2. Serbian Fruit Archive
2023
Second year project
This portfolio responds to a unit brief to reimagine Mexico in an alternate universe through speculative design. Drawing on my interest in urban development, I focused on the Maya civilisation—exploring how their cultural strengths might have evolved had they not declined.
The first part of the project was a very short research project. The structure is a timber pavilion for a modern Mayan society, reflecting their agricultural, astronomical, and spiritual traditions through a structure that traces planetary movements.
A National Rakia Archive in the Ruins of Serbia’s Former National Library
Context & Narrative
Set within the bombed remains of the former National Library of Serbia in Kosančićev Venac, this project responds to a deep cultural longing for continuity, pride, and slowness in post-war Belgrade. Drawing from a personal connection to cities shaped by rapid development after conflict, the project explores how architecture can preserve memory while offering a new sense of unity. Rooted in the national tradition of homemade rakia—a fruit spirit passed down through generations—the building becomes an archive not of books, but of recipes, regions, and families.
Programme & Function
The Serbian Fruit Archive acts as a collective distillery, record centre, and festival ground. Individuals from across Serbia bring fermented fruits, distil small batches of rakia onsite, and store them in custom cask shelves following a classification system adapted from the Library of Congress. These casks are archived by fruit type, origin, and family name, forming a living catalogue of national identity. Shared tasting bars, seasonal events, and collaborative workshops create an ongoing rhythm of exchange—transforming the building into a cultural loop between countryside and city.
Material & Sustainability
The architecture draws on local materials and climatic intelligence. Inspired by vernacular Balkan construction, the building employs Serbian timber, traditional shingle roofing, and cob-based systems. Roofs are shaped to reflect both regional forms and environmental function—guiding rainwater into harvesting systems used for distillation and irrigation. A water-reactive timber façade, inspired by Serbia’s phoenix-like national flower Ramonda, opens and closes with moisture, introducing a responsive, sensory element that connects visitors to weather and season.
Cultural Continuity & Spatial Experience
While grounded in functional processes, the building preserves the essence of a library. From open stepped seating that invites quiet gathering to archive-inspired cask storage modeled after historical shelving systems, spatial elements evoke study, reflection, and memory. Raised lobbies protect archaeological remains, ensuring the past remains visible beneath the new. By interweaving celebration with contemplation, and production with preservation, the Serbian Fruit Archive proposes a new form of civic institution—where national memory is fermented, shared, and continuously renewed.
