Beton Hala Waterfront Center 2011

The City of Belgrade is launching an international one-stage architectural competition to design the Beton Hala Waterfront Center in Belgrade. The Waterfront Center is envisioned as the principal new access point from the capital’s riverfront to its historic core, and a contemporary architectural anchor point for a vibrant pedestrian zone in one of the city’s oldest continually inhabited parts.

PROJECT VISION

The competition site, the Sava River waterfront, is a remarkable area of Belgrade, economically and strategically signifi cant since the founding of the city and historically one of its most represented images. The waterfront today has a unique potential to become the principal pedestrian link between the historic city center and the River Sava, both for the tourists arriving to Belgrade by boat and for the city dwellers.

The successful proposal for the Waterfront Center should resolve the confl icting traffi c claims on the site and provide a solution for the physical barriers between the port and the Belgrade Fortress, taking into account the historic and cultural signifi cance of the city fortifi cations. The design should present a contemporary urban hinge between the city’s historic heritage and its present-day developments.

It is expected that the Beton Hala Waterfront Center will become:

• An increasingly dynamic urban node with a wide-ranging offer of cultural, gastronomic and entertainment activities
• A reference point for the local and foreign visitors – a superb place to start a visit to Belgrade, with an easy access to information about the city venues and events, as well as a place to conclude the visit, enjoying the wide range of activities on site and the magnifi cent views
• An imperative city-destination both for its daily activities and its vibrant night-life; a place to feel the traditional Serbian hospitality and the hedonistic nature of Belgrade’s tourist offer
• A clear physical and visual connector of the city’s past and present; a mediating urban element bringing together the Sava river bank, the Belgrade Fortress and the pedestrian Knez Mihailova street.

With a design based on the principles of sustainability, Beton Hala Waterfront Center should be architecturally outstanding, matching in quality one of the city’s most iconic façades.

Competition Brief (PDF)

Competition Website