Spatium (Jan 2024)
Belgrade Fair complex: The collapse of Yugoslav purism
Abstract
In the wake of accelerated development in the vicinity of the Belgrade Fair and further plans for construction in this part of the city, the events that have unfolded during the past decade of Belgrade’s urban development have situated Belgrade Fair as a key topic in the spotlight of the Serbian urban planning community. The objective of this paper is, first and foremost, the formulation of a methodologically broader critical matrix regarding the formation of an approach to the future adoption of strategies for the urban renewal of the Belgrade Fair (Sajam) complex. This complex, in addition to basic research on its architectural and urban qualities, also includes numerous current and temporal aspects from which it is possible to draw conclusions about the issue at hand. These analyses of the architectural and urban value of the fair complex observe the key themes and concepts that define the Sajam’s spatial and developmental paradigm. They also accentuate current questions regarding the defragmentation of the heritage of modern architecture in architectural practice. Also highlighted, in addition to the architectural and urban planning composition of the first construction phase between 1953 and 1957, are the today less-known architectural and engineering aspects of the exhibition halls that lack heritage status, along with an exploration of the renewal or transformation of this space through an analysis of recent conceptual design proposals. This study, through synthesis, seeks to establish a comprehensive picture and the broader critical framework needed to pass judgement before the ideological and constructive breakdown of Belgrade’s exhibition complex as a paradigm of Yugoslav purism. The conclusions leave space for the appreciation of different approaches, opening up new questions that clearly require social consensus and which have not yet been answered in the public or professional space.
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