68 69Ivan Antić; 4of7 Architecture (reconstruction): Danube Flower

A House with a View

Snežana Ristić

¶ They say he did not like to talk or write about architecture, he would lose interest in a building he designed once the con­structional works had been completed, he would bring each and every detail to perfection, he would spent entire days on the construction site. He was one of the greatest architects in Socialist Yugoslavia. Ivan Antić, professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, one of the rare academics among architects wrote in his memoirs in 1991: ‘The only thing I have always wanted was to have geometrical form, pure form. A ra­tional form. To have square, triangle, circle, ellipse. One can see

arhitektiarchitects

Ivan Antić Vladimir Pavlović Đorđe Stojanović

25. May Sports Recreational Centre complex, Belgrade, Serbia

fotografije photographs by

that in my work.’ And, one can indeed see it. His master piece, Belgrade’s Museum of Contemporary Art (with co­author Ivan­ka Raspopović), he designed and executed in the first half of the 1960s. He was present on the architectural stage for another forty years, but not one building (and there were many), came even close to the museum at Ušće. The museum’s crystal­like structure thrills outsiders and experts still today, just as it did half a century ago. Observed from Kalemegdan, this building is a fascinating, promising entrance to New Belgrade. ¶ At the beginning of the seventies, when he designed the 25 May Sports Recreational Centre at the foot of Kalemegdan Fortress, on the opposite river bank, Ivan Antić was – thanks to the Museum of Contemporary Art – a res pected, awarded and inter­nationally recognized architect. It can be assumed that this made his position during the creation of plans and execution of buildings, which were of unusual appearance and very coura­geous constructive solutions in those days, easier to a large extent. The sports centre is an ambitious multi­purpose com­plex, built for the needs of the World Swimming Championships, and includes roofed and open Olympic swimming pools and a number of smaller swimming pools, sports grounds, a restaurant, bowling alley and accompanying contents. It was built in just

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Ivan Antić; 4od7 Arhitektura (rekonstrukcija): Dunavski cvet

Kuća s pogledom

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¶ Kažu da nije volio govoriti i pisati o arhitekturi, da je gubio interes za objekt koji je projektirao kad bi građevinski radovi bili završeni, da je svaki detalj dovodio do savršenstva, da je cijele dane provodio na gradilištu. Bio je jedan od velikih arhi­tekata socijalističke Jugoslavije. Ivan Antić, profesor beog­radskog Arhitektonskog fakulteta, jedan od rijetkih akademika među arhitektima, napisao je 1991. u svojim sjećanjima: ‘Jedi­no što sam uvijek želio bilo je da imam geometrijsku for mu, čistu. Neku racionalnu formu. Da to bude kvadrat, trokut, krug, elipsa. To se kod mene i vidi.’ Zaista se vidi. Svoje remek­

Kompleks sportsko-rekreativnog centra 25. maj, Beograd, Srbija

djelo, beogradski Muzej savremene umetnosti (u koautorstvu s Ivankom Raspopović) projektirao je i realizirao u prvoj polovini 60­ih godina prošlog stoljeća. Na arhitektonskoj sce­ni bio je još četrdeset godina, ali ni jedan objekt, a bilo ih je puno, nije se približio Muzeju na Ušću. Kristalasta struktura Muzeja i danas, kao i prije pola stoljeća, oduševljava laike i stručnjake. Promatrana s Kalemegdana, ta kuća je fascinantno, obećavajuće predvorje Novog Beograda. ¶ Početkom 70­ih godina, kad na suprotnoj obali rijeke, u podnožju kale meg­danske tvrđave, projektira Sportsko rekreativni centar 25. maj, Ivan Antić je – zahvaljujući MSU – ugledan, nagrađivan i među­narodno primijećen arhitekt. Može se pretpostaviti da mu je to umnogome olakšavalo poziciju tijekom izrade planova i izvođenja objekta, za ondašnje prilike neobičnog izgleda i veoma hrabrog konstruktivnog rješenja. Sportski centar je ambiciozni višenamjenski kompleks izgrađen za potrebe svjets kog prvenstva u plivanju, s pokrivenim i otvorenim olimpijskim bazenom i manjim bazenima, sportskim terenima, restoranom, kuglanom i pratećim sadržajima. Izgrađen je za samo godinu dana, a najteži dio posla odrađen je u meteorološ­ki izuzetno nepovoljnim uvjetima, tijekom jeseni 1972. i zime 1973. godine. Smješten je na dnu starog dijela Beograda, izvan

