{"id":769850,"date":"2025-01-09T10:50:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=769850"},"modified":"2025-01-09T10:50:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:50:56","slug":"zha-wins-contest-for-nikola-tesla-museum-in-belgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/zha-wins-contest-for-nikola-tesla-museum-in-belgrade","title":{"rendered":"ZHA wins contest for Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The London-based practice \u2013 working with Bureau Cube Partners<\/a> of Serbia \u2013 won a single-stage competition to transform the former Milan Vapa\u2019s Paper Mill into an educational visitor attraction dedicated to the Serbian-American engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla.<\/p>\n

In awarding the \u20ac60,000 top prize, the jury praised the winning design for its originality and thoughtful combination of Tesla\u2019s historical legacy with the \u2018architecture of old Belgrade, and the modern appearance of the Serbian capital represented by the Belgrade Waterfront\u2019.<\/p>\n

A second prize of \u20ac40,000 was awarded to Zoran Sobic, Marko Filipovic, and Srdjan Stojanovic while a third prize of \u20ac20,000 was awarded to William Poole, Jim Richards, Benjamin Walker, Ivan Jankovic, Sasa Popovic, and Milutin Folic. The competition, organised by the Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade,\u00a0 received 46 submissions.<\/p>\n

The project \u2013 backed by the Belgrade Waterfront Company \u2013 will preserve and enhance the 8,400m\u00b2 complex, considered one of Serbia\u2019s \u2018best-preserved and most significant buildings of industrial architecture\u2019. Key aims include creating a \u2018space for a very rich museum exhibition, dedicated to one of the greatest inventors of the modern era\u2019 on the 7,200m\u00b2 site.<\/p>\n

The winning scheme was inspired by Tesla\u2019s vision of magnetic fields, combined with the idea of wireless transmission of electricity. It features spherical surfaces and circles creating a striking entrance foyer which leads visitors into a main atrium. The centrepiece exhibition will be the Tesla Electric Transformer Gallery featuring a 12-million-volt transformer.<\/p>\n

The museum building is a short distance from the site of the\u00a0 iconic 1957 Belgrade Fair<\/a> and overlooks the River Sava. The site neighbours the busy Mostar motorway loop and is part of Belgrade\u2019s enormous 177ha waterfront regeneration zone.<\/p>\n

In 2019, Madrid-based Fenwick Iribarren Architects won an international contest to transform Savski Square<\/a>, which is a short distance from the proposed Lo\u017eionica Multifunctional Centre next to the city\u2019s former main station. \u00a0The scheme will create a new gateway to the \u20ac3.5 billion Belgrade Waterfront redevelopment project.<\/p>\n

Located on the southern bank of the River Sava, the Belgrade Waterfront development will transform a large area of former railway and logistics land. The district, known as Savamala, was a major commercial hub for the city before falling into disuse and has now been cleared for redevelopment. The scheme will deliver 6,000 apartments and 750,000m\u00b2 of office and commercial space.<\/p>\n

ZHA\u2019s scheme will provide one of three new museums \u2013 alongside a Historical Museum of the Republic of Serbia and Children\u2019s Museum \u2013 planned for the Belgrade Waterfront site. Once complete, it will provide a new environment for researchers studying Tesla\u2019s archive and \u2018stimulate critical thinking about the role of technology in shaping the future.\u2019<\/p>\n

Competition judges included Marko Stoj\u010di\u0107, chief urbanist of the City of Belgrade; Ivana Zori\u0107, senior curator, of the Nikola Tesla Museum; Kristina Luki\u0107, graduate economist at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia; and Aleksandar Ivanovi\u0107, graduate architectural engineer at the Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute of Belgrade.<\/p>\n

\n

Architects\u2019 view<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Winner:

Winner: Zaha Hadid Architects with Bureau Cube Partners<\/p>\n\t

Source:Image by Norviska<\/p><\/div>\n

The adaptive reuse of the 1920s structure will preserve its industrial heritage while upgrading its indoor and outdoor spaces as a leading cultural venue with improved accessibility from the city.<\/p>\n

The museum\u2019s design draws on Tesla\u2019s research into magnetic fields and wireless energy transfer. Informed by concepts of magnetic forces and interconnectivity, the design incorporates dynamic elliptical curves radiating from the old factory chimney, the site\u2019s dominant feature.<\/p>\n

A new circular opening in the factory\u2019s western fa\u00e7ade will be the public entrance, leading visitors to the triple-height central atrium anchored by the historic chimney at the heart of the 13,400m\u00b2 museum.<\/p>\n

To enhance circulation and functionality in the building\u2019s continued life as a museum, ellipsoidal sectional openings will be carved within the walls that divide the old factory’s interior. These openings define a series of three-dimensional spherical voids that create an extended perspective viewed from the western entrance, through the atrium and terminating at the Tesla memorial at the eastern end of the museum.<\/p>\n

The museum\u2019s first-floor galleries incorporate historical artefacts, interactive displays and immersive presentations, while temporary galleries will host an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and events, ensuring a new experience for returning visitors.<\/p>\n

Featuring a 12-million-volt transformer, the immersive Tesla Electronic Transformer Gallery will capture imaginations and showcase Tesla\u2019s pioneering spirit. The museum\u2019s visitor amenities also include a caf\u00e9, a multipurpose hall and a rooftop restaurant offering panoramic views of the Sava River.<\/p>\n

Outside the building, Nikola Tesla Square will serve as a new public space for the city. Inspired by Tesla\u2019s concepts of electromagnetic fields, the square\u2019s flowing pathways, gardens and plazas will enhance accessibility and connect with Belgrade Waterfront as well as the city’s transportation network.<\/p>\n

Minimising ecological impact through passive design in addition to the use of renewable and geothermal energy, the paper mill\u2019s restoration preserves its historic fa\u00e7ades, vaulted ceilings and masonry, while updating its structure to serve as one of the city\u2019s most important cultural destinations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The London-based practice \u2013 working with Bureau Cube Partners of Serbia \u2013 won a single-stage competition to transform the former Milan Vapa\u2019s Paper Mill into an educational visitor attraction dedicated to the Serbian-American engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla. In awarding the \u20ac60,000 top prize, the jury praised the winning design for its originality and thoughtful …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2350,"featured_media":769853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[76144,1516,83358,1422],"yoast_head":"\nZHA wins contest for Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has won an open international contest to transform a disused paper mill into a new Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/zha-wins-contest-for-nikola-tesla-museum-in-belgrade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta 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