Concepts of urban memory: The 'Televizorke' complex (1970-1974) in New Belgrade, critical analysis and valorization

Abstract

This paper aims to present the buildings of the 'Televizorke' complex in New Belgrade's Block 28 through the concepts of urban memory, critical analysis and valorization. A historical approach is applied as the methodology. Over recent decades, New Belgrade's blocks have gone through several phases of transformation from the initial conceptualization of the Modernist city. The buildings of the Televizorke complex preserve transient aspects of the past, from material records to oral evocations. The purpose of the research is to highlight a number of theoretical concepts, and to identify the manifestation of these within the artistic and other design features of the architecture of the Televizorke complex. The results of the research are grouped into several areas: research of theoretical texts on the concepts of urban memories through the presentation of the architecture of the Televizorke complex, with special reference to and emphasis on parallels with Modernist methods of creation of surfaces and their decoration. The final part of the paper discusses the need to consider the Televizorke complex as an ensemble structure, in terms of both its technical-technological and graphic expression. The goal is to present the architecture of New Belgrade's blocks through various forms of critical reflection, as a new layer of creative writing in the cultural memory of the city. The paper is dedicated to the preservation of intangible urban memory.

Keywords

• urban memories
• televizorke
• architectural strategy
• dynamic structure of the facade
• fragmentary images
• intangible heritage
• architectural heritage
• new belgrade residential block