Ana Kostić (AK)Arhiv obitelji Antić/ Family Antić Archive (AA)Đorđe Stojanović (ĐS)

70 71oris, number 56, year 2009 Ivan Antić; 4of7 Architecture (reconstruction): Danube Flower

and divided into clumsy premises which have been rented. ¶ Tran si tion has brought about new rules of the game. What was owned by the state, quickly and without any control has become private. So, the once impressive state­owned restaurant, Du­navski Cvet (Danube Flower), was leased by the owners of one of the better fitness centres in the city, who hired studio 4of7 (Đorđe Stojanović and Vladimir Pavlović). They wanted to have a special interior in the new Wellness Sky Centre: luxurious, attractive and utterly different from any other in the city. It was not difficult to achieve something different. Ivan Antić had already taken care of that. ‘We tried to retain the character of the building, but also to bring significant changes to the interior, to achieve a more contemporary expression,’ says Đorđe Sto­janović. ‘We found Antić’s constructive solutions particularly interesting, in other words, his synthesis of constructive and architectonic logic – here, I’m thinking of the huge corbels and continuing line of openings on the façade. Antić had an excellent insight into geometry. As in the Museum of Contemporary Art, geometry is also very clear here. This we found interesting. We saw an opportunity here to establish continuity, not to have a banal or routine solution, but an essential one.’ ¶ The large room which hosted the restaurant was stripped all the way to the construction. As a result, a gallery of excellent proportions emerged, which until then had been hidden by the ventilation system. What remained was the concrete floor and ceiling with a continuous glass horizontal of windows and bare spiral stairs with the imprints of board formworks in concrete. ‘Antić de­signed by means of a grid with equilateral triangles, with sides of 7.3 metres, which is reflected in the organizational and cons­

one year and the hardest part of the job was carried out in extremely unfavourable meteorological conditions, during autumn 1972 and winter 1973. It is situated at the lower end of the old part of Belgrade, outside the main city and traffic flows, and is still today reached via a ruined subway crossing which served as a motif of an alienated, abandoned urban landscape to the Serbian surrealist Vane Bor in his famous series of photo­graphs Ten Seconds before Murder. A residential area is situated in the immediate surroundings and, a little bit further, there is a devastated river marina on the Danube. On the other side, it is connected to the port on the Sava by a quay. It spreads over nine hectares and only one third is occupied by buildings, paved surfaces and pathways. The shell­like roof construction, not thicker than 14 cm, reminds one of huge leaves or set sails, and the quay on the right bank of the Danube has become a favourite promenade. Josip Broz Tito once had lunch in the restaurant with the most beautiful view of the city, and a memorial plaque on the ground floor of the building still re minds us of the event today. In the same decade, Ivan Antić signed another two huge sports complexes: Pinki in Zemun and the Olympic swimming pool in Poljud, Split. ¶ After the world championships, the pool was used by college students. We used to attend obligatory swimming classes with less than enthusiasm. It was cold, in the water and out of the water, we soon found out each and every thing that did not work properly, and we revealed how many things were not com pleted due to the lack of time. However, even after more than thirty years, Antić’s sports centre, although in dilapidated condition and untended, still fascinates with its size. Wherever possible, the building was roughly partitioned

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oris, broj 56, godina 2009 Ivan Antić; 4od7 Arhitektura (rekonstrukcija): Dunavski cvet

