure that supported its early stages. The longer you delay upgrading, the more the gap between achievement and environment becomes a liability.
05
Designing the visitor center for Knin Fortress, a Category 0 monument, presented a unique challenge: "it's very difficult to show something that isn't actually there," given the scarcity of original artifacts. When creating an experience around history, the true challenge isn't just presenting what exists, but powerfully interpreting what has been lost or moved. You often design around the void.
06
Oto Barić argues that the Kranjčevićeva stadium site is no longer suitable because the Trešnjevka neighborhood has "developed so much in the last twenty, thirty years that it's no longer a place where you'd want to attract ten, twelve thousand people." Urban sprawl isn't just about new buildings; it fundamentally changes the character and function of existing neighborhoods, rendering older infrastructure obsolete for its original purpose. What once fit, no longer does.