Planning Capital Cities

engineers. Some professional critics occurred on the other side in the early

stages of the project, linked to a public letter of nine experts published on 18th

January 2006 in daily newspapers.^67 They pointed out the physical danger and

urban ineligibility of threading the future main traffic artery next to the city core

and evaluated the project as an enormously expensive and most dysfunctional

bridge at the wrong place. The decision of the city authorities was classified as

an absolutely unacceptable improvisation.

Although this criticism is justified to some extent, it may be considered from the

aspect of the city identity communication model as a successful achievement.

It belongs to the city’s primary communication in the domain of the three

segments infrastructure, organisation and behaviour and satisfies all three

elements of Anholt’s framework.

The background for the International architectural competition to design

the Beton Hall Waterfront Centre in Belgrade could be found in the Belgrade

Spatial Plan for 2021 and the City of Belgrade Development Strategy in the

domain of Belgrade’s brownfields, the revitalisation of Kosancicev Venac and

the rehabilitation of Savamala. The main objective of the competition was the

creation of a 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 oldest and continuously inhabited urban parts.^68 The competition

was announced in February 2011 and the results were presented to the public

in June 2011.

The jury selected from the 135 submitted proposals

five projects and awarded two equal first prizes, two

equal third prizes and one honourable mention. The

project Cloud designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects

attracted the attention of both the domestic and

the international public because of its attractive

appearance and innovative approach in achieving the

connection between the riverfront and Kalemegdan.

The jury has characterised Fujimoto’s proposal as

brave with the highest emblematic potential among

all of Beton Hala entries and as an iconic structure

which skilfully blurs the difference between the urban

and architectural scales and spaces. The proposal is

innovative in several aspects: it creates a complex

dialogue with the historic assemblage of Kalemegdan

Hill, it juxtaposes respectfully its cutting-edge 21st

century space against the historically layered context,

the platform spaces and the suspended flux of ramps,

which offer a novel type of public spaces and spatial

configurations of encounter and surprise.^69

Belgrade: The quest for the desired city image

Fig. 15
The Cloud project designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects.