Competing with more than 900 projects published on ArchDaily in 2009 and nominated by its readers, 65 projects were chosen as finalists from each of the overall 13 categories (housing, houses, religious architecture, museums, hotels, sports architecture, interiors, offices etc. ). "The Building of the Year" prize is awarded by portal readers who vote in favour of the most interesting and best projects, in their opinion.
Centre Zamet has recently received the award Bernardo Bernardi by the Croatian Architects' Association as the most successful realisation in the field of modelling and interior decoration in 2009.

Zamet Centre is a hybrid building that hosts various facilities: sports hall with max 2380 seats, local community offices, library, retail and service spaces and a garage with 250 parking spaces. The building’s main architectural element are ribbon-like linear stripes stretching over the site in a north-south direction, functioning at the same time as an architectural design element of the object and as a zoning element which forms a public square and a link between the park on the north and the school and B. Vidas street on the south.

The stripes were inspired by “gromača”, a type of rocks specific to Rijeka, which the centre artificially reinterprets by colour and shape. It is paved with 51.000 ceramic tiles in a pentagon shape, designed specially for the centre.
The steel construction, girder span of 55 meters and their varying height allow the natural light illumination of the sports hall.
The hall has been designed in accordance with the latest world sports standards for major international sports competitions, while the flexibility of the hall is achieved owing to a system with telescopic stands. The hall contains all the supporting facilities for professional training and competition, and the auditorium designed as a system of telescopic stands enables the transformation for everyday use as well as for other activities such as concerts, conferences and congresses. Selected interior materials – wood and acoustic panels, suggests that the hall is a large living room for athletes.

More information about the prize is available on the site of ArchDaily.