A New Landmark
A cautious sensitivity is necessary to create architecture in a woodland area. The popular choice seemed to be to hide the building or make it blend with the environment as much as possible. I chose to, instead of camouflaging the architecture, to make it stand out in a way that celebrates the forest and sloping topography. A monumental expression amonst the trees.
Form follows Slope
Since the terrain is very steep, the lower part of the building is submerged below ground. This houses the calm and individual working spaces. Group work activities are found on the ground floor, including a small library and a cafe. The top floor or ‘roof’ of the building cascades downward, following the slope, and organically building the typography of an auditorium. To shield professors and students from the harsh Belgrade sun during lectures given there, a semi-opaque tensile structure stretches out like a proud mast at sea.
Form Follows Sun
The triangular shaped plan is a also a result of the slopping terrain and its relation to the sun. The shape was adopted in order to gain as much daylight as possible for the interior during working hours
Interior follows Discovery
Rather than selecting a single faculty, I opted for an integrated design space that would bring together students from various disciplines for collaborative projects. This design concept encompassed areas for exploration, ideation, collaboration, and prototyping, fostering interdisciplinary interactions. The idea of students and mentors from different fields working together on a shared project was groundbreaking for Belgrade, offering a novel approach to education and innovation.
“Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds.”
- Aleksander Graham Bell, Inventor
