From tradition to modernization - building techniques in Serbia during 19th and early 20th century

Abstract

Presenting the characteristics of residential architecture of Belgrade, this paper strives to synthesize the evolution of building techniques and building industry in Serbia since the time of the liberation from the Ottomans in the early 19th to the first decades of the 20th century. Great migrations to the cities are characteristic of the whole period, causing the need for intensive housing construction. As a reflection of the better political and economic situation from the 1870s to 1910s, in a short period, structural systems and building techniques have gradually evolved from half-timbered structures, through mixed systems and assemblies, to massive masonry structures modeled after the modern European structures and followed by adoption of reinforced concrete as a new construction material. Following with a certain time lag the trend of the times, application of modern materials was present, resulting with the establishment and development of domestic industry of building products.