10 Masterpieces by Ivan Antic

As I mentioned already in some posts, I'm a great fan of the architect Ivan Antic.
In the last 50 years he made some exiting buildings and here are my 10 favorites!


Ivan Antic was born in Belgrade in 1923. He made his studies in Belgrade from 1945 until he got his diploma in 1950. While studying he worked for the Ministry of Transportation and from 1950 until 1953 he worked for the "Jugoprojekt Office" where he met people like Stanko Kliska and Vojin Simeonovic (both famous architect in former Yugolslavia) where he learned the practical skills of his profession. After 1957 he started to make own projects and after that he joined the Architectural Faculty in Belgrade, in the beginning as an assistant later as a regular professor. He's Member of the Academy and his buildings are masterpieces of Serbian modern architecture: they are functional and aesthetical.
Antic died in Belgrade in 2005.

Here the 10 masterpieces:


#1. Museum of the modern art in Belgrade,
(with Ivanka Raspopovic) 1965

Picutre from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbfzz/2571061928

I already wrote about this amazing building here.


#2. The Museum for victims of execution
in Sumarice (near Kragujevac),
(with Ivanka Raspopovic) 1968-1975

http://www.yuheritage.com/sumarice.htm

Antic designed the Museum of the Genocide in 1967. The grandness of the monumental building is emphasized by a series of tall pillar-like rectangular shapes, the tallest ones on the central part from which go the same ones of various height with massive parts of the walls built in brick.
The modern expression relates to medieval sacral architecture, and the symbol of the Museum of the Genocide is even stronger in the interior which lets natural light from roof lanterns, connecting the view to the skies with earthly life: the building and the crypt.
On May 14th 1999 due to the detonation in the nearest vicinity the facades of the Museum were damaged and all glazed panels and roof lanterns destroyed. The nearby building of the Archives was badly damaged.

#3. Building for internal administration,
Belgrade, 1979 to 1983

One of the late buildings of Ivan Antic is this administrative building in Belgrade. It was severely damaged in NATO bombing in 1999. It blends really good into the geografical and topografical premises and represent a good example of serbian modern architecture.


#4. Building of Televizije Beograd with
Dom Pionir in Belgrade,1963-1967 and
Little Theater Duško Radović in Belgrade,1963-1967

the entrance of the Dusko Radovic small theater

The three buildings wer connected - originally they were called: the Pioneers’ Hall, the Small Theater and the Belgrade Radio and Television Building - and were built after the competition in 1962 won by Antić.
It was conceived as a complex urban block ( it was built between 1963 and 1967 to accommodate a variety of functions) partially connected with the urban core and partially with the Tašmajdan Park. It's a good example of successful blending with the surroundings.
The complex is important in various ways - by its function, as a valuable architectural work and as the work of an architect with worldwide reputation. Within the spatial complex „Old Belgrade" it enjoys the status of preliminary protection. However all three buildings were damaged in NATO attacks on the night of 23 April 1999.



#5. 25 May Sportcenter in Belgrad, 1971-74

http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_lala/3088127286/

Here my recent post about that interesting and funny building.



#6. „Pinki“ Sport-Center, Gradski Park,
Belgrad-Zemun, 1974

"Pink" by night from hala pinki site
"pink" by www.ostarchitektur.com

The venue that has an indoor hall and and an indoor swimming pool opened in 1974, and hosted various basketball, handball, and volleyball teams. Lately, it mostly serves recreational use.
The hall is named after Boško Palkovljević Pinki, People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
Like in the other Halls that Antic built (in Poljud and the 25.may hall) he cared that nothing in this enormous halls disturbed the view and watched even for the tiniest detail.



#7. Hotel Narvik in Kikinda, 1981


In the project for Hotel Narvik in Kikinda (a little town of Banat in Vojvodina) he showed an unique way to work with the given urban situation. With a flat horizontal base (first 2 floors) he integrated the building perfectly in the typical vojvodinian style square and added the main building, that is almost not noticeable from the street. Just from a certain distance you can see the red brick building.



#8. Swimming complex in Poljud,
Split, Croatia



This swimming pool is part of a sporting complex in the Poljud area of Split (Croatia). An example where Antic used all the possibilities of the free shapes of concrete and big glass facades.


#9. Aircraft hangar of JAT
Belgrade 1984-1986

www.yu-built.com

For this building Antic was the Author and responsible Designer for Architecture.

The conceptual design for the hangar construction, as an original idea, won the first prize in the very keen competition for designs in steel. It was about 25% cheaper than the others, and for one third it decreased the energy expenses for maintaining micro climate and practically incurred marginal expenses for the maintenance of the construction.


The designed and manufactured prestressed main girders are authentic solutions which have been completely adopted in engineering practice because of their considerable technical-technological and economic advantages for they largely extend the domain of application of concrete constructions, especially in span increasing (over 250 m).
These are compound systems with steel elements outside the transverse portion of the concrete cross section, for which the authors received the October Award of the city of Beograd for the best achievements in the field of mathematical-physical and technical sciences in 1985.

The hangar construction was proclaimed the most successful constructors' accomplishment in Serbia and Serbia at the congresses of constructors during 1987.



#10. Jugopetrol Commercial Business Centre
Belgrade in 1989




This typical example of a high standard business building equipped with all the necessary amenities. It consists of a tower, an annex with shops, a garage and shelters, with total area of 37,648 m². By its architecture it creates a unique modern complex with the hotel "Hyatt Regency'' in Novi Beograd.