Ekapija, July 4, 2008
Business Complex „Two Kings“ in Belgrade

More than a year ago, the competition for an architectural-urban solution for the object planned to be built on the ground lots at the corner of two streets with the name of Serbian kings mentioned in their titles is finished. The object spreads to the fronts of King Milan Street from number 35 to number 41a and King Milutin Street, from number 14 to number 18, where an angular motive is created at the juncture of these two streets. The elaborated wining solution of the competition is presented by its authors, architects Igor Marić and Božidar Manić, and it will soon be started with its realization.

In two years time at the latest, at a prestigious city location on Slavija, a representative and modern housing-business complex will emerge. On approximately 30.000m2 according to the elaborated winning architectural-urban project solution, this object will enrich the whole Slavija and nearby areas with its elegancy. Next to the Yugoslav Drama Theatre and the National Bank of Serbia, this object will use its modern physiognomy to completely change the previous looks of the neighborhood which has for the long time been marked by ground floor and unappealing buildings meant for small shopping. Rudnap Group and Eki Investment are two companies which entered this investment venture as partners. At a distance of 1.5 km from the highway, this area becomes a new business juncture that will inbreathe a new image to the whole of Slavija.

The Complex, which includes less than half of the existing building block, is conceived to have two wings set on the alignment line towards the streets of King Milan and King Milutin and to have a yard object in the interior of the block which will be 5 m withdrawn from the neighboring lots. In that way, the Complex would, together with these two previous wings, make a small square. Flooring of the objects is P+2, the same as with a backyard object, whereas the flooring of the street wings is P+5 or P+6 up to P+8 at the corner of King Milan and King Milutin Streets. The underground part of the object is planned to have 4 or 3 underground levels inside the boundaries of a newly made building lot.
In the parts towards King Milan and King Milutin Streets, into the first underground level, it is planned to provide space for business premises on the ground floor as well as for parking lots and technical premises in the other underground levels. The ground floor is supposed to consist of business premises, object entrances, an entrance to the underground garage, passages which connect a small square to a public space of streets and serve for driving cars through them, extinguishing fires and similar interventions. Business premises are on the first floor of the street wings of King Milan Street numbers 35-41a and King Milutin Street 16 and 18, whereas business apartments are at number 14. Some office space is planned to be built on each floor as well as several business apartments at number 14. All entrances to the object are supplied with suitable elements for the undisturbed movement of handicapped people: gates, vertical platforms and staircase platforms for usage without an attendant. Along King Milan Street, there is a projected hall with columns with a forward canopy which makes a good protection from the sun and rain.

Expected architecture
The architectural solution is done as a flexible concept, a double-side installed space with a hall in the middle and with communicational verticals at optimal distance. The basic plan includes several entities. The first entity represents 4 or 3 levels with technical premises, some business premises and a garage with 300 parking places to meet the needs of the tenants. Then there is a multifunctional object with business premises on the ground floor, in the basement and on the first floor, office space on the upper levels in King Milan Street 35-41a and in King Milutin Street 18, as well as a multifunctional part of the object in the yard with business premises on the ground floor and office space on other floors.
Flooring height of the objects in the basement level is 2.8 m, 4.5 m on the ground floor and 3.6 on other floors. Business premises are supposed to have classic floors and office space of the object and business apartments should have upraised floors (15 cm). Ceilings are done in two ways: one part of them is suspended and the other part goes all the way to the construction in places where a bigger height of the room is needed (larger offices and conference halls).
Anticipated space is structurally planned according to modern structures met every day in the contemporary world. Therefore, the space will include the following functional assets: offices, halls, communicational assets, (vertical and horizontal) toilet blocks, as well as auxiliary and technical premises. There are also premises with all necessary contents and business apartments. Although it is all about a unique architectural concept, the object is, in modeling terms, divided into several interweaving entities. The length of the façade in King Milan Street is 87 m and it is divided into 4 parts as the fasade in King Milutin Street is 71.65 m long and divided into 3 parts.

