Urban Infill

The aim of the paper is to draw attention to the view that the two key elements in achieving good quality of architecture infill in immediate, current surroundings, are the selection of optimal creative method of infill architecture and adequate application of “the bond” as integrative element. The success of achievement and the quality of architectural infill mainly depend on the assessment of various circumstances, but also on the professionalism, creativity, sensibility, and finally innovativeness of the architect. In order for the infill procedure to be carried out adequately, it is necessary to carry out the assessment of quality of the current surroundings that the object will be integrated into, and then to choose the creative approach that will allow the object to establish an optimal dialogue with its surroundings. On a wider scale, both theory and the practice differentiate thee main creative approaches to infill objects: a)mimetic approach (mimesis), b)associative approach and c)contrasting approach. Which of the stated approaches will be chosen depends primarily on the fact whether the existing physical structure into which the object is being infilled is “distinct”, “specific” or “indistinct”, but it also depends on the inclination of the designer. “The bond” is a term which in architecture denotes an element or zone of one object, but in some instances it can refer to the whole object which has been articulated in a specific way, with an aim of reaching the solution for the visual conflict as is often the case in situations when there is a clash between the existing objects and the newly designed or reconstructed object. This paper provides in-depth analysis of different types of bonds, such as “direction as bond”, “cornice as bond”, “structure as bond”, “texture as bond” and “material as bond”, which indicate complexity and multiple layers of the designing process of object interpolation.

Cilj rada je da se ukaže na stanovište, da su dva ključna elementa za postizanje kvalitetnog arhitektonskog uklapanja u neposredno, postojeće okruženje, odabir optimalnog stvaralačkog metoda interpolacije i adekvatna primena „spone” kao integrativnog elementa. Uspešnost ostvarenja i kvalitet arhitektonske interpolacije uglavnom zavisi od procene različitih okolnosti, ali i od nivoa stručnosti, znanja, kreativnosti, senzibiliteta, u krajnjem slučaju i inovativnosti arhitekte. Da bi postupak interpolacije objekta bio sproveden na adekvatan način, neophodno je izvesti procenu kvaliteta postojećeg okruženja u koje će objekat biti interpoliran, a zatim se opredeliti za stvaralački pristup putem koga će novi objekat uspostaviti optimalan dijalog sa neposrednim okruženjem. Posmatrajući na širem planu, u teoriji i praksi, postoje izdiferencirana tri osnovna stvaralačka pristupa u interpoliranju objekata u neposredno okruženje: a)mimikričan pristup (mimesis), b)asocijativni pristup, i v)pristup kontrastiranja. Koji od navedenih pristupa će biti primenjen u određenoj situaciji, zavisiće prvenstveno od toga da li je postojeća fizička struktura, u koju se novi objekat interpolira, „izrazita”, „specifična” ili „bezizražajna”, ali i od afiniteta projektanta. „Spona” je termin koji u arhitekturi označava element ili zonu jedne građevine, a u izvesnim situacijama može da bude i čitav objekat, koji je na specifičan način artikulisan, sve sa ciljem da se postigne rešenje vizuelnog konflikta, koji se može javiti u situacijama neusaglašenosti između postojećih objekata i novoprojektovanog, ili rekonstruisanog objekta. U radu su detaljno analizirani različiti tipovi spona, poput „spone-pravca”, „spone-venca”, „spone-strukture”, „spone-fakture” i „spone-materijala”, putem kojih se ukazuje na složenost i slojevitost projektantskog procesa interpoliranja objekata.

The subject of the paper is corner infills in the urban environment. The term “corner infill” means an architectural object (house or building) that completes the continuity of two sequences of architectural objects that meet at an angle. One of the most important elements in the articulation of a corner house is the contact zone between the two external facades. Under certain circumstances, the so-called “corner theme” can become their meeting point. The corner theme in architecture implies a place that is emphasized in relation to the adjacent facade planes or the volumetry of the building. Although the principle of corner accentuation in architecture is present in most corner houses, there are numerous examples of urban infills in which the corner is not emphasized. That gives the impression that there are certain motifs or circumstances due to which the corner is accented or unaccented. The focus of the paper is not on the formal aspects of the corner articulation, but on analyzing the causes of the appearance of the corner motif. In the paper, characteristic examples of corner houses are considered through scientific analysis, and then the regularities are explored. The motifs that influence the emphasis of the angle in the interpolated building’s composition were ascertained by the method of generalization. The aim of the research was to re-examine the position according to which the corner theme in urban infills is justified in situations when the house fits into the immediate urban environment of cultural-historical or architectural significance. On the other hand, if the house is connected to surrounding buildings of lower quality or significance, the theme of the corner loses its meaning, because the whole house becomes a new city reference point, therefore emphasizing that the corner is superfluous.

Predmet istraživanja su ugaone interpolacije u urbanom okruženju. Termin „ugaona interpolacija” označava arhitektonski objekat (kuću ili zgradu) koji dovršava kontinuitet dva niza arhitektonskih objekata koji se susreću pod uglom. Jedan od najznačajnijih elemenata u artikulaciji ugaone kuće je zona kontakta dve spoljne fasade, na čijem susretu se pod izvesnim okolnostima može formirati tzv. „tema ugla”. Tema ugla u arhitekturi podrazumeva mesto koje je u odnosu na susedne fasadne ravni ili volumetriju objekta u izvesnom smislu naglašeno. Iako je princip akcentovanja ugla u arhitekturi prisutan kod većine ugaonih kuća, postoje brojni primeri interpolacija kod kojih ugao nije naglašen, iz čega se stiče utisak da postoje određeni motivi ili okolnosti zbog kojih se ugao ističe ili ne ističe. Težište rada nije na formalnim aspektima artikulacije ugla, već na analiziranju uzroka pojave ugaonog motiva. U radu su putem naučne analize razmatrani karakteristični primeri kuća na uglu, da bi zatim bile istražene zakonitosti i metodom generalizacije konstatovani motivi koji utiču na isticanje ugla u kompoziciji interpolisane građevine. Cilj istraživanja je da se preispita stanovište po kome je tema ugla na ugaonoj interpolaciji opravdana u situacijama kada se kuća uklapa u neposredno urbano okruženje koje je od kulturno-istorijskog ili arhitektonskog značaja, dok, ukoliko se kuća nadovezuje na okolne zgrade nižeg kvaliteta ili značaja, tema ugla gubi smisao, jer čitava kuća postaje novi gradski reper, te je samim tim isticanje ugla suvišno.