The construction of a concert hall in New Belgrade, on the area between the Usce shopping center and the Palace of Serbia, is increasingly more certain. This conclusion is supported by the Draft Detailed Regulation Plan for Block 13, which is currently undergoing public review. Based on this plan, the first international architectural contest for the concert hall facility should be organized.
The plan encompasses an area of around 47 hectares, including the part of the territory of the municipality of New Belgrade between the Mihajla Pupina Blvd, the Usce Street, the Nikola Tesla Blvd and the regulation of the service traffic route towards Block 12, and the aim, as stated, is to define the potential of Block 13 for the “transformation, reconstruction and construction of facilities in an open block typology, the defining of public interest and the creation of conditions for enhancing the usage of the existing features”.
The central element of the area is the Palace of Serbia, which, according to the plan, should remain incorporated in the park area, whereas the foundations of the Museum of the Revolution are to be removed from the area which is planned to feature the concert hall facility, which will have the basic characteristics of the
first-prize solution from the contest carried out in 2016.
The urban and architectural solutions defining the relation of the new philharmonic facility to the Palace of Serbia, the Danube and the existing green area were selected at this contest.
The works submitted to the contest acted as the basis for formulating a planning solution for this part of Block 13, and the draft plan entails the possibility of opening a public international architectural contest for the concert hall facility to the end of defining the best solution for this type of a facility.
According to the awarded preliminary design, the north side of the philharmonic complex is intended for a green oasis to spread across all elevations, whereas the south side will actively connect the floor segments of the mall and the access road to the entrance to the building, enabling an exit to the roof, which will provide a view to Kalemegdan, the river and old Belgrade, the Palace of Serbia, New Belgrade and Zemun. The plan includes extensions of the topmost positions of slanted platforms, the so-called “stands”.