The first international academic conference Places and Technologies 2014 will be held at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade on April 3^rd and 4^th 2014, with the aim to explore and present papers, studies and projects dealing with the improvement of city spaces using technologies. The conference is organized in partnership between the Faculty of Architecture Belgrade, UrbanLab and the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, and the official new media partner of the conference will be the  Centre for Architecture Belgrade.

The Places and Technologies 2014 conference will showcase research from the domains of Urban design, Urban planning, Design and management, Industrial and architectural design, Architectural and building technologies. From social aspect, the conference will deal with historical and philosophical component to high tech, urban sociology, innovations, ICT, as well as elements of transportation enhanced by technology up to geodesy and cartography and the ways technologies improve these fields (GIS).

The conference focus is sustainability in urban design, and it will consider social networks and microblogging, usage of technology in urban furniture, new innovative materials, high tech and high touch solutions. A hundred participants are anticipated, and around 30 experts from Europe working in the field of high technologies in both scientific and professional terms, have confirmed they participation, together with special professional guests.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to hear presentations by dr Milica Bajić Brković, tenure professor, president of ISOCARP – global association of professional planners; dr Jan Belis from Belgium who is a leading expert in structural glass applications and president of COST project; dr Stefan van der Spek from Netherlands, who works in interior design and topics such as intermodal transferpoints and  human hub;  dr Manfred Schrenk from the  Central European Institute of Technology in Austria, planner and GIS expert; and professor  Phil Jones from UK who is an expert in energy efficiency and teaches in Malesia, China and Hong Kong.

Besides key note speakers, the conference will feature special professional guests such as Jean-Louis Frechin from the leading French design company noDesign which deals with high tech and is working on projects from the French government, Citroen, Renault etc; dr Marija Todorović, electrical engineer and tenure professor whose field of expertise includes sustainable energy and green building with the use of solar power; dr Andjelka Mihajlov, sustainability expert, scientist and tenure professor at the University in Novi Sad, who leads the department for inclusion of the Western Balkans in the European flows of sustainability at the Ministry of sustainable development and urban planning; and Rade Milić, archaeologist and president of Center for urban development that realizes innovative projects for the protection of cultural heritage in Belgrade and Serbia. Technical director of the conference is Eva Vaništa Lazarević, PhD, tenure professor of the Faculty of Architecture, Belgrade University.

The choice of keynote speakers, guests and participants of the conference speaks of the organizers intentions to encourage networking and cooperation between institutions, corporations and experts, form potential for future bilateral international cooperation, open current topics to young researchers and create a platform for knowledge exchange. The deadline for abstract submission is December 10^th, and detailed requirements can be found at the conference official Web site.

Topic: „The methodology of conservation and restoration of brick walls, lime and mud systems & management of energy consumption”

The Summer school of Architecture takes place in Bač,Vojvodina, Serbia, 25-30 August 2013

The Summer School of Architecture is an educational and scientific project of the professional NGO “The Group of Architects” from Belgrade, established in 2010. The main idea of this project is to bring together international experts and students of various disciplines to collaborate, researching the possibilities for sustainable restoration of tangible heritage. The project activities consist of lectures, practical analysis and field work.

The program of this year’s edition of the School is divided into two modules – technological and architectural. Both of the modules are going to focus on technologies of building made of brick, with brief explanation of the concept of mixed systems applied in case of housing architecture – the application of the adobe and rammed earth.

The technology module will focus on methodology of conservation and restoration of brick walls and application of lime systems (mortars). Building the program upon the experiences of the “HEROMAT” project by Faculty of Technology – University of Novi Sad and The Provincial Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, the participants will have the opportunity to collaborate on the ongoing research on historical material sampling and diagnostics, synthesizing protective materials and mixing consolidants for the reparation of brick walls built with lime- and mud-mortar systems.

The architectural module focuses on building data bases on “monuments of culture” and pre- and post-restoration monitoring, emphasizing so called “live” heritage, the heritage/monuments that are in use. Special part of the module will be the topic of management of energy consumption in monuments of culture, and the potential application of renewable energy resources in this domain. The buildings that are going to be in the focus of this case study (fortress, certain number of houses, restaurant of traditional cuisine) are going to be of various use/function, scattered around the municipality.

Who can apply: Summer school is open for students of architecture, technology, civil engineering, conservation and art history

fee: 299Eur (the fee covers accommodation, food and working material)

Važni datumi:

Application deadline: 10 August 2013

Summer school: 25-30 August 2013.

More information and the application form can be found at Group of architects’ website www.grupaarhitekata.org in sections News and Current projects

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay has won the top prize, World Building of the Year, at the World Architecture Festival that was also held in Singapore this year.

Officially the prize went to Wilkinson Eyre Architects from London, but jury represented by such names as: Ben Van Berkel, Moshe Safdie, Jϋrgen Mayer H, Yvonne Farrell, insisted that the whole design team should have recognition (Grant Associates, Atelier One i Atelier Ten) for this magnificent team effort.

Located in Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay is a key project in delivering the Singapore Government’s vision of transforming Singapore into a ‘City in a Garden’. At a total of 101 hectares, the Gardens by the Bay project comprises three distinct waterfront gardens.

At the heart of Bay South Garden is the Cooled Conservatory Complex which is the focal point of the Gardens. The two main Conservatories cover an area in excess of 20,000sq m and are among the largest climate-controlled glasshouses in the world. They provide a spectacular, all-weather attraction and comprise a cool dry conservatory (the ‘Flower Dome’) and a cool moist conservatory (the ‘Cloud Forest’). Each has its own distinct character, but both explore the horticulture of those environments most likely to be affected by climate change.

The Flower Dome tells the story of plants and people in the Mediterranean climate zone, aims to bring alive the experience of seasonal change for visitors more used to Singapore’s eternally tropical climate and lush green vegetation. Even the landform of the conservatories draws inspiration from Mediterranean landscapes and evokes the language of dry, sun-baked hillsides punctuated with rocky terraces and stony outcrops, and the intimate bond between land, geology, vegetation and cultivation.

The Cloud Forest highlights the relationship between plants and the planet, showing how the warming of the cool tropical cloud forests will threaten biodiversity. With a smaller footprint but greater height than Flower Dome, it has at its heart a planted ‘Mountain’ from which a 35m high waterfall drops. Visitors can experience the forest at different levels, but most interesting is a Cloud Walk between tree crowns.

Gardens by the Bay are open for visitors from June 2012 and during August 1.000.000th visitor is registered.

Photo: © Gardens by the Bay

U kontekstu našeg bloga, podsećamo da se održivi razvoj, zaštita životne sredine i energetska efikasnost objekata i naselja ne postižu akcijama reciklaže hartije i zamene sijalica, već kroz primenu dobrih projektantskih rešenja.