Urban Space: The Phenomena of Unfinished in the Cities of Montenegro

Throughout the history of civilisation and architecture, the phenomenon of unfinished has been constantly present. Many historical and sociopolitical developments have caused some buildings and urban areas never to be completed. Nevertheless, these “structures”, although “mistakes of the past”, have continued to live spontaneously, being integrated into the urban fabric of the city. They have often become parts of the public space, as “mutants”, and a constant inspiration for architects and artists. There are many such examples in the territory of Montenegro: Ulcinj, Risan, Budva, Pluzine, Niksic, etc. The Revolution Memorial Hall building in Niksic, an unfinished concrete and steel mega-structure – “mega-unfinishedness” (“a similar structure was not built in the former SFRY”), is a good example of it. Today, this unfinished “dead space” continues to “live” by generating new “events in space”, from “kiosk size businesses” to the idea of being simply “buried”, turning thus into a “live monument”

Architecture of the 20th century as a Cultural Heritage : Architectural Communication – Memorial Hall in Kolasin, Montenegro

The main objective of this paper is to develop a methodology (model) for the analysis of architectural edifices through the aspect of architectural communication. Architectural communication was defined through three types of relations: with the context (social and physical), with users (utilization of architecture) and with the author/architect (architecture as knowledge transmission). Memorial Hall in Kolasin, the north of Montenegro, built in 1970’s is chosen as case study

Cultural landscape devastation as a consequence of poor Sustainable Urban Development practice Case study: Kostanjica, Boka Bay, Montenegro

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, Boka Bay, Montenegro, is well known for its exceptional beauty, evaluated by UNESCO. The unique universal value has been embodied in the cultural landscape: vernacular architecture harmonized with the cultivated terraced landscape on the slopes of high, rocky mountains. Kostanjica is an old settlement in Boka Bay, former fishermen village, recognized for valuable elements of the cultural landscape: chestnut tree and laurel forest, terraced gardens with arable land, fruit gardens, traditional architecture in stone: clusters of houses, piers and docks, pedestrian pathways, pavements, retaining walls, well-integrated in the autochthone Mediterranean vegetation. Since Montenegro has pronounced itself Ecological state in 1991, environmental protection has become the highest priority in all Sustainable Development agendas and policies. Furthermore, preservation of regional peculiarity and fostering distinctive identity of a place, is one of the crucial sustainable development goals. The ongoing development of tourist resort “Boka Gardens” in Kostanjica has revealed these harmful, unsustainable tendencies in Montenegro. On the grounds of investor’s urban planning and profit-driven architecture, the unique and valuable cultural landscape of Kostanjica has been devastated to the extent that Boka Bay’s UNESCO status has been jeopardized. The paper researches cause of this damaging phenomena, seeking for ways of overcoming profoundly harmful building practices, thus leading to a more efficient and sustainable urban development

Architecture of the 20th Century as a Cultural Heritage : Architectural Communication – Memorial Hall in Kolasin, Montenegro

The main objective of this paper is to develop a methodology (model) for the analysis of architectural edifices through the aspect of architectural communication. Architectural communication was defined considering three types of relations: with the context (social and physical), with the users (utilization of architecture) and with the author/architect (architecture as knowledge transmission). Memorial Hall in Kolasin, the north of Montenegro, built in the 1970’s is chosen as case study

Toward Regenerative Sustainability: A Passive Design Comfort Assessment Method of Indoor Environment

The fact that people spend a major part of their lifetime indoors, together with the lethal COVID-19 pandemic which caused people to spend even more time inside buildings, has drawn attention to the significance of achieving Agenda 2030 SD goal number three: good health and well-being, in reference to the indoor environment. The research subject is the health and well-being of building users explored through the sustainable (passive) design principles having an impact on the comfort and quality of the indoor environment. It is set within a regenerative sustainability framework encompassing the physiological, biophilic, psychological and social aspects of comfort. The Comfort Assessment Model’s categories, to some extent, rely on the first author’s doctoral thesis, with further modifications regarding the passive design criteria and indicators. A comparative analysis of the model with international sustainability certification (rating) systems has been performed, proving the significance of introducing more passive design comfort (health) related criteria into sustainability assessment models. In addition, a focus group of expert architects contributed to the research conclusions by responding to a questionnaire addressing the issues of sustainability, comfort and passive design, in terms of the health and well-being of building users, which confirmed the relevance of applied passive design measures for providing comfort indoors and fulfilling sustainable development goals

Strategies for Realization of Socially Sustainable Residential Buildings: Experts’ Perspectives

Over the recent decades, the concept of social sustainability (SS) has been increasingly recognized as a key component of sustainable development incorporated in sustainable communities’ agendas. However, SS measures and practices have been insufficiently applied and underrepresented with regard to residential buildings. The aim of this paper is to employ experts’ perspectives to identify interdisciplinary, multilevel strategies/drivers for the integration of SS measures and practices into governmental and operational activities in relation to residential buildings. The selected strategies emerged from a detailed literature review and a two-round Delphi survey collecting responses from an expert panel, which were carried out in order to determine the relevancy of the proposed strategies. Of the 38 preselected strategies, 32 were deemed significant. In addition to a number of relevant strategies, the panelists especially recommended disseminating new concepts of growth that would contribute to breaking the link between materialism and social progress and to the adoption of new ways of life characterized by a more harmonious and healthy coexistence of people and the environment. They also suggested a gradual introduction of SS principles into value systems and their implementation in all aspects of personal and social life as an essential precondition for achieving the goals of sustainable development on a large scale. These results lay the groundwork for the incorporation and development of SS strategies by policy makers, developers, and planners and provide a starting point that will allow other researchers to identify the most relevant strategies in different contexts, i.e., countries and regions with their specific characteristics, which will further create the conditions for the more efficient implementation of SS measures and practices and contribute to the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)