svih ostalih u gradu. Različitost i nije bilo tako teško postići. Za to se već bio pobrinuo Ivan Antić. ‘Pokušali smo zadržati karakter objekta ali i unijeti znatne promjene u interijeru, pos­tići suvremeniji izraz’, kaže Đorđe Stojanović. ‘Posebno nam je bilo interesantno Antićevo konstruktivno rješenje, odnosno sinteza konstruktivne i arhitektonske logike ­ mislim na velike prepuste i kontinuiranu traku otvora na fasadi. Antić je odlično poznavao geometriju. Kao i na Muzeju savremene umetnosti, i ovdje je geometrija vrlo razgovjetna. To nam je bilo intere­santno. Tu smo vidjeli šansu za uspostavljanje konti nuiteta, da to ne bude banalno ili rutinsko rješenje već suštinsko.’ ¶ Veli ka prostorija u kojoj je bio restoran oljuštena je do kon­strukcije. Tako je izronila galerija odličnih proporcija, do tada skrivena sustavom za ventilaciju. Ostao je beton poda i tava­nice te neprekinuta staklena horizontala prozora i golo spiral­no stepenište s otiscima drvenih talpi u betonu. ‘Antić je pro­jektirao u rasteru jednakostraničnih trokuta sa stranicom 7,3 m, što se odražava u organizacijskoj i konstruktivnoj logici prostora. Nova namjena prostora tražila je stvaranje novog prostornog izraza. Odlučili smo da to bude strop, odnosno spušteni strop od čelične trokutaste konstrukcije. Dobili smo 390 panela koji su po obliku i veličini pripadali ograničenom i kontroliranom setu prostornih varijacija.’ ¶ Između stropa i spuštenog stropa postavljena je rasvjeta kojom se, kao na sceni, mijenja atmosfera ovisno o dobu dana i meteorološkim uvjetima. Noću strop, pa i sam prostor djeluju prozračno, nejasnih rubova, lebdeće i gotovo nestvarno. Staklena traka pod umjetnim svjetlom postaje zrcalo, a gledano izvana pods­jeća na zelenkastim svjetlom obliven svemirski brod. Danju

glavnih gradskih i prometnih tokova, do njega se i danas stiže ruiniranim podvožnjakom koji je kao motiv otuđenog, ispraž­njenog urbanog pejzaža poslužio srpskom nadrealistu Vani Boru za čuvenu seriju fotografija ‘Deset sekundi prije ubojstva’. U neposrednoj blizini je stambeno naselje, a malo dalje je devastirana dunavska riječna marina. S druge je strane kejom povezan sa savskim pristaništem. Zauzima 9 hektara, a samo trećinu zauzimaju zgrade, popločene površine i staze. Ljus­kasta krovna konstrukcija, ne deblja od 14 cm, podsjeća na velike listove ili razvijena jedra. Kej na desnoj obali Dunava postao je omiljeno šetalište. U restoranu s najljepšim pog­ledom u gradu jednom je ručao Josip Broz Tito, na što i danas podsjeća spomen­ploča u prizemlju zgrade. Tog desetljeća je Ivan Antić potpisao još dva velika sportska kompleksa: Pinki u Zemunu i olimpijski bazen na Poljudu u Splitu. ¶ Bazen su poslije svjetskog prvenstva koristili studenti. Odlazili smo ne baš radosni na obavezne satove plivanja. Bilo je hladno, u vodi i izvan nje, brzo smo otkrili što sve ne funkcionira kako treba, a i koliko toga se nije stiglo završiti. Ipak i poslije više od 30 godina Antićev sportski centar, iako oronuo i zapušten, fasci­nira gabaritom. Gdje god je bilo moguće grubo je pregrađivan i razdijeljen na rogobatne lokalčiće koji se daju u zakup. ¶ Tranzicija je donijela nova pravila igre. Ono što je bilo druš­tve no ubrzano je i bez ikakve kontrole postajalo privatno. Tako su nekad reprezentativni društveni restoran ‘Dunavski cvet’ zakupili vlasnici jednog od boljih gradskih fitness centara koji su angažirali studio ‘4od7’ (Đorđe Stojanović i Vladimir Pav­lović). Tražili su da interijer novog ‘Wellness Sky’ centra bude nešto posebno: luksuzan, atraktivan i potpuno drugačiji od

72 73oris, number 56, year 2009 Ivan Antić; 4of7 Architecture (reconstruction): Danube Flower

plan

tructional logic of space,’ explains Stojanović. ‘The space’s new purpose required the creation of a new spatial expression. We decided to apply it on the ceiling, in fact a lowered ceiling made of a triangular steel construction. We obtained 390 panes which belonged to a restricted and controlled set of spatial variation in their form and size.’ ¶ Between the ceiling level and this lowered ceiling there are lights which, as on the stage, changes the atmosphere, depending on the time of day and meteoro­logical conditions. In the evening, the ceiling and in deed the entire space leave an ethereal impression, the edges are blurred, and it seems as though the space levitates and is almost unreal. The line of glass becomes a mirror when illu mi nated with arti­ficial light, and if observed from the outside it reminds one of a

