"I understand the apprehension and possible reflexive resistance to every new Spatial Plan and investment. The only way to restore trust is to leave the work of urban planning to responsible professionals who will take care of the public interest. This is also the way to the recovery of our society in general, not only in the field of architecture, but also in other areas exposed to corruption and partocracy."
The Government of Serbia made a decision on the creation of a Spatial Plan for the area of special purpose for part of the Belgrade municipality Čukarica, between the streets of Blagoj Parović, Knez Višeslav, Miloj Zakić and Vladimir Rolović. The development of the plan was entrusted to the architectural studio Proaspekt from Belgrade, led by Professor Vladimir Lojanica, the same team whose work this June won the first prize in an open competition for the program-spatial concept of urban and landscape revitalization of this area. The competition was public, 26 works were submitted, and the solution of Professor Vladimir Lojanica stood out, in the opinion of the jury, "with its harmonious fit into the natural environment and a clear concept of public spaces".
The task of the competition, among other things, was to create a programmatic and spatial concept for the urban and landscape revitalization of an area that has already been built - it includes various institutions, from "Avala film", RTS, to the Faculty of Sports and the Church of Saint Luke. In an interview that we published in "Vremen" on June 11 this year, Professor Lojanica said that in their solution, the surface of that part of the city "is treated as a brownfield with potentially interesting opportunities, suitable for reconstruction and new construction with minimal disruption of the natural environment. With this proposal for revitalization, reconstruction and arrangement of the existing spatial and functional sub-units, we propose, in fact, the return of currently unavailable green space to the city, through its reprogramming according to the principle of an open urban module that would integrated this part of the city's public green environment with the existing one and supplemented it with new modern spaces for cultural content, life and work".
Now, Professor Lojanica sees the preparation of the Spatial Plan based on the urban planning solution of his team as an opportunity to realize that concept.
"WEATHER" In local urban planning practice, it is not a common occurrence that the same team also works in programming spatial concept and spatial plan. What are the advantages of this procedure??
VLADIMIR LOJANICA: The competitive solution has already passed the strictest form of public and professional evaluation. When the same author's team continues to work through the creation of the Spatial Plan, continuity is ensured in the implementation of the author's concept: from the initial idea to the planning document. This avoids the "translation" of an idea, which in practice often leads to wrong interpretations or even a complete transformation. The advantage is a significantly lower risk of subsequent interventions that reduce the quality of the space, damage the public interest or reduce the sustainability of the project. In international practice, the continuity of the author's presence is considered the best model for the realization of complex urban transformations, as evidenced by numerous world examples.
Part of Čukarica, between the streets of Blagoj Parović, Prince Višeslav, Miloj Zakić and Vladimir Rolović was identified as the location for the development of the Film park project, declared a project of importance for the Republic of Serbia. In what way does this qualification affect the preparation of the Spatial Plan?
That area received the status of an area of public importance in 2019. It is an area located opposite the protected area of the Košutnjak forest. In addition, I think it is completely logical that the territory that includes the facilities of important republican institutions such as the Yugoslav Cinematheque, the Faculty of Physical Culture, the Ministry of Defense, Radio and Television of Serbia, should be regulated by a planning act that will be adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The status of a project of republican importance ensures greater transparency and legal certainty. That plan must be a reflection of our aspiration for a modern and ecologically conscious revitalization of that space, and not an excuse for maximizing the built-up square footage.
Is it already now?, until the practical preparation of the Spatial Plan has not started, you can say what that part of Čukarica will look like? What will be changed, demolished, built? What will the new buildings be like??
The key starting point is that the development of this area is carried out as a brownfield investment. Future construction will be realized on the foundations of existing buildings, without occupying new natural areas. The award-winning solution is based on the principle of an "open urban module" - a network of public green corridors and squares that penetrate deep into the space and create an uninterrupted connection to Košutnjak. All objects of "Avala filma" with cultural-historical or architectural value will be preserved and repurposed, while the removal is planned only for ruined and temporary structures without value. New construction is planned along the peripheral roads, while the central part is opened as a public landscape park. It is important to emphasize that no vital tree will be cut down. All healthy trees will be preserved and integrated into the space. The architecture is of low and medium intensity, with terraced retreats, green roofs and transparent ground floors, so that the entire space is maximally relaxed and integrated in a spatial and visual sense.
It is known that one of the focuses of the Spatial Plan will be cultural preservation historical values. He is probably primarily referring to his former studio and everything else he had at his disposal "Avala movie". That space has been devastated and almost empty for decades. Will the Spatial Plan determine its demolition and conversion??
The plan will not foresee the demolition of buildings that represent cultural and historical heritage. The most important objects of the former studio complex will be protected and carefully repurposed. Large studios, sound studios, administration buildings and decor warehouses will be transformed into modern film facilities, a film museum, educational spaces and a hub for creative industries. The goal is that the film heritage of this area does not become a static museum, but that the life and activity and memory related to this area are preserved to the same extent as the buildings. Only buildings of a temporary nature, which are ruined or assessed as unsafe, will be removed.
I already have a name. The film park suggests and in a way guarantees that this part of Čukarica will be "green". There are 14 there..500 trees. In layman's terms, it seems that if all those trees remain, there will be no room for new construction?
It may seem so at first glance, but it is actually possible to simultaneously preserve the existing greenery and develop a new urban structure precisely because the entire project is based on the idea of revitalizing an already built and devastated area, and not on occupying new natural areas. The positioning of the new facilities is based on the existing roads and contours of the "Avala Filma" facilities, so that construction is not introduced into parts of untouched greenery. The buildings are distributed between the canopies, with the possibility of raising the ground floor, larger retreats and the integration of vegetation into the atriums. The result is a double win: increased efficiency of space use and preservation of the strong landscape identity that makes that part of Čukarica unique.
Funding for the Spatial Plan is provided by Avala Studios d. o. o. Beograd. In the conversation we published this June, when you received the first prize for the project solution of the Čukarica section, you said yes "architecture could never do without investors", but if they "the problem is poorly negotiated agreements with investors that have devastating consequences". What do you expect from cooperation with Avala Studios?
I expect a professional, transparent and long-term sustainable relationship in which the public interest is the highest criterion. Avala Studios has already shown that it understands the specificity of the project: this is not a routine commercial investment, but a complex cultural-urban revitalization of national importance. The organization of the competition through the Society of Architects of Belgrade, the selection of solutions by the jury, which consisted of our most prominent fellow architects, and the decision to create the Spatial Plan directly on the basis of the awarded concept - all these are strong indications of a responsible approach. Belgrade has seen a lot of "investor urbanism" in previous years. I understand the apprehension and possible reflexive resistance towards every new Spatial Plan and investment. The only way to restore trust is to leave the work of urban planning to responsible professionals who will take care of the public interest. It is also the way to the recovery of our society in general, not only in the field of architecture, but also in other areas exposed to corruption and partocracy.
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Professor Vladimir Lojanica, dean of the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, is the author of the best solution for arranging the area of the municipality of Čukarica between the streets of Blagoj Parović, Knez Višeslav, Miloj Zakić and Vladimir Rolović, the Association of Belgrade Architects announced on Thursday (May 1).
"If architecture is a reflection of the time and society in which it is created, when we look around us, by all accounts, we have a huge road to recovery ahead of us. If it is even possible in our case, given that we have skipped entire epochs in civilizational development"
