Architecture, continuity and belonging: Urban artifacts in Diocletian's palace

This thesis addresses the importance of dialogue between the architectural remains and the present in the historic core of the city of Split. It redefines the role that architecture has in the evolving life of the architectural artifacts in urban centres.; Split's basic urban structure is determined by the wall that surrounds it, by the rich underground that supports it, by the two main streets that divide it and by narrow alleys that weave through it. All those characteristics of its form, as well as the presence of various monuments and willingness of its inhabitants to evolve its architecture are responsible for its persistence for almost two thousand years.; However, currently some of Split's historic urban artifacts are being preserved in their state as a ruin, which isolates them from its inhabitants, influencing the dynamics of the city.; This thesis proposes various architectural interventions, each dealing with several issues: (1) the layers of previous periods expressed in urban fabric, their genius loci and their symbolic presentations; (2) the present life of the city and its cultural traditions and values; (3) the symbiotic relationship between old and new architecture and the profound impact they have on each other.