Zabjelo Community Center

This initial architectural sketch illustrates the core spatial organization of the Zabjelo Community Center, clearly differentiating two main volumes—the health center and the civic center—that function as a cohesive urban organism. Instead of conventional separation, the building's masses are carefully articulated and elevated to completely free up the ground floor, forming an open, permeable level that acts as the neighborhood's "living room" and a central community gathering point. By dissolving the boundary between exterior and interior spaces, a covered extension of the public square is created, subtly absorbing diverse users, fostering natural social dynamics, and transforming this contemporary architectural complex into a recognizable social hub in Podgorica.

The permeable ground-floor entrance zone forms a dynamic public plaza between the two architectural volumes, where a transparent glass envelope subtly dissolves the boundaries between exterior and interior spaces. Framed by the rich texture of the ceppo di gré stone facade, this fluid interstitial space functions as the primary meeting point for social interaction, seamlessly drawing visitors into the heart of the Zabjelo Community Center.

As a response to the bustling main street, a protected, fully permeable inner courtyard is formed within the fabric of the Zabjelo Community Center, functioning as an intimate oasis of peace. Framed by tactile colonnades and integrated greenery, this space featuring a cafe bar provides a perfect setting for a break, completely isolated from city noise.

Facing the main street, the Zabjelo Community Center opens up through a fully transparent, active entrance plaza framed by columns, visually dissolving the boundary between the urban space and the ground floor. Above this permeable base stands the representative multifunctional hall, whose warm CLT timber interior engages in a strong architectural dialogue with the stone exterior, forming a cohesive spatial entity that is clearly legible from the outside.

The multifunctional hall of the Zabjelo Community Center is conceived as a representative space washed in natural light, and dominated by the use of sustainable wooden materials and natural claddings, achieving a high level of ergonomics and a calming, warm ambiance for end users. Through expansive glass surfaces, the hall establishes a direct visual dialogue with the exterior surroundings and city life, while the strong geometry of the wooden ceiling and rich interior textures form an intimate, human-centric space that positions this auditorium as the central venue for cultural and social gatherings.

The clear orthogonal structure of the facade, clad in tactile ceppo di gré stone, visually unifies the diverse functions of the building and provides the mass and thermal inertia necessary to mitigate summer overheating in Podgorica's climate. Through these expansive glass openings, the calmer and more private administrative spaces located on the upper floors establish visual contact with the city, affirming the building as a dignified, contextual urban landmark.