Located along the town's yacht harbour and complementing its function, Marina Sozopol is a complex intended to become a new type of social centre. With its social infrastructure, yacht and sports clubs, restaurants, hotel and numerous small retail units, the complex provides Sozopol's residents and visitors with spaces for meetings, events and relaxation.
Grounded in the millennia-old history of Sozopol, called in antiquity the "City of Salvation" and belonging to the same sphere of influence as the polises from the northern Aegean Sea to the Cyclades, the project situates itself in a wider geographical and temporal context. The concept unifying the diverse programme of the project is based on a modern interpretation of the architectural tradition of the Mediterranean.
In the spirit of this tradition, the buildings have a characteristic minimalist design. The palette of materials is ascetic - white plaster, stone and wood - while the volumes are geometrically regular. The purposeful sharpness of the orthogonal forms gives way to softness at the corners, transforming the facades of each building into a continuous flowing surface.
A central protected core, constituting a richly landscaped recreational area, organizes the complex. A play with levels and terracing brings dynamism and spontaneity to the composition and breaks up the silhouette of the buildings, which simultaneously face the quiet inner courtyard garden and the open sea horizon. This design gesture marks a step away from tradition and brings an element of modernity influenced by contemporary architecture. Vertical landscaping and roof vegetation naturally embed the complex into its context and contribute to its energy efficiency in the hot months.
Viewed closely, the project revitalises the harbour area and creates a harmonious link between the sea and the city. From a distance, with its fragmented volumetric solution, extensive landscaping and whiteness, Marina Sozopol reads almost as a natural object, like architecture carved into a rocky hillside on the sea shore.

Client: "Marina Port Sozopol" EAD
Program: Mixed-Use
Location: Sozopol, Bulgaria
Build up area: 32 450 sq.m
Design Year: 2024