spacecraft drenched in greenish light. During the day, the space looks sharper, daylight changes the atmos phere depending on the weather. The gym equipment increases the surreal im pre­ssion even more. The other rooms – the changing rooms, admi­nistration and reception – were designed in a very simple and elegant manner. Everything is secondary in relation to the huge space. The body is getting fit, and the spirit is being relaxed by the view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube. If the weather is good, one can clearly see Zemun and part of the Novi Beograd area. Every step of the way reveals that the architects struggled for each and every centimetre of their idea in the process of realization, and it is obvious that they lost the battle

many times. There are poorly executed ideas, negligently exe­cuted joints, wrong nuances.... After a photo session for spe­cialist magazines just before opening for business, the owners made some changes on their own which seemed to be trying to spoil the sense of the architects’ efforts. Although they were forced to make many compromises, the authors still managed to make the basic idea happen in the manner they conceived it. The flexible, well­calculated multifaceted ceiling is the essence of this interior, as is the simplicity of Antić’s bare construction. Whatever one sets between the floor and ceiling can be ignored in this case. And changed. Here, Stojanović and Pavlović’s sensi­

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oris, broj 56, godina 2009 Ivan Antić; 4od7 Arhitektura (rekonstrukcija): Dunavski cvet

tlocrt

prostor izgleda mnogo čvršće, dnevno svjetlo mijenja atmos­feru ovisno o meteorološkim prilikama. Sprave za vježbanje samo potenciraju nadrealni dojam. Prateće prostorije ­ svla­čionice, administracija i prijemni pult ­ projektirane su krajnje jednostavno i elegantno. Sve je podređeno velikom prostoru. Vježba se tijelo, a pogledom na ušće Save u Dunav opušta duh. Ako je vrijeme lijepo, vidi se Zemun i dio Novog Beograda. ¶ Na svakom koraku je vidljivo da su se arhitekti u realizaciji borili za svaki centimentar svoje ideje i očito je da su mnogo puta izgubili bitku. Ima tu loše izvedenih detalja, nemarno izvedenih spojeva, pogrešnih nijansi... Poslije reprezentativnog fotografiranja za stručne časopise, neposredno prije otvaranje

za korisnike, vlasnici su samonicijativno napravili izmjene kojima kao da je bio cilj da obesmisle napor arhitekata. Iako su bili prisiljeni napraviti mnoge kompromise, autori su ipak uspjeli realizirati osnovnu ideju onako kako su zamislili. Razgi­ban, dobro proračunat višeznačni strop je suština ovog inte­rijera, kao što je to i jednostavnost ogoljene Antićeve kons t­rukcije. Štogod da se postavi između poda i stropa, u tom se slučaju može zanemariti. I promijeniti. U tome su senzibiliteti Stojanovića i Pavlovića slični Antićevom. Spremni su na kom­promise, ali imaju prioritete od kojih ne odustaju. ¶ Interijer je sa odobravanjem primljen u domaćoj i stranoj, stručnoj i

74 75oris, number 56, year 2009 Ivan Antić; 4of7 Architecture (reconstruction): Danube Flower

bilities are similar to those of Antić. They are willing to make compromises, but they also have priorities which they will not abandon. ¶ The interior was received with approval by both domestic and international audiences, expert and lay alike. There were manipulations with the name of the former res­taurant, the former president­for­life was mentioned with a sneer, the facts were dealt with incorrectly, but there were some serious presentations. ¶ These days, Belgrade’s professional circles and media enthusiastically comment on frequent visits by Daniel Libeskind, who recently ardently defended his master plan for the Danube banks before an over­crowded amphithe­atre at the Faculty of Architecture – from Pančevo Bridge to the resi dential blocks in the immediate vicinity of Antić’s sports com plex. Apart from Libeskind, Dane Jan Ghel participates in the project. Both men’s eyes are focused on the old centre of the city. The traffic and visual connections with Republic Square, on the upper end of Francuska Street are being worked out, and Libeskind is placing a high building at its low end – a marker, on the very bank. Neither of them has observed what is placed on the bank, outside the boundaries of the defined terrain, so the courageous layout of Antić’s sports centre has remained unnoti­ced once again. Because, many years ago and in different poli­tical and social circumstances, this building was created with the same idea that serves as a guide to Daniel Libeskind today

