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On July twenty sixth, 1963, town of Skopje in Yugoslavia (now North Macedonia) was struck by a catastrophic earthquake that destroyed nearly 80% of its buildings, claiming over 1,000 lives. However amidst the rubble and despair, a glimmer of hope emerged. An unprecedented international initiative geared toward rebuilding and redesigning Skopje started, backed by quite a few nations and coordinated by the UN. From all corners of the world, acclaimed architects answered the decision to collaborate on the Skopje Grasp Plan.
A mannequin of Kenzo Tange’s plan for Skopje’s heart, 1963; Spomenik Group, E73a14 176e383174c04c1780e630dc4ef60736 mv2, CC BY-SA 4.0
A pivotal second on this plan was the worldwide competitors for the design of town heart, received by the famend Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and his workforce. Tange’s proposal for town heart was a outstanding instance of brutalism and metabolism in fashionable structure and have become the catalyst for the development of different notable buildings within the metropolis.
These buildings have develop into integral elements of Skopje’s city panorama, serving as an affidavit to the facility of solidarity and unity. On this article, we’ll delve into the tales behind their building and enduring legacy.
Telecommunication Heart and Put up Workplace HQ
By Janko Konstantinov, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Vase Amanito
Picture by Vase Amanito
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
The Telecommunication Heart was a key aspect of Kenzo Tange’s imaginative and prescient, reflecting Japanese metabolism in its authentic design, which was later modified to a extra brutalist model. The development occurred in two phases. The primary comprised a tower and a horizontal block with round home windows and portholes, designed for telecommunication tools and technical personnel. The second section introduced the Counter Corridor, a two-story constructing with eight concrete wedges forming a circle and sculptural exterior help columns for public use. The third section couldn’t be accomplished as supposed on account of price and complexity and was finally designed by one other architect and constructed a decade later.
Regardless of challenges, similar to a hearth on the Counter Corridor and the controversial Skopje 2014 challenge that remodeled town heart, the Telecommunication Heart endures as a landmark of Skopje’s post-earthquake reconstruction and a testomony to its architects’ ambition and innovation.
Skopje Railway Station
By Kenzo Tange, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Vase Amanito
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
The prepare station was the one one of many post-earthquake main architectural initiatives that Kenzo Tange took on himself. Raised 35 toes from road stage and standing on imposing concrete pylons, the station successfully operates as a rail bridge utterly elevated off the bottom. Ten platforms are rigorously positioned atop the construction, with six of them lined by tube-like steel overhangs seen from the bustling streets beneath. The constructing beneath homes a ticketing workplace, submit workplace, bus station and several other different amenities, seamlessly integrating totally different modes of transportation.
Inside, the Railway Station’s utilitarian function is mirrored in its extremely minimalist design. Unadorned, naked concrete partitions and ceilings dominate the area, hardly ever exceeding their practical functions. However the simplicity of its design solely provides to the constructing’s distinctive attraction and reinforces its standing as a post-earthquake architectural landmark.
“Ss. Cyril and Methodius” College Campus (UKIM)
By Marko Mušič, Skopje, North Macedonia
The central college constructing; Public area picture by way of Wikipedia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Mušič’s design for the UKIM complicated broke away from Tange’s Metropolis Heart Plan by creating three branching complexes round a central sq., as an alternative of three radiating buildings. The community of buildings is a geometrical playground of containers, triangles and cylinders created from prefabricated concrete panels, merging and interacting to kind a harmonious union.
The result’s a monumental ambiance and scale, with round towers and delicately organized façades that create an thrilling and distinctive surroundings. The inviting interiors of the complicated radiate with mild pouring in from quite a few skylights positioned in each nook, from atriums to presentation halls. This fusion of conventional parts, similar to natural assemblages, overhangs, processional stairways and modernist varieties impressed by Tange is what makes this complicated a very outstanding legacy.
“Goce Delcev” Scholar Dormitory
By Georgi Konstantinovski, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Picture by Vase Amanito
Alongside the reconstruction of the college, metropolis planners made preparations for the creation of a large complicated to accommodate its college students that hadn’t existed earlier than the earthquake. The spectacular construction accommodates round 1200 college students and includes 4 towers, every of which is 180 toes tall and encompasses eighteen ranges.
The 4 towers, constructed round a central courtyard, have equivalent varieties with an oblong base that rises sharply at its quick sides into angular spires separated by lengthy cantilever balconies. The large façade, alternatively, options deep sunken furrows that emphasize the tower’s hanging vertical views. Konstantinovski took nice care in selling connectivity and scholar consolation within the design of this complicated, mirrored within the widespread areas of the constructing. Sky bridges have been additionally constructed between the dorm towers to make sure handy motion from one dorm to the following, contributing to this connectedness.
