Bogdan Bogdanović: Dissident in life, architecture and writing

The paper analyses selected works of Bogdan Bogdanović (1922- 2010). This Serbian architect, writer and Professor of Architecture at the University of Belgrade, was the author of numerous monuments devoted to the victims of fascism in former Yugoslavia (1952-81). As the Mayor of Belgrade (1982-86) Bogdanović was a liberal member of the Yugoslav Communist Party and later, a strong opponent of Milošević’s regime. This paper argues that Bogdanović has always been both a dissident and an avant-garde proponent of architectural surrealism and its wider culture. Living with the belief that the vocation of an architect presupposes lifetime devotion to learning and experimentation, Bogdanović carried on with this attitude throughout his life. This approach, spiced up with playfulness and mystery as presented in his early volume Zaludna mistrija (The Futile Trowel) 1968, is the focus of this paper. In this unusual book the narratives are an intrinsic part of the architectural realm including design, drawings of various kinds, and the built form itself

Cities, countryside and heritage: biopower and new values in designing public spaces

In answering the call and the spirit of this conference that hinges on heritage, architecture, cities and media, the initial proposal was submitted on the 10th April, coinciding with the first peak of the Covid- 19 crisis in this country. Uncertainty and the fear of the unknown were palpable. The PM was in the hospital, 866 people died in England after testing positive, while the Archbishop of Canterbury led the first national digital Easter Sunday service from his kitchen. People were warned to stay away from holiday destinations, and statistics emerged showing that BAME people have been disproportionately more effected by Covid-19 contributing to the discussion on race and racism that came to play a role in examining our society’s heritage and monuments in public spaces. Under these conditions the question I pose in this paper is what are the new dynamics between cities and the countryside, particularly in relation to public spaces and the position of the subject? What do we as architects and designers of public spaces in the situation of a pandemic need to unravel and focus on in order to create safe, inclusive and delightful spaces that will help us to live better and to thrive

Transgression and Ekphrasis in Le Corbusier's Journey to the East

Transgression and ekphrasis in Le Corbusier’s Journey to the East explores some lesser known aspects of Charles Edouard Jeanneret’s early trip to the East focusing on the role of traditional arts and architecture that he encountered in the South-East of Europe. The experience, observation and thinking about these arts that subsequently influenced and determined his approach to art and architecture are being explored as a form of transgression and ekphrasis

London Loves the Thames - Flows and Assemblages - Movie

Visual represetation of flows and assemblages along London South ban

Eric Mumford, Defining Urban Design. CIAM Architects and the Formation of a Discipline, 1937–69. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009.

The article critically reviews the book by Eric Mumford. While acknowledging its value and significant contribution to the history of urbanism, Fontana-Giusti argues for a more profound understanding which will include the complexity of the underlining philosophies held by the CIAM architects of this period

Mapping the Experience of the Walker: A Spatio-Dynamic Method of Designing a Responsive Environment for the 21st Century Pedestrian Culture

This paper discusses the experience of the pedestrians on four major pedestrain routes in the cities of London, Barcelona, Malmo and Utrecht. Building up upon the approaches established in Agora- Cities for People urban design and research project, the papers proposes relevant methodology

The Importance of Good Design

The paper focused on the contribution of the arts to urban design. Arts' ability to capture unprecedented experiences and communicate them effectively is seen as a great potential in the pursuit of the new methods of urban design

Reflections on the Notion of Surface in Contemporary Artchitecture

This article discusses the status and the attributes related to the contemporary notion of surface in architectural theory and practice

The Cutting Surface: On Perspective as a Section, Its Relationship to Writing, and Its Role in Understanding Space

This article analyses the notion of perspective as a cutting surface as argued by Leon Battista Alberti in his 'De pictura'. It establishes the conditions under which this notion has emerged in the fifteenth century. Alberti's theory of perspective has since been appropriated and disseminated by many including Leonardo and Albrecht Dürer and has grew in prominence, consequently becoming understood as an inevitable, natural phenomenon and a common sense. The author questions this chain of events by pointing out that perspective has been an artificial construct from the beginning. Furthermore she analyses perspective's relationship to the notion of the flat surface of the page in order to shed light on Alberti's way of thinking as a scholar that is in sharp contrast to Brunelleschi, the architect / builder, whose conception of perspective was differently conceived and grasped

Cities, Water and Signification

This paper analyses the relationship between cities and water. It explores the nature of a deeply seated phenomenon that urban developments and water always come together. Apart from the purposefulness and economic benefits of water, cities rely on its presence on another metaphorical level