Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Siniša Mali announced on Thursday that the construction of the complex has begun in Surčin Expo 2027. He pointed out that "the work on the construction site is proceeding according to the planned dynamics and plan", that Serbia will be "the center of the world" during the Expo, and pointed out that this project "will be the crown of Serbia's development".
That's all good news, of course. Are they the result of Serbia's potential?
Well – they didn't.
Serbia won the competition to host the Expo 2027 Special Exhibition with someone else's mind - a project by the Spanish architect Mark Fenwick. Serbian architects were not even invited to create the symbol of Serbia's future, as the government defines Expo, so it seems that it has no confidence in them.
Also, the project on which the aforementioned "symbol of the future" of this country will be built was not selected at an international competition in which local and foreign architects would participate, as would be expected for this type of state enterprise, because the competition was not even organized.
It is not necessary to prove how wrong it is. The competition is a democratic institution that allows the client to choose the best among the solutions of many competitors.
The Serbian government deprived the country of that opportunity and hired Mark Fenwick.
When everything was finished, the people were informed that this saved time because work had to be done immediately, and also the money needed to organize the competition. It was also said that Mark Fenwick is a famous architect who has already worked here - he designed the Sava square in Belgrade.
Uniform, rectangular objects
One of the reasons why a country organizes an Expo is to show the world it will host, and Siniša Mali expects 2,6 million visitors, to show the good features that make it recognizable, which only it has. So, in this case, Serbia.
Mark Fenwick explained to the public through the media that the Expo is the right one that will present "modern Serbia". He said about himself that he is a man who "draws ideas for projects from tradition", which is why his project has a "reference to Tesla" and "of course, to sports, to athletes like Djokovic or basketball players".
Judging by the model that was used to convey the Expo to the public, architect Mark Fenwick envisioned it as a series of uniform, rectangular identical buildings similar to factory halls. Or to the barracks. What does this associate with Tesla? The flat roof of the future facilities might remind Djokovic and the basketball players, because they play on a flat, rectangular court. And to Serbia? Serbia is not an industrial country to be symbolized by halls. Plus, these Fenwicks are so impersonal they could be in any country in the world.
We will never know whether the first Expo in the history of Serbia (although it does not organize the World Expo, but the Specialized Expo), on its soil, would have resembled Serbia if the architect had been chosen in an international competition, that is, if he had not simply been hired by someone's decision.
As an argument from practice that justifies why it was Fenwick, and not some other architect, that was hired, the already mentioned Savski Square in Belgrade is mentioned. Okay, some people like that square, some don't, but everyone must agree that designing a square is not the same as designing a fair complex, the most important and largest in the Balkans.
Stadium in the foreground
However, maybe that complex is not No1 in the story of the Expo. Namely, Fenwick is an expert on stadiums. He designed three stadiums for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, including the demountable "947", made from shipping containers, and right now he is designing stadiums for the World Cups in 2030 and 2034.
And Serbia, says this government, needs stadiums all over the country, so the National Stadium is planned in Surčin. It was before the idea of the Expo. Even then, the people were told that a world-class stadium design expert would be hired for it.
Because this government loves football and claims that the country needs stadiums. It's not impossible, we'll see. Mark Fenwick will not be responsible for that. He, like any professional, is just doing his job.
