Second-year MASA students, Anja Pantić and Zorana Jović won the first prize at the international student competition NEWH Green Voice Design Competition. The selection of works was made by the NEWH, Inc. Scholarship committee, after which the project was chosen as the best of five final works. Students will have the opportunity to present their project within BDNY – Boutique Design New York, a leading fair and conference that brings together architects, designers and professionals in the field of hospitality in New York, in November 2022. At the mentioned event, they will be awarded the NEWH Green Voice Scholarship in the amount of $ 7,500.
The awarded project is a product of work on the elective course LEED and WELL in Design Process under the mentorship of dr Natasa Ćuković – Ignjatović, associate professor and was created during the autumn semester of the second year of Master Academic Studies – Architecture, school year 2021/2022. The organizer of the competition is the company NEWH, Inc. – NEWH The Hospitality Industry Network, as an international resource for networking within the hospitality industry, which enables the development of education, business and leadership through scholarships and recognition of outstanding achievements in this field. The members of the mentioned network are professionals who are actively involved in development, management, architecture and design, communications, education, distribution, production, procurement and sales within the hotel industry, food service and senior housing, as well as similar industries. Accordingly, they support equality, inclusion and diversity in all aspects, including education and scholarships and networking and membership itself.
The task of the competition for 2021-2022. was the Adaptive Reuse Hotel Project, where through the establishment of sustainable and creative design and the use of modern materials, technologies and construction systems, it was necessary to show the authentic experience of guests. In addition to integrating the LEED or WELL system into the hotel project as an aspect of its sustainability, the competition aims to implement technologies for energy efficiency, water management and use, solve air quality problems, introduce smart lighting, and more. In addition to the above, as the task itself is actually the conversion of the building into a hotel and its adaptation, preserving the character of existing architecture and creating a specific space within it that evokes a unique experience of visitors, should be the main feature of each project.
The first-prize-winning project of our students deals with the conversion of the Belgrade Publishing and Graphic Institute (BIGZ building), as a characteristic Belgrade rapper and an indispensable part of the industrial heritage, as well as the art center. The project is based on preserving and emphasizing the existing characteristics of the space, which has been functioning as a center of alternative culture of Belgrade and a gathering place for its artists, and the main feature of the newly planned hotel is creating a common environment for artists and visitors. In addition to the introduction of the mentioned space that connects art and hospitality, the project is characterized by a sustainable component that allows its efficient, economical and environmental functioning and reduce the impact on the environment in which it is located. As part of a sustainable strategy, solar panels and materialization of facade openings with curtain walls with built-in PV glass were introduced, as ways of producing energy for further use of the building; green roofs and a green wall in the sun on the most exposed facade, as a form of air purification and reduction of ambient temperature; models of purification and further use of gray water, smart lighting systems that reduce the use of electricity, with the use of modern and environmentally friendly materials. Sustainability and creativity in
designing a specific hotel ambience has resulted in achieving a unique experience that the hotel offers, which led to the awarding of the first prize to this project.
The presentation of the project in New York also contributes to the promotion of the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, which we consider an exceptional success. Congratulations to our colleagues on achieving this result, which is a recognition of our faculty and confirms the quality of our students in international competition.
