Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality Montenegro building, matrimonial hall architecture images, Citizens counter services
Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality Building
Contemporary Building in Montenegro design by Rifat Alihodzic Architect
24 Oct 2017
Design: Rifat Alihodzic architect
Location: Petnjica, Montenegro
Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality
Photos by Adis Ramović Photography
Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality, Montenegro
Petnjica is the newest administrative unit in Montenegro having cca 6,800 citizens only. It gained municipality status in 2013. It is situated in area called Bihor, which had parish status in medieval times with significant fortification facility, nowadays being ruins.
The Ottoman Empire gained authority of Bihor in 1455, when, according to historic resources, Prizren was conquered also. Bihor’s central place is Petnjica, a small town with specific urban features. The most remarkable cultural-historic monument within this urban core is a 3-floor mosque, built in popular folklore style.
The beginning of its building relate to islamisation of local inhabitants during the arrival of Haydar-pasha Selim into Bihor, on the basis of sultan’s decree from 1689. In disperse and quite unsettled urban matrix, it was required to design facility which provides all administrative serveces to citizens.
Location itself is determined by urban plan, at the top of the town. So, its position is extraordinary, having a view to all parts of the town. Facility is having a basement floor, ground floor, another floor and attic floor. Basement contains enough space for garage purposes (for vehicles) and economic rooms. The ground floor is presumed to have assembly hall, matrimonial hall, and counter service for citizens.
The offices of all services are set in the next and attic floors, including the offies of President of Municipality and Assembly President, as well as all services required for functioning of such institution. Vertical communication within the facility is settled by galleries, so the views are set on every floor and each space is adopted for disability people movement. Roofs are set orthogonally and on their meeting point, there is cubus covered by wood. Zenital lighting is enabled through it into the very center, at the significant communication meeting point of increased height of the space.
By designing urban frame in shape of letter L, there is a square set up in front of the facility, which enables citizen gatherings as well as various manifestations happening. Finding inspiration in remains of Bihor fortification, facility is located on stone wall of local facility, and corpus of the building itself, including roof’s white design, has a symbolism of „white castle“, as citizens call it.
Architectural frame of facility was created following principles of transposition of inherited local architecture, having special features like stone, white plaster and wooden furring. Aslope wooden furring was borrowed from wooden mosque’s minaret. Massive white wall has got irregularly positioned deep windows, which recollect defensive loopholes at the tower of medieval fortification of town Bihor. Some places of facility facade were designed as protured consoles – terraces. They are originally present on local oriental style houses, as a significant element applied in stylized form.
Locating this facility above the town, creating of square place in front of it together with attentively positioned windows, enabled a visual dialogue of the facility’s interior with the city, representing its special quality.
Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality – Building Information
Project Title: Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality
Client: Directorate of Public Works, Montenegro
Architect: Rifat Alihodzic, Elvira Muzurovic
Gross Floor area: 1.757,14 sqm
Location: Petnjica Municipality, Montenegro
Status: Object in function
Project start date: 2015
Realization: 2017
Cost: 1.860,00 €
Street: Ulica crnogorsko-turskog prijateljstva
Exact coordinates: 42°54’36.0″N 19°57’50.0″E 42.910003, 19.963876
Photographs by Adis Ramović Photography since May 2017 taken with: Nikon D600: 6016 X 4016 pixels
Administrative Center of Petnjica Municipality Montenegro images / information from Rifat Alihodzic
Location: Petnjica, Montenegro, southeast Europe
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