miu architects year founded: 2003 city: Užice, Zlatibor website: www.miuarhitekti.com
About the studio: The architectural duo miu architects has existed since 2003. and encompasses the collaborative work of two architects, Marija Gardić Lazić and Uroš Lazić. miu architects is an architectural design team that works on projects of various sizes and themes. Through an individual and detailed approach, with a constant sense of freshness, we freely and dedicatedly tackle every project assignment, arriving at pragmatic and exciting solutions. Finding the essence of a matter is central to our design philosophy, where a complex methodology and creative research lead to clear and unique solutions, with a strong idea that runs from beginning to end, creating living, work, multi-purpose, and other spaces. In the projects we create, we strive to evoke emotions in the end-users and viewers, and to create architecture that will provoke a reaction and be more than just material value.
Awards: We have won awards in architectural competitions, which has been a confirmation of our work. Notable ones include: 100 Hotels throughout Serbia – 2nd Prize, 2008 at the general public anonymous international regional competition MFC Cinema Užice – reconstruction and extension of the old city cinema – 3rd Prize, 2005 at the general public anonymous national architectural competition
Why the studio is a member of ASAP (Association of Serbian Architectural Practices): miu architects joined ASAP because we share similar beliefs and, while we are each working to advance the architectural profession individually, we can achieve our goals more easily and quickly as a team.
3 projects we want to highlight: Eco House in Kremna, Western Serbia The building is a simple form consisting of two basic elements – a cantilevered horizontal slab carefully lowered onto the terrain and a gentle, single-pitched roof. Between these two elements, a space was created, framed in a glass enclosure, from which the surroundings are observed. The basic elements of the structure—a horizontal concrete slab and a wooden, slightly sloped roof slab—simultaneously form both the exterior and interior of the building.
Multifunctional complex combining the Children’s Cultural Center and an exhibition gallery, Užice. The surrounding environment is delicate, so the design approach was as well. The form of the newly designed building follows the form of the objects in its immediate surroundings, first and foremost the City Gallery. The archetypal form of a “house” for the newly designed object is materialized in a contemporary way, respecting the spirit of the time in which it is built. It is precisely through this contemporary materialization that the house’s purified form is accentuated, creating a clear contrast between the old and the new, and further emphasizing the temporal context in which it is built.
The form of the “house” is most clearly observed from the direction of the square Slanusha, from which side most of the building is visible.
Almost the entire facade on that side is made of glass, which makes the form appear lighter and more airy, and simultaneously allows a view of the function from the outside in, and vice versa, thereby projecting the life of the building onto the street and making it a part of it.
The facility brings together several complementary uses: an exhibition space for art pottery, commercial amenities (a retail gallery, bookstore, art shop, etc.), as well as a children’s cultural center with spaces for learning, creating, and interaction. All the facilities are interconnected, creating a creative and stimulating space for young people.
Ljubomir Simović Legacy, Užice Reconstruction and adaptation of part of the space of the National Library of Užice into the Lj. Legacy. The main themes of the legatum space are linked to Simović’s work as a writer – a centrally positioned floating table, and as a playwright – the curtain as a fundamental part of the theater stage. The central motif of the legacy is an oversized floating table that serves as an exhibition table, on which Simović’s most important literary works will be displayed, but also as a place for reading, listening to audio recordings of performances, and even for literary gatherings. A long, curved wall on one side and panels on the other frame the space. They serve as display panels for posters from theatrical productions, inviting visitors to browse and read literary works. A long, curved wall on one side and panels on the other frame the space, and serve as display panels for posters from theatrical performances, images, texts of poems or plays, and other exhibition materials. The dual curtain (a white sheer and a dark gray drapery curtain) regulates light during the day and creates a theatrical atmosphere in the legat space.
