Lepenski Vir is an archaeological site of extraordinary international significance; an area where exceptional culture and specific art, which took place within organized social and religious life, emerged as unique in Central and South-Eastern Europe (6800-5400 BC, according to the date C14). The methods and complexity of the architecture of these buildings, their sustainability and energy efficiency, as well as the treatment of the associated monumental sculptures, clearly define the stages of settlement over a period of at least two thousand years. Today, it is even possible to say that people in those ancient times were even more instructed in the issues of nature and her whimsicality than we are today. Today, the site is in a natural reserve in an extremely picturesque landscape. During the archaeological excavations of the 1960s, seven prehistoric settlements were unearthed, one after the other. These settlements contain the remains of 67 apparently planned dwellings, fireplaces, tools, instruments, and jewellery. The settlements also contain altars and sculptures, carved out of round limestone pieces that are of artistic and aesthetic, as well as ritual and symbolic importance. The paper elaborates on the harmony of architectural style and natural surroundings that has been considered since the earliest times. Its aim is to analyse Lepenski Vir, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world, i.e., the technique and the conditions under which it was created. However, as the reality of the subject is quite elusive in today's time, this paper seeks to show the value of the principles on which ancient architecture rests, primarily using natural materials and specific simple forms in design and construction. The reason for this is the inextricable link between man and nature at all times, the very essence of their interconnectedness, as well as the creation of a healthy, aesthetically valuable, and quality living space. Based on these analyses, one specific conceptual solution will be attached, i.e., the proposal of a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Lepenski Vir settlement and houses that can meet the needs of modern man and age, where millennia-old tradition is implemented in contemporary Serbian architecture. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2022-03-01-08 Full Text: PDF

The social integration of people, the common belief of a particular group of people, contributed to the creation of a very fine and sincere architecture, which celebrated the habits and lifestyles of a particular community. National, traditional architecture is not a style, but rather, a glimpse of the world and life, the nature and genius loci, attitude towards life processes and materials, towards climate and authenticity. Traditional construction and building techniques help us establish new innovative architecture, to improve our living conditions in as much as the environment.

It would seem that the need to preserve traditional building heritage is slowly gaining importance in modern day Serbia. As well as the need to develop modern house types that resembles traditional ones. The old master builders, whilst building homes in local towns and villages not only left their mark on every building they created, but a mark of the times and conditions in which they lived and worked. Their ambitions were furthered by the wish of the inhabitants of the future house, who wanted their dwelling to have aesthetic value beside its functional value, which resulted in many shapes and forms of simple residencies. Traditional forms were always used as a base for developing modern dwellings, least in the sense of proportion and size of buildings. These parameters – the size of the building, rooms and objects – were determined over centuries, and were suited to the proportions of man, his age, height and movement through the building. As a result of these proportions came all the logic in the layout of the home as a whole, even the small details.

The paper seeks to define the principles of the development of office buildings throughout history, in the light of new research dealing with the needs and habits of a new workforce in the digital age and environment-friendly solutions. To start, we explore the evolution of administrative buildings through the ages, to see how workspaces were designed to accommodate work dynamics of the time and apply contemporary technological solutions. Afterwards, an overview of modern office spaces and emerging business practices aims to define the requirements and expectations put forward by a new workforce, predominantly tied to digital innovation. The resulting research’s purpose is to design a model office space that considers both issues of sustainable building and the needs of the workforce

The knowledge on office building in the past and present, how the workspace evolved to incorporate contemporary technological breakthroughs, was in this paper combined with goals of sustainable building in a “smart” office building design in Belgrade, Serbia, taking local factors into consideration to create a comfortable space for the employees in a dense urban matrix with a minimal environmental footprint, and considering the workflow of contemporary office spaces, it’s multidirectional input and increasingly horizontal work hierarchy. Issues of proper inputs for building today in the 21st century are thoroughly considered in this paper and respective building’s design features as shown here: how to deal with location, position and orientation of the building, organization of both formal and informal areas, natural ventilation, green glazed surfaces, solar energy, wind turbines, rainwater utilization measures, surrounding vegetation, lighting and appliances, and piezoelectric paving.