The museum is the park, the park is the museum

Client: Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property of Montenegro
Location: Podgorica (ME)
Size: 14.000 sqm
Program: Cultural
Status: In Design
Year: 2024
Project Team: A-FACT s.r.l., LAND Italia s.r.l. , Maffeis Engineering s.p.a, Charcoal Blue LLP

Strategically nestled between Gorika Hill and Malo Brdo Hill, the project site commands a prominent presence along the western boundary of the Moraca River. The eastern and southeastern portions are adorned with a lush assembly of trees and greenery. This proximity to natural elements offers a unique opportunity to engage meaningfully with the landscape.

Drawing inspiration from the vibrant natural surroundings and the historical essence of Podgorica, including the ancient precincts of Stara Varos, the vision for the new Arts and Culture District centers around harmonizing the built environment with its natural context.

Two main contexts and environments work together as an interconnected green platform: the Park of Arts & Culture, situated closer to the city and densely planted, and the Morača River Park, which sits at a lower level compared to the former. The Morača River Park directly relates to and interacts with the river itself, designed to safely accommodate extreme flooding events.

Inspired by Montenegro’s remarkable nature, the stone cladding pays homage to the encircling mountains while establishing a new iconic architectural language that enhances the park and river scenery. What the buildings take away from the land is returned through a generous roof that seamlessly merges with the landscape, creating a new natural outdoor gathering place with stunning views over the riverwalk. The vegetation on the roof blurs the lines between the building and the terrain, ensuring continuous movement across the landscape and enriching local biodiversity

The new museum district and the park of arts and culture will invigorate Podgorica’s social life, serving as a vibrant and dynamic public attraction. These buildings promote a new sustainability paradigm by encouraging interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces and exploring contemporary uses of local materials and construction techniques.

Sustainability lies at the heart of this proposal. The project aims to adopt and integrate passive and active environmental strategies, reducing overall energy consumption for heating, cooling, artificial lighting, and potable water use. Additionally, the implementation of modern construction techniques, combined with the use of local materials, positively impacts the buildings’ life cycle and reduces their carbon emissions.