“HERSUS Prize on Modern Heritage” alla tesi di uno studente Iuav
La tesi di Laurea Magistrale del corso Iuav in inglese “BIGZ: Participatory Heritage Management” di Peter Covell (relatrice Emanuela Sorbo, correlatrice Ana Nikezić) ha ottenuto il primo premio ex-equo per la categoria Education - Students nel contesto dell'HERSUS Prize on Modern Heritage.
Il progetto è stato premiato l’11 Maggio 2023 presso il Salón de Actos della ETSA di Siviglia in occasione del quinto meeting internazionale del progetto HERSUS.
I progetti premiati sono esposti in una mostra itinerante internazionale iniziata presso ETSA di Siviglia e saranno consultabili online sulla Hersus Sharing Platform.
BIGZ: Participatory Heritage Management >>
vincitori >>
Brief description
of the thesis:
The State Printing
House was completed in 1941 as a new monumental headquarters of the BIGZ
publishing company. In 1992 the building was recognised as a cultural monument
and protected for its architectural merit and connection with early Yugoslav
industry. When political and economic transition caused printing works to grind
to a halt, the light-filled, adaptable interior spaces attracted small
businesses, artists and musicians from across the city.
2022 finds BIGZ a
conflicted heritage asset. The surrounding post industrial landscape has become
attractive for development, bringing potential for investment in the decaying
façades while throwing into question the continuation of it’s cultural
function. Confronted with this critical moment, the thesis questions the
existing value judgement, highlighting the significant cultural value that
exists in the synergy of social interaction and innovative activity of the
informal cultural centre.
Dragiša
Brašovan, the ‘style master’ of pre-war Yugoslav Architecture
created an interplay of volumes and fenestration that identified to the
functions within. When creative entrepreneurs moved in, they occupied the
smaller cellular office spaces and assumed the role of building administrators,
gathering in the circulation spaces. In attributing value to the façades, the
40,000 square meters of functional space behind them entered a transient period
as the building awaited investment, creating conditions for short-term
experimental occupation.
Adaptability of the
concrete frame is considered an inherent strength, capable of overcoming the
maintenance costs associated with the building’s scale by entering into a
circular economy. The project employs existing social capital as the nucleus of
future regenerations. A community maker-space facilitates adaptations and the
wider city population is engaged via a communicative facade and public events
space.