status:
International Concept Design Competition
year:
2024
place:
Podgorica, Montenegro
client:
Montenegro Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property
with:
PRODUCTORA
area:
76.946 m²
description:
The proposal for the Museum Complex and Park of Arts & Culture is as much a vibrant extension of Podgorica as a continuation of the green park that flanks the Moraca river. Resembling a set of varied rocks washed onto the river shore, each architectural object has an individual character and presence, and plays a specific role within a larger spatial composition. Circulation and site access are directly connected to the urban environment and guide visitors to various typologies of gathering spaces (plazas, terraces, playgrounds, etc.) for outdoor and recreational activities, guaranteeing accessibility to all. The park furniture, installations, and water features also evoke the river landscape so the entire site is perceived as an extension of the riverbed, now intrinsically connected to the urban environment. The project has a no-nonsense approach towards sustainability, including the following features: the re-use of existing structures and landscape elements, resilient on-site stormwater management, urban forestation strategies, implementation of biodiversity through the introduction of new plant species, the extensive use of permeable surfaces, recycled materials for the landscaping (soil, paving surfaces and furniture), net-zero buildings through solar panels and geothermal wells, heat-exchange between buildings (through a central hub), responsible building materials like mass timber structures (for all the new buildings) and gridbased building structures for efficient and economic construction while reducing waste. This new infrastructure will place Montenegro in the foreground of responsible, sustainable, and circular building strategies while creating microclimatic conditions to mitigate the heat island effect.
