(AG Real Estate) Hotel Nobel - Business-hotel complex at Andrićev Venac, in heart of Belgrade

Andrićev venac is the locality in the representative city core surrounded by facilities whose historical, material and functional significance make them a part of the primary city core space. The existing facility in 10, Andrićev venac street is in the block with formed physical structures that developed chronologically and in style from 1890 until 1940. There are not many places of the kind in Belgrade and we can proudly compare them with world metropolis squares such as Les Halles in Paris or central squares in Milan, Vienna and Prague, where fresh individual structures brought new hope, positive spirit and were the proof of cities and nations modernization and prosperity.

The proximity of the Old Palace complex where the Presidency of Serbia and the City Assembly of Belgrade operate, as well as the very cultural and historic aspects of Andrićev venac, including now the Ozon Gallery which found its place in the cultural life of Belgrade, oblige the new function, structure and design of the reconstructed facility to produce an architecture worthy of this locality and time and restore the hope in the contemporary spirit of the Serbian capital. Pioneer park, Kralja Milana and Kneza Miloša streets with the proximity of the new underground garage are additional quality value of this location.

Accordingly, this rare location requires vast foreign investments and investments into the project and indirectly into the city of Belgrade. Company ’’Bart & Co’’ has commenced the project realization. It has been operating and spreading its network with great success in Russia and England in the last three decades. In a few months, when hotel construction has been finished, we hope to see the arrival of numerous guests primarily from Russia, but from West Europe as well.

Old facility at 10, Andrićev venac location was designed by Živko Nikolić back in 1924 and, according to the stylistic characteristics, it represents the Belgrade style with elements of Russian Secession which is to be completely reconstructed so that upgraded floors create a continuity of the front facing Pioneer park.

Expansion of tourist supply and enrichment of hotel-catering contents with cultural activities at this location proved as an inevitable and utmostly necessary process confirmed by the analyses of the Institute for Market Research in Belgrade performed as long ago as 2004.

The results showed that the concerned location, in accordance with its functional, formal, urban and environmental characteristics, is best suited for development of a business-hotel space. Currently underway is the project Small City Hotel so-called Design Hotel with form and in trend that are being intensively developed world wide in the last ten years. The ambition is that with this project Belgrade gets on the best hotels map through high category groups such as Small Luxury Hotels or Design Hotels.

Spatial Organization and Facility Design

The existing facility is specific and striking compared to the surrounding buildings as the front, street façade has emphatic elements of symetry and centricity. General design employs all elements from the existing façade and conveys them into the modern language of architecture not as a copy, but via an anology, through space and function of the future hotel. Simetry is integrated into the structure through centricity and emphasis of the core which is spiralling upwards to the very top and extracting the structure to the very roof, coating the interior as a new surface layer, new face of the old structure. On the other hand, the façade remains fixed, stable and eternal. Old façade ornament is impressed in the fat layer of natural stone with uneven texture, of anthracite hue, with which the façade is daubed, whilst the new, glass layer descends down and wriggles through the openings, permeating with the old through a dialogue with the modern.

The old semblance of the facility is upgraded, the last floors in glass wriggle through balconies, the front towards the street merges forming a continuity in the appearance of Andrićev venac street and the façade itself is remarkable from key positions in the surroungings thus becoming an ambience hallmark.

Central place of communication is retained, staircase is prolonged and lit up with atrium, and illuminated from the flanks. Staircase itself defines the space inside the hotel, the essential communication, gallery, rooms layout in the accomodation part, organization of the very room and exit on the façade, front and back. Thus were achieved the bond and permeation between the old and the new, the interior and the exterior, the spiral and the vertical, horizontal.

Pioneer park wriggles throught the structure, its façades, balconies and inner space, as far as the core of the block which now represents the new ’’Belgrade Urban Park’’. Using altitude differences in relation to Kralja Milana street, the levels shear, placing commercial contents in the overlaps, and the roofs retain and convey the idea of the park, green areas and a square, left to a pedestrian, the inhabitant of the city, who gets his landscape in the city, a shifted ground, diverse nature, still in continuity with communications and activities of the urban park. Providing a possibility for adaptation and transformation of space functions, the new square is simultaneously a park, a playground, and a peaceful evening ambience for a couple.

The quality of the space is considerably increased and enriched, refined for the users of the neighbouring buildings. Overall value and potentials of this area are upraised and as such challenged by the existing, traditional-contextual spatial arguments. In communication with contemporary language and architecture, a new modern Belgrade style is being defined.

Function

In view of functions, the purpose of the structure per floors is diverse. Cellar floors are technical facilities according to their function. Basement space contains recreative premises and the first level is dedicated to catering contents, the ground floor is intended to higher frequency activities including catering contents while all other overground floors are the accomodation hotel area.

