Axis Activa: The Regeneration of public space of Novi Grad and Nova Varoš in Podgorica

Project idea

Podgorica as a city in the Balkans felt the effects of the peninsula’s turbulent past, and being in the centre-point of the collision of the eastern and western cultures left a deep rupture in the continuity of architectural expression within the city. The clash of different paradigms left todays Podgorica, a city of just more than 180 000 inhabitants polycentric, without clear relations between different parts. This master’s thesis aims to analyse the different historical and morphological layers that make up Podgorica in order to trace the systems of public spaces and their mutual communications, in an attempt to sort them into a proposition of a larger binding system. This system, designated as axis activa, has been used as a starting point for establishing a new order for the uncontrolled and perspectiveless growth of the city, and giving the city a long overdue essence to its otherwise troubled existence. In the second stage, urban regeneration project has been proposed for the current supposed centre-point of Podgorica – Trg Nezavisnosti square. The project encompases restructuring and urban design of public space as well as architectural (re)design of representational public programs on the square by connecting existing city council and library buildings with a new hybrid addition.

Project description

The goal of the reconstruction is to establish the facilities with a rich public program that will generate life in the square. The newly-formed functional hybrid must be strongly and clearly connected to the surface of the square. Moreover, during the process of connecting the reconstructed facility with the square, it is necessary to acknowledge the fact that the future facility requires a two-sided orientation. It is necessary to preserve the representative connection with the future Green Square on the west side, while on the east side, it is necessary to provide a new entrance from the main town square. With the reconstruction, we get an additional building that can be logically divided into two parts: program part and infrastructure part

Program part_
It takes into account the town library and Municipal Assembly buildings, as well as the new volume implemented between and on top of them. With a certain recomposition of current functions and placing additional new programs, this whole becomes a multifunctional hybrid in which program content is divided by horizontal and vertical gabarits.

Infrastructure part_
It represents an open volume covered visually thin steel construction plate, based on 65 steel columns (round cross-section) deployed in 5 rows. Between the columns, the already mentioned pedestrian ramp has been pulled through, which enables access to various content developed within the horizontal and vertical axis of the program part. This space is simultaneously used as an exhibition space. Exhibits hung on the roof construction in combination with the ramps, make a representative facade and a peculiar visual sensation

Technical information

New volume construction on the existing buildings
The existing building of the city assembly is of more recent date of construction. It was made in a rigid reinforced concrete skeleton frame construction system with a regular grid of 6 m in both directions. The library building was built in a massive load-bearing stone wall system, which was in previous sanations strengthened with reinforced concrete walls as well as additional ab pillars. For adding the new volume connecting and expanding vertically the two buildings, a steel structure was used in a system of steel columns and lattice girder floors (3mx3m division of the substructure). The correct vertical transmission of forces was taken into account when positioning the new volume construction. The front, open part of the new volume has an independent construction. The roof structure is made of steel and rests on 65 circular cross-section steel columns, arranged in 5 rows. The pedestrian ramps made of steel profiles are hung on these pillars.

Materialization
The first approach to the envelope design was ensuring that it was in the service of the real needs as well as in the requirements of the set program. The new structure is made in a steel structural system and is left visible in combination with a double skin facade that has a separate construction in a 3m grid. The double skin facade consists of glass panels, in front of which is a transparent steel mesh casing. The pedestrian ramps are made of steel elements, while the complete railing and ramps are made of mesh.