The angular motive, which is in the same time the highest part of the object, is especially emphasized. Object fasade leaning against the existing objects has a distinctive structure and materialization which connects to its neighbors in terms of emphasized plasticity. The other part of the object has a hanging fasade where parapets are lined with stone and windows are made of thermopan glass. Over the fasade serving as basic thermal protection, there is a glass film which protects the object from noise, strong sun radiance and wind. The external ‘’sheet’’ enables further division of the building corpus into smaller volumes. The external glass wall is made of glass and it is partly darkened as well as transparent in some parts where greenery serves as protection. The distance of the glass film is 60 cm from the basic fasade and it is conceived to enable a ventilation effect from one floor to another. The angular motive is especially emphasized as it creates an air bag between the cut angle of ‘’the first fasade’’ and the sharp angle of ‘’the protective film’’. It also makes the object recognized in the superimposing process.

The fasade towards the internal yard, turned towards the north-west and north-east is less glassed, has more closed surfaces and it is structured horizontally so that the first three levels are darker and the others are lighter. The lower object is glassed in its largest part and has colorful blinds.
The internal space
The internal space is arranged according to its final purpose. Garages are done in lighter colors, just like the walls and floors which are supposed to be done in four color shades brought into the last layer of concrete resistant to scuffing (ferroconcrete). In this phase, business premises have only smoothly aligned walls with no additional interior treatment which will subsequently be projected for each user individually. Office space has upraised floor on the raster 60´60 with the final workup made of textile, parquet and marble, depending on a purpose of a room. Ceilings are suspended. Pure height of rooms is mostly 280 cm and it is possible to increase height in some parts of halls to 300-320 cm. Partition walls are made of prefab removable elements made of plaster and glass with different finishing (sandblasted glass, Venetian blinds and similar).

As the object will consist of several functional units: a garage, business premises, office space, business apartments, a small square; it is planned to enable joint management and maintenance. For the purpose of controlling the whole object, a unique system and a special room are conceived, where significant elements of control and management will meet a necessary number of work places. Beside the above mentioned, we will provide a joint garbage disposal unit, maintenance of the square in all segments, as well as a security unit for the object. Vertical transport for the object is done by 8 traveling lifts, 5 platforms for vertical and 1 platform for diagonal transport of handicapped users in wheelchairs.

Inside staircase kernels, there are 2 traveling lifts with standard cabin dimensions and two-panel telescopic doors being built. Driving shafts are interconnected and made of reinforced concrete (with a partition wall between the lifts). Engines are placed in a joint engine room above the driving shafts. In the staircase 1, lifts serve on all floors between an underground level -3 and an upper ground floor +8, all together 12 stops and the same number of accesses. In the staircases 2 and 3, lifts serve on all floors between an underground level -3 and an upper ground floor +7, all together 11 stops and the same number of accesses. Next to the staircase 4, there is one traveling lift with two-panel telescopic doors being built. A driving shaft is made of reinforced concrete and engines are placed at the top of the driving shafts.

Next to 5 communicational staircase shanks, five platforms are being built for the vertical transport of handicapped users in wheelchairs, between a level +1.99 m and the first floor level +3.99 m, rising height 1.4 m. Load-bearing capacity of these platforms is 250 kg each (one person in the wheelchair). The engine is placed inside the construction. A movable staircase platform is being built for the vertical-diagonal transport of handicapped users in wheelchairs, between a level +0.00 m and the level +1.99 m, rising height 1.99 m. Load-bearing capacity of these platforms is 250 kg each (one person in the wheelchair). Landscape arrangement of the space includes free, non-park arrangement of all non-built and unpaved surfaces.
Of course, such a modernly conceived object can not go without planned diesel aggregates whose anticipated capacities will serve as a sufficient guaranty for availability and quality of the subject-space.