From Student Project to Realization: Framing the Horizon at the Demanio Marittimo.Km-278 Festival
The Framing the Horizon project, created by University of Sarajevo Faculty of Architecture students Hana Gjocaj and Dženana Strašević, was presented in Italy as part of the 16th edition of the international festival Demanio Marittimo.Km-278.
The project originated from coursework during the 2025/26 winter semester and was showcased in June 2026 in Marzocca di Senigallia, on the Italian Adriatic coast. It marks a significant step in the Faculty’s ongoing strategy to bridge theory and practice—an initiative launched through the Erasmus+ APLE project—by linking the academic design process with the realization of an architectural intervention in a real-world setting.
From Coursework to the International Realization of a Spatial Installation
The conceptual design for the Demanio Marittimo.Km-278 festival’s scenography was one of two assignments within the "Contemporary Spatial Concepts, Design, and Prototype" course, led by professors Erdin Salihović, Nermina Zagora, and Amira Salihbegović. The project was realized with the support and coordination of architects Irhana Šehović and Dunja Krvavac (ARRA Collective), alongside guest lectures by Prof. Pippo Ciorra (MAXXI, Rome) and Prof. Relja Ferušić (ETSAB, Barcelona).
Throughout the project, students developed their concepts through discussion, mentorship, prototyping, and by addressing real-world design requirements. The process incorporated diverse perspectives and criteria, spanning from the initial concept to the development of a concrete architectural solution.
A distinctive value of the project lies in the integration of academic work and professional practice. Framing the Horizon demonstrates how a student project can transcend the studio setting to become part of a real-world space and an international architectural event.
Architecture as a Frame for the View
The project’s starting point was to explore how a minimal spatial intervention could alter the perception of an existing space. Framing the Horizon was not conceived as a conventional architectural object, but rather as an open spatial structure that establishes new relationships between the body, the view, light, shadow, and the landscape.
A system of steel frames—varying in size and spacing—combined with fabric elements, creates a series of spatial and visual experiences. Moving through the installation shifts the relationships between individual elements, while the frames direct the gaze and isolate specific segments of the landscape. Thus, the architecture does not add new content to the existing space but instead intervenes in how that space is perceived.
From Prototype to Real-World Space
Realizing the project involved transitioning from the research and design phase to actual construction. Ideas developed through drawings and models had to be adapted to the specific requirements of the site, materials, structural engineering, and assembly.
In the final built version, tubular steel elements form large portals through which visitors move, while the fabric panels between them create varying degrees of shelter and visual transparency. Its movement, driven by the wind, further alters the character of the installation throughout the evening.
The project in the context of the festival
Demanio Marittimo.Km-278 is an interdisciplinary cultural festival held on the Italian Adriatic coast. During the twelve-hour program, architecture intersects with art, design, photography, philosophy, research, and other contemporary cultural practices. This year’s edition, held on July 17 under the theme
"Ordine&Caos" ("Order & Chaos"), brought together diverse formats and themes within the beach setting.
In this context, Framing the Horizon functioned as more than just an exhibited student work. The installation was an integral part of the festival space and was directly subject to how that space was used: visitors walked through it, lingered, and experienced it under varying conditions throughout the evening. Its ephemeral nature was a key component of the concept—it was designed and executed for a specific location and event, and dismantled once the festival concluded.
More than a student project
Framing the Horizon demonstrates the potential of linking architectural education with professional practice and an international cultural context. Its significance lies not merely in the execution of a student project, but in the opportunity for students to navigate the entire process of developing an architectural idea: from research and conceptualization, through prototyping and professional mentorship, to execution and spatial use.
This year’s edition of the Demanio Marittimo.Km-278 festival was also featured in the Italian professional journal Il Giornale dell’Architettura . In the article “La notte bianca sulla spiaggia felliniana,” published on July 22, 2026, the author links the Framing the Horizon project to the visual identity of Federico Fellini—specifically his film 8½ and the distinctive large structure placed on the beach. Although Framing the Horizon stems from a different conceptual starting point, the article recognizes a resemblance in the way the temporary structure intervenes and in the open landscape it changes the perception.
