Client: UNDP – United Nations Development Programme
Investor: Republic of Serbia, Ministry for Public Investment
Consultant: ARUP, UK
Location: Ušće park, New Belgrade
Program: Public building – National Concert Hall / Belgrade Philharmonic
Gross floor area: 56.656m2
Prize: 1.prize – International architectural competition
Competition Year: 2021
Design: 2022-2026
Status: Design Completed
Competition design Author: Amanda Levete Architect (AL_A), London, UK
Zabriskie services: Consulting in conceptual competition design phase, Local partner, Responsible designer of all phases of project documentation (Concept design + Building permit design + Design for execution of works).
Zabriskie team: Ivica Marković (Project Director, Lead Designer), Milica Palamarević (Design Manager), Bojana Kovačević, Marija Vidaković, Nataša Stefanović (BIM manager), Jovana Milunović, Đorđe Valjarević, Jelena Radojević Nataša Jocev, Dušan Stanković.
Architecture: AL_A + Zabriskie
Structural engineering: AFA Consult, Portugal + Beging, Serbia – Spasoje Derajić, Dragana Antonić
MEP: AFA Consult, Portugal + CMD Cons, Serbia – Vladimir Martać, Ivan Patenković, Borivoje Baković, Darko Matutinović, Sandra Ivanović, Duško Božović.
Lifts and escalators: SD Project ING – Dragan Stojanović dim, Milan Stanković die
Landscape: VDLA, Lebanon + Urbino doo – Sanja Krstić, dipa. + Carera doo, Serbia
Stage Technology: Arup, UK + Pro Control doo, Serbia
Cost Consultant: Turner & Townsend, UK + Plan 1st doo (specifications)
Facade Design: Bollinger+Grohmann, Germany / France
Lightning Design: Seam Lightning, UK
Fire protection consultants: Prokoning MGE doo – Jelena Dojčinović, Marko Nikolić
Noise Protection Study: Universal Acoustic Solutions – Dr Stefan Dimitrijević
Geotechnical Study: GeoExpert doo – Dr Petar Santrač
Geodetic Survey: Geo-Dita doo – Jovan Golubović
Road and Traffic design: Pinbiro – Danijela Mišković + Andzor inženjering – Božica Todorović dig, Zoran Vukadinović mis
Environmental Impact Assessment Study: Eco Logica URBO doo – Evica Rajić
Geothermal installations: Saputnik-M doo – Hidromeridijan
Being the largest investment in culture made in the past few decades, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Hall is a development project of exceptional significance for the city of Belgrade, the Republic of Serbia and the entire region. This is an extraordinary project whose ambition is to make a social, cultural and economic impact.
Its impressive location – an important, history laden place in the vicinity of The Palace of Serbia, at the very confluence of two great European rivers with a view of the preserved nature of the Veliko ratno ostrvo river island – has defined a starting point in our approach to this project.
Conceived as a meeting place and a place where opposites – literally and figuratively – are in tune with each other, the building is conceptualized as a symbol of harmony between structures and nature, between the East and the West, between the old and the new, between different generations and cultures.
The façade is designed as a translucent structure, made out of 100% recycled domestic glass fragments refracting light and creating a three-dimensional texture. The end result is a sophisticated effect that sometimes makes the façade surface appear as stone or marble depending on the nature of light coming through it. Wavy profile of a glass panel not only reflects and soaks up the color of its surroundings but also reveals the story of its own recycling.
There is already a significant number of indigenous as well as exotic tree species at the site. Nevertheless, further intense afforestation of the park with local species is intended in accordance with the landscape vision. This process will result in an increase in resilience and biodiversity of vegetation in Novi Beograd district and indeed all across Belgrade – particularly in Veliko ratno ostrvo river island and the area of Kalemegdan fortress park. Landscape design concept, inseparable from the concert hall building design, will be an exceptional symbolic as well as practical act – a clear message that we must preserve nature in urban environments.
Middle area of the building is designed as an intersection of four different performance stages, a space dedicated to social events, which makes the heart of the Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall. Open from all four sides, the square stands as a natural point of convergence, a place for cultural and musical exchange, social contact, interaction between nature and architecture. Concert halls are carefully positioned in relation to each other, treated as equally important and smartly placed so as to encourage the discourse between them.
