New Belgrade Social Housing

Client: Belgrade local Authorities
Project team: Ana Zatezalo Schenk, Cedomir Ristic, Natasa Vukosaljevic, Mateja Zivadinovic, Danijela Roksandic, Mathilde Parois, Marine de La Jaille

Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Surface: 8192.29 sqm
Category: competition
Year: 2011

During the 1990s illegal settlements began to grow at the edges of the Modernist blocks of New Belgrade.

During the summer of 2011 the City Council has launched an open competition for social housing in the street of Dr Ivana Ribara which presents a physical division between the regulated municipality and the unknown of the Greenfield where the illegal settlements are.

As one of the main issues is the division between existing opposites, it was important to bridge this and create interaction between existing and new settlement.

Therefore, Sinestezia gave a proposal for the inclusion of the new block through the creation of mutual cultural-economic dependence between existing and new. It is planned to be achieved by the creation of cultural and commercial amenities which the existing blocks of New Belgrade lack. The residents of the new social housing will find their place in the community of New Belgrade.

Secondly Sinestezia aimed to make a balance between attractive, affordable, unusual and modular to fulfill strict requirements considering capacities and budget given by the Competition. Therefore, as the module, cube has been taken to provide maximum of effectives in production and cost efficiency. By horizontal and vertical repetition, as well as translation and rotation, urban set for the new New Belgrade’s block has been created.

All the blocks have been organized in the way to provide maximum of insolation and air flow. Three inner parks are organized as semi-private block’s amenities which are primarily designed for residents of the edging buildings.

Each flat has a small terrace and French window, while bigger flats with two to three rooms have their own loggia.

Finally, the proposal is striving to provide pleasant affordable environment for its future residents and to create link which will secure inclusion of old-new residents of New Belgrade.