Beton Hala Waterfront Center by Sou Fujimoto
29/10/2012.
By Sou Fujimoto. [Belgrade] Serbia
metalocus, PEDRO NAVARRO
metalocus, PEDRO NAVARRO
Sou Fujimoto Architects have has completed and shared with us their proposal for the Beton Hala Waterfront Centre in Belgrade, Serbia. With its particular location at the edge of medieval Beton Hala, Kalemegden Park, Sava river and adjacent to the fortress wall, the project seamlessly grabs each facet and entwines them into a literally spiraling structure of ramping ribbons in what Fujimoto calls a 'floating cloud.' Intertwines an array of social and transportation programs into an organized tangle of suspended ramps that emerge from the static platform of the Beton Hala. The jury lauded the project as “brave proposal” that holds the “highest emblematic potential among all of Beton Hala entries”.
Overview by Sou Fujimoto.
Beton Hala top view, by Sou Fujimoto.
Distant view by Sou Fujimoto.
Site plan. By Sou Fujimoto.
Kalemegden-Promenade. By Sou Fujimoto.
Welcome plaza-approach. By Sou Fujimoto.
Inter Looking down. By Sou Fujimoto.
Interior shop. By Sou Fujimoto.
Exterior view. By Sou Fujimoto.
Inter mid-cafe. By Sou Fujimoto.
Central Plaza. By Sou Fujimoto.
Elevation. By Sou Fujimoto.
Elevation. By Sou Fujimoto.
Diagram. By Sou Fujimoto.
Plan 7 - 12 m. By Sou Fujimoto.
Plan 12 m. By Sou Fujimoto.
Section. By Sou Fujimoto.
Section. By Sou Fujimoto.
Section. By Sou Fujimoto.
Site plan. By Sou Fujimoto.
Exterior view. By Sou Fujimoto.
Exterior view. By Sou Fujimoto.
The eye of the circulatory whirlpool houses a new square and part of an exterior exhibition space which continues through under the massive roof structure. A restaurant and cafe are located under the inhabitable canopy along the riverfront, with commercial spaces closer to the fortress for easier access from the street. The woven Bedlam of rings allow the user to find their ideal space based on the variety of programs existing in different sections, as well as the proximity of the surrounding sites.
This vibrant pedestrian square will serve as the principle access point from the capital’s riverfront to it’s historic core. The encircling bridges above ground separate the pedestrian from the subterranean parking garage and the transportation hub linking the ferry terminal, tram and bus. The structure exists as an array of social and transport functions, located in the middle of a culturally rich site, which joins the various components in a free-flowing circulatory whirlwind.
REPORT BY COMPETITION JURY
First Prize
This scheme stood out form the rest of competitors by offering a simple, but refined complexity. Viewed from Novi Beograd and from the bridge, new spaces gracefully underline the skyline of historic Kalemegdan, without competing with its elegant silhouette. Colorful, flowery treatment of the roof, the veritable fifth façade of the project, enriches the view from the hill and offers its immense space to variety of urban uses. Skillfully combined, two functional volumes constitute architectural body of the project and hint at the variety of expressions of everyday life of Belgrade, high level of flexibility which invites and accepts evolution and healthy change.
More information
SOU FUJIMOTO
Sou Fujimoto was born in Hokkaido, Japan on August 4, 1971. In 1994 he graduated in architecture at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He established his own architecture studio, the agency Sou Fujimoto Architects, in Tokyo in 2000, and since 2007 a professor at Kyoto University.
He was first noticed in 2005 when he won the prestigious AR – international Architectural Review Awards in the Young architect’s category, a prize that he garnered for three consecutive years, and the Top Prize in 2006.
In 2008, he was invited to jury these very AR Awards. The same year he won the JIA (Japan Institute of Architects) prize and the highest recognition from the World Architecture Festival, in the Private House section. In 2009, the magazine Wallpaper* accorded him their Design Award. Sou Fujimoto published “Primitive Future” in 2008, the year’s best-selling architectural text. His architectural design, consistently searching for new forms and spaces between nature and artifice.
Sou Fujimoto became the youngest architect to design the annual summer pavilion for London’s Serpentine Gallery in 2013, and has won several awards, notably a Golden Lion for the Japan Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale and The Wall Street Journal Architecture Innovator Award in 2014.
Photographer: David Vintiner
