This panel examines how modernist buildings can be reactivated to meet contemporary needs while preserving their architectural, cultural, and social value. Across Europe, modernist structures face pressures from economic transformation, environmental requirements, and changing patterns of use. In Belgrade, this challenge is particularly complex due to the scale, ambition, and diversity of its modernist legacy.
The discussion will focus on adaptive reuse strategies, institutional frameworks, and architectural approaches to regeneration, with particular attention to public and industrial buildings. Key case studies include the transformation of the BIGZ industrial complex, the ongoing conversion of the Ložionica industrial site, and the reconstruction of major public buildings such as the Palace of Justice. These examples position modernist architecture not as a static historical artefact, but as an active spatial resource capable of supporting contemporary cultural, civic, and economic life.
These examples illustrate that modernist architecture is not a static historical artifact but an active spatial and cultural resource capable of supporting contemporary civic, cultural, and economic life. Swiss participants will contribute comparative perspectives, sharing experiences from adaptive reuse projects in Switzerland and reflecting on regulatory frameworks, community engagement, and design approaches, thereby creating a platform for mutual learning and dialogue.
Moderator:
PhD Maja Dragišić –Architect, Founder of Spring Studio, Associate Professor, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, RS
Panelists:
Simon Hartmann, Architect, Professor for Building Design at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Dean of Studies at KIT since 2024, CH
Anđela Karabašević – Architect, Co‑Founder of AKVS architecture, Research Assistant at University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, RSPhD Jelena Bogosavljević, Architect, Assistant Professor at University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, 1X2STUDIO, RS
picture 4_Living Modernism_Vjenceslav Richter_Sinturbanizam 1962-1963_katalog izložbe Toward a Concrete Utopia_Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980_izdanje MoMA, 2018_str. 51