– to set a prominent and attractive city landmark on the Danube bank. ¶ With their reconstruction, Đorđe Stojanović and Vladi­mir Popović have shown that it is possible to enter a serious dialogue with the building heritage of modernism daringly and sincerely. They created the interior in a much more serious manner than was probably expected of them. If we compare today’s investors and the socialist ones of the past, the latter had a huge advantage. With insufficient historical distance, no matter to how harshly we judge the mistakes of the former socio­political system, it has to be admitted that at that time, if only for ideological reasons, there was understanding for architecture as a significant bearer of progressive ideas. Today, everything is uncertain, especially money, and there is no time or ambition for great gestures. It is enough just to throw some glittering dust in front of one’s eyes and everything will pass. The Wellness Sky Centre was supposed to be the glittering dust, but something quite the opposite has happened. Antić upgraded. He, as a man of great acts and huge ego, would, I believe, agree.

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oris, broj 56, godina 2009 Ivan Antić; 4od7 Arhitektura (rekonstrukcija): Dunavski cvet

autor authorautori rekonstrukcije authors of the reconstruction

arhitektonski ured architectural officeinvestitor client

izgrađena površina built up areaneto površina net area

projekt projectrealizacija completed

Wellness Sky centar - rekonstrukcija restorana „Dunavski cvet” u kompleksu Sportsko rekreativnog centra 25. maj Ivana Antića, Ulica Tadeusa Koscuskog 68, Beograd, Srbija

Wellness Sky Centre - reconstruction of Danube Flower restaurant on the premises of the 25 May Sports Recreational Centre complex by Ivan Antić, Tadeus Koscuski Street 68, Belgrade, Serbia

Ivan AntićĐorđe Stojanović, Vladimir Pavlović4od7 ArhitekturaN&N Commerce1200 m²1000 m²20082008

laičkoj javnosti. Manipuliralo se imenom nekadašnjeg resto­rana, spominjao nekadašnji doživotni predsjednik s pod smi­jehom, krivo se baratalo činjenicama, ali bilo je i ozbiljnih pri kaza. ¶ Ovih dana u beogradskim stručnim krugovima i medijima uzbuđeno se komentiraju učestale posjete Daniela Libeskinda koji je nedavno na Arhitektonskom fakultetu pred prepunim amfiteatrom strašno branio svoj master plan du­navskog priobalja – od Pančevačkog mosta do stambenih blokova u neposrednoj blizini Antićevog sportskog kompleksa. Uz Libeskinda na projektu surađuje i Danac Jan Ghel. Obojici su pogledi uprti ka starom centru grada. Razrađuju se pro­metne i vizualne veze s Trgom Republike na vrhu Francuske ulice, a na njenom dnu, na samoj obali, Libeskind postavlja visoku zgradu – marker. Ni jedan nije pogledao što se to nalazi na obali, preko međa zadanog terena, pa su tako hrabri gabariti Antićevog sportskog centra i ovaj put ostali neprimijećeni. Jer, prije dosta godina, u drugačijim političkim i društvenim okol­nostima, ta je kuća postavljena s istom idejom koja danas vodi Daniela Libeskinda – da se na obali Dunava postavi izrazit i privlačan gradski znak. ¶ Ovom rekonstrukcijom Đorđe Sto­janović i Vladimir Pavlović pokazali su da se može hrabro i pošteno ući u ravnopravni dijalog s graditeljskom baštinom moderne. Izveli su interijer mnogo ozbiljnije nego što se to vjerojatno očekivalo od njih. Ako usporedimo današnje i on­daš nje socijalističke investitore, ovi drugi su u velikoj pred­nosti. Ma koliko s nedovoljne povijesne distance oštro pro c­jenjivali pogreške prošlog društveno­političkog sistema, mora se priznati da se tada, makar samo iz ideoloških razloga, imalo sluha za arhitekturu kao važnog nosioca naprednih ideja. Da­nas je sve nesigurno, novac pogotovo, nema se vremena ni ambicija za velike geste. Treba baciti samo malo blješteće prašine u oči i sve prolazi. ‘Wellness Sky’ centar trebao je biti blještava prašina, a dogodilo se nešto sasvim suprotno. Antić upgraded. I on bi se, kao čovjek velikih poteza i velike taštine, vjerujem složio.