Museum of Modern Artwork
By J. Mokrzynski, E. Wierzbicki, W. Klyzewski, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Picture by Vase Amanito
Established in 1964, the Museum of Modern Artwork was constructed to accommodate the huge assortment of paintings donated within the aftermath of the earthquake, whereas the constructing itself was a donation from the Polish authorities. Sitting atop the very best level of the Kale hilltop, the monumental construction is an awe-inspiring sight. Its white horizontal slab with clear geometric traces seems to be floating on the hillside, surrounded by grand colonnades.
As guests enter the museum, they’re greeted by a spacious central atrium, absolutely illuminated by dramatic skylights at its heart. On the west and south sides of the constructing are large panoramic bay home windows that supply gorgeous views of town beneath. The museum’s white partitions and marble flooring function a clean canvas for the varied assortment of artworks on show, offering an exquisite backdrop for guests to understand and admire.
Macedonian Opera and Ballet
By Biro 71 (Stefan Katsin, Yuri Princes, Bogdan Splinder, Marjan Ursic), Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Picture by Vase Amanito
Drawing inspiration from Finnish natural structure and pure parts similar to mountains and topographic reliefs, the constructing covers a web space of 172,200 sq. toes, offering working areas for the Theater, Opera and Ballet. Its exterior options sharply geometric planes sloping right down to the Vardar River, resulting in a plaza of descending stairs that mirror the fractal patterns inside, whereas the absence of colour and sense of massiveness add to its expressive and dramatic character.
The constructing homes two theaters, the bigger of which boasts a novel streamlined design, with sky-blue seats organized in fragmented angles that rise steeply to face pure white partitions and ceilings, maximizing viewing and scenography potential.
Metropolis Commerce Heart (GTC)
By Zivko Popovski, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Vase Amanito
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Unfold throughout 5 ranges and encompassing over 100 outlets, GTC was designed to satisfy town’s want for a contemporary industrial heart. The open-air construction boasts a central communication space alongside its longer axis, with outlets connected on each side, permitting totally free motion, whereas the glass-covered atriums flood the area with pure mild.
Ingeniously integrated into the plan are the 5 condo buildings which might be located on the property, creating a brand new mixed-use space and a busy pedestrian route that connects varied areas of town. The south finish of the constructing opens as much as a small park, whereas an elevated promenade lined with planters permits vegetation to move down the aspect of the constructing integrating it with the close by greenery. In the present day, this outstanding complicated nonetheless serves as a hub of exercise and a cultural assembly level for its residents.
Nationwide Financial institution of North Macedonia
By Radomir Lalović, Olga Papeš, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
Initially designed as a part of Tange’s “Metropolis Gate” challenge, the Nationwide Financial institution constructing nonetheless serves its function right now. The constructing is split into horizontal and vertical volumes, the primary of which includes two ranges that home the contents accessible to the general public. In the meantime, the vertically dominant towers, the taller one standing at round 120 toes excessive, home the executive program. The constructing’s kind and materiality are quintessential examples of contemporary structure, with a minimalist method, clear geometric shapes and using concrete and glass.
This constructing was the one one from the “Metropolis Gate” challenge that got here to life and Papeš and Lalović drew inspiration from the unique plan, whereas Tange himself accepted the ultimate design. Its contents nonetheless meet related standards for the executive typology and the constructing serves as a consultant instance of contemporary structure in Skopje.
Navy Hospital
By Josip Osojnik, Slobodan Nikolić, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
The Navy Hospital in Skopje is an impressive instance of structure and engineering that has been serving the group since its building after the earthquake. Designed to be extremely practical and conscious of the complicated wants of a contemporary army hospital, its modern design and building have enabled it to face the take a look at of time.
The constructing is a superb illustration of functionalist structure that prioritizes usability over kind. The construction includes a number of interconnected volumes which might be skillfully divided to accommodate the totally different features of the hospital, leading to outstanding inner group. Certainly one of its most hanging parts is the stationary block, which, at first look, seems to be separated from the remainder of the complicated. Its structure permits pure mild and air flow in every room, whereas its distinctive façade stays a transparent reflection of the Modernist motion.
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU)
By Boris Čipan, Skopje, North Macedonia
Picture by Vase Amanito
Picture by Filip Koneski and Boris Jurmovski; by way of MARH
With a sq. structure, the MANU constructing’s most notable characteristic is its entrance façade, characterised by a sequence of concrete verandas that jut outwards dramatically, above which is a steeply sloping copper roofline. The configuration is impressed by conventional Macedonian folks structure, as seen within the curved corbels on the eaves, supporting pillars and ornamental niches across the constructing.
The rear of the complicated has a stout tower lined in glass panels and trimmed with a bush-hammered concrete façade. Aside from the hanging picket finishes, the foyer additionally boasts a modernist mural by Gligor Čemerski and a presentation corridor with two towering stained glass home windows titled “Lights of the Previous” by Borko Lazeski. Using concrete and glass paired with conventional constructing parts displays each architectural innovation and cultural heritage, making the MANU constructing a daring achievement of Skopje’s post-earthquake reconstruction.
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