TYPE: Social housing 
LOCATION: Kamendin, Zemun 
YEAR: 2015. 
SIZE: 10500m2
STATUS: Competition - awarded 
CREDITS: Nikola Stevanovic, Nemanja Kordic, Ema Stojkovic; Consultants: Vojislav Stevanovic, Jefto Terzovic 

ABOUT: The future residential buildings for social and accessible housing are designed based on the conditions of the competition for the given location by the existing Akrobate Aleksica Street. The elongated shape of the location and its small width imposed modest possibilities in urban planning regarding the selection of the size and shape of the building. Therefore the urban planning solution proposed construction of two residential tracts basement+ ground floor+ 2 floors+ attic of same dimensions 106.50x 16.75 m, positioned one after the other with a joint space between them. The buildings are on the assigned Northern regulation construction line with additional 8m distance from the Southern boundary of the location behind them, in accordance with the given conditions of the competition. The location is accessed by car from streets which separate adjacent blocks, whose directions are extended onto the location enabling access to the open parking space with round movement and internal street formed along the Akrobate Aleksica Street at whose ends two ground garages are accessed via ramps. Due to small dimensions of the location and requirements that buildings house 270 apartments and approximately 190 parking spaces, parking in ground garages which classify as so-called medium garages according to their surface area and other technical characteristics, is planned for one part of the cars. The garages are envisaged to have 90 parking spaces. Traffic access to the location is from the North from the existing street and the number of parking spaces in the existing parking area lost due to this is compensated with the new parking area. Towards the existing street, in the contact zone of the existing and new buildings and the parking lot, new parking is envisaged with 100 spaces in total. Access of vehicles to the garages is provided with slant ramps of regulated incline and width for this type of building. Pedestrian access to the garages is provided from every segment of residential buildings and they are accessed by going down from the ground floor by fire protected stairs and elevator. The gap between buildings is used as a park surface envisaged for gathering and recreation, a place which belongs to the residents of the entire neighbourhood. Ramps for people with disabilities are integrated into the park and follow the elevation of the terrain thus enabling access to both buildings. The park includes a resting space with benches and trees, a small playground and a recreation space with a couple of table tennis tables. Other greenery consists of basement apartment gardens and small green strips behind and in front of the buildings with grass, trees and decorative shrubs.

 

Architectural concept: Volumetry of the buildings is defined by the adopted urban planning solution and comprises of two buildings 106.5m in length. The volumetry of individual buildings is broken up in the stairs core zone into two unequal parts 1/3 and 2/3. The two longer segments achieve dialogue with facing blocks whereas the two smaller segments are connected by a park – plateau into an ambient entity which fills the gap between the newly erected blocks. The buildings are formed of two material and volumetric wholes which diffuse: the internal – introvert, consisting of the retracted ground floor and attic zone defined in the dark tones of the façade and external – extrovert, consisting of the strip of façade brick which covers the lower parts of the building as well as the overhung volume with first and second floor loggias finished with light façade lining with façade brick filling. Modular arrangements of façade brick occur not only as functional elements of the lining, but also as portrayers of identity of the residential entities within the entire structure. By combination of traditional decorative arrangements, a theme of weaving on the façade is achieved whose ornaments emphasise variety which is often hard to achieve within a residential building organized according to rational principles of modern architecture. Façade brick arrangements are portrayers of identity on different scales: at the level of recognizable block entities, “red and green building” and at the level of individual units, ornament as an element of distinction and orientation within the structure.