Belgrade skyline: continuity, paradoxes & desires

There are 800 towers in Belgrade, mostly built in the 20th century, at the time of Modernism. In relation to the prominent tradition of their construction, the current situation can be defined as a paradox of continuity – which can be expressed through two contradictions. The first contradiction is related to the comparison of the number of high-rise structures completed during the industrial development and the fact that after 1990 the number of realized structures of eight storeys or higher is insignificant. The second contradiction is related to the ratio of the height of the tallest existing structures and the maximum height allowed for the new structures, as defined by the current normative acts. In this context Belgrade has a tradition of high-rise construction, yet at present there is no awareness, and no professional or social consensus on the need for the high-rise developments. The restraints of height and land zoning for high-rise development are not only constraining factors in strategic planning and expansion of the city, but they create an economic problem by opposing the very concept of prosperity. Additionally, in terms of the cultural context, they limit the possibilities for fulfilment of Belgrade’s contemporary demands and its iconic future. The high-rise structures can be translated into a tool used to emphasize the clear intentions of progress. The city turns into a metaphor for economic and cultural status - between the visual symbol and the symbol of power. Most of all, from the architectural point of view, it becomes the physical parameter of inventiveness, knowledge, capacity, technical and overall achievements of a community. The mythological capacity of such a situation can be simply translated into a necessity for Belgrade to construct at least one extremely tall structure – a tower of no less than 150m high