Botanical Garden
Project year: 2008
Location: Bay Žanjic, Montenegro
Tutors: Djordje Stojanović [ www.4ofseven.com ] , Jelena Živančević
This project was made during the first year of my Master studies at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade. During that semester, we were focused on parametric and generative design, using inputs and informations gathered from or about the selected location. I chose a steep plot, on a hill in Žanjic, one of the most beautiful bays in Montenegro.
As this area is very popular tourist destination, I have chosen to use this plot as a transit space, connecting hill-top road and beaches. Botanical garden was set as a primary program (due to the coast’s extraordinary richness with plant life) along with other commercial programs (restaurants, cafes) following the movement and visitor’s needs.
The location itself was empty and nothing useful could have been gathered from it. But, maps and topographic data were enough to determine possible, most convenient ways to walk through the location. Those inputs served to generate several paths of drainage from the top to the bottom, marking different routes. Among them, there were many points of intersections, which were chosen to become rest-points of new, walking paths.
Those rest-points had to be merged with all the necessary contents in order to form real spaces and relations. Heights, distances and differences between these points were noted and analyzed, in order to be translated into the real, measurable, comfortable relations.
Stairways and paths were created, enriched with rest-points and caves (restaurants, cafes) and the development of the program, location and space within it was gradual.
The theme of botanical garden on this location urged for creation of the roof, which had to satisfy several requests: to provide shades over the paths, but to allow sufficient insolation and optimal conditions for all planted species. In order to achieve that, roof cutouts were carefully calculated regarding positions, angles, requested conditions from plants, and constructive possibilities.
View from the hilltop
View from the opposite shore