The space intended for ground floor activities is divided into the main entryway, the sitting lobby and the bar, front desk, luggage room and toilets. Entry to each of these premises is from Andrićev venac street. Besides, a staircase from the ground floor leads towards downstairs catering and recreative contents, which will probably have a direct access from the yard in Kralja Milana street. Technical premises intended for the heat station, premises for the facility maintenance, storage rooms and hotel wharehouses are allocated within the cellar levels.

The floors dedicated to the hotel and accomodation space are designed simply and contemporarily – they follow the main communicaiton and the atrium space, connecting the elevator and fire escape. For higher efficacy one vertical on each floor connects two rooms, two plumbings and one ancillary service room per a floor. Vertical communications that provide connection of all floors are anticipated in the form of two passanger elevators (a larger one for the guests and another, smaller one for hotel staff), a service elevator for the kitchen and a staircase.

Structure

Considering the complexity of the anticipated intervention, between the two existing buildings, next to the very Presidency of Serbia, and in order to ensure stability and safety either of the subject or of adjacent facilities, total reconstruction of interfloor ceilings in the existing facility is foreseen but with retention of the same height levels in order to retrieve the old façade geometry completely. The adopted basic design system of the upgraded part of the facility is reinforced concrete fundamentally skeleton system of inter floor reinforced concrete slabs without capitals leaning on reinforced concrete pillars with necessary and properly allocated stiffened elements of reinforced concrete. The bearing constructive elements wriggle through the entire structure in order to secure stability and load capacity of the structure.

Vertically bearing parts of the structure are reinforced concrete walls, thick 20 cm and 25 cm respectively, interconnected with stiff interfloor reinforced concrete constructions as illustrated by the design, as well as the parts of reinforced concrete walls (primarily, elevator core and staircase cores). Horizontally bearing parts of the structure are, primarily, interfloor, cast reinforced concrete 20 cm thick slabs stiffened with appropriate reinforced concrete constructive elements on all interfloor constructions.

The roof of the building is flat, designed as an impassable surface, adapted in geometry and form to the specified architecture and climate conditions of the location, carried over the corresponding reinforced concrete interfloor structure (dp=15 cm) designed and performed in every detail in accordance with the regulations and standards for this type of structure.

The façade and façade structure of the building upgrade is the passively bearing one from one floor to another regardless of the processing system and façade form. Stiffness of the façade structure is additionally supported with façade beams anticipated in the inter floor structure. The existing street façade retains the re-composition elements in shape and form.

Façade

The existing street façade with pronounced elements of simetry and centricity with all plastic specificities is elaborated by the general design which conveys the existing elements through analogy into the modern architectural form, through space, function and design of the future hotel. The façade remains a fixed, stable form in its shape and plastic conveyed from the existing one through re-composition and total reconstruction, whilst new architectural expression in the advanced material, glass, arises from the upgraded floors and descends from the roof wriggling behind the solid stable façade canvas. The existing street façade is retained in shape and form along with the re-composition elements.

The part of the street façade is the glazed aluminium fire protection structural façade, fire resistant for 60 minutes. The frame is made of aluminium profiles and glazing is performed with safety tempered glass. Yard façades are treated in the same fashion of importance but expressed in free architectural form and shape and advanced material.

Parking - Garaging

The hotel is designed with 48 double bedrooms. Hotel ranking conditions that parking places for 50% of accomodation capacities have to be provided. It implies furnishing of one parking place per four beds. That makes 24 parking places for passanger vehicles which are provided for in the neighbouring city garage.

For a passable restaurant applies the rule that one parking place has to be provided per 8 chairs.

A restaurant with 16 tables per 4 chairs each is planned in the hotel meaning that 8 parking places have to be furnished for the guests of this restaurant. In ’’Pioneer Park’’ garage, 20 garage places are reserved. Totally, the hotel needs 32 parking places and additional 12 parking places will be reserved subsequently.

Internal Park Area

Inner contures of the facility in the block form atriums and semi-atriums as well as irregular form in the middle of the block. There are more than 2,000 m2 of unbuilt surface area with altitude difference of 5.24 m from the direction of Andrićev venac street to Kralja Milana street, and/or an average slant of 6.3%.

In regard of nivellization, this slant can be overcome by cascades coated with ornamental retaining walls and an exterior staircase. Every cascade surface will be covered with high vegetation, low bushes, grass surfaces and paved pedestrian paths. Ramps will be built along every exterior stairway, that can also serve as fire escape.

Places for rest of the adults and children’s play are anticipated on green cascade terraces.

Author of the Design:

Ana Zatezalo Schenk
and
Sinestezia doo
Čedomir Ristić, Chief Designer and Brander
Sandra Drašković, Designer Manager
Nataša Vukosavljević, Creative Modeller
Srđan Milošević, Architect for Hotel Categorization

Responsible Urban Design Project Engineer: A43 doo, Aleksandra Banović

Master Design: Mutokon doo

Contractor: Deneza M Engineering