TYPE: Mixed use (office, public, retail) LOCATION: Podgorica, Montenegro YEAR: 2020.  SIZE: 5200 m² STATUS: Competiton - Awarded Redemtion prize CREDITS: Nemanja Kordić, Nikola Stevanović, Ema Stojković Jerinić, Irena Nikolić, Ivana Todosić, Jelena Smiljanić, Marija Rakić STRUCTURE: Jefto Terzović ABOUT:  The old department store building NA-MA not only represents a place of collective memory for the city of Podgorica, but also represented a symbol of a brand new era, a place of innovative, tempting and finally easily available products. The new reinterpretation of the object becomes a symbol of the current technological and creative era, becoming a display for human potential. The focus shifts from product to man, the space gathers citizens, especially the young giving them a chance to meet, educate themselves and develop new skills through the interactions with the NAMA creative business community that is the primery user. In its form it tends to accent and magnify an already present park like character of the Independance square, by giving public space in the ground floor and also implementing a vertical garden on the facade, where the plants tell the story of the biodiversity of the town of Podgorica. The form follows the urban regulations of its surroundings, and invites the future users to its public zones that host city events and gather the community, this area can be fully open depending on the weather conditions. The new facade is conceptually named „green cape“, secures the spirit of its surroundings and tradition while also reflecting modern tendencies in sustainability in architecture in Podgorica, as well as Montenegro’s title of the first ecological state. The House of Podgorica is placed in the borders of the public zone – the “urban terrace”, it is invisioned as an info pavillion for cultural and tourist offers of Podgorica. Open to citizens and visitors, it is also an organisational center for all public events in the building. The business and commercial contents can function independently in relation to the public contents, and the office floors can also open their space to the public when hosting different promotions, events, educational classes…The building is designed so that the public areas are in the ground floor and the roof garden, they are connected via separate elevator and the business hub floors use their own staircase and elevator so access control is possible. Commercial areas of the gym has its own staircase and enterance, the café is available from the public area of the ground floor but also has a separate enterance, and the restorant is reachable via elevator.