Sustainable Fluidity in Aesthetical Perspectives of Contemporary Architecture: Post-Industrial Development of Danube’s Waterfront in Belgrade

Abstract

This paper aims to position the aesthetic perspective of contemporary architecture in the context of urban sustainability. Fluidity is the main concept this research is based on. The phenomenon of fluidity is defined by the constant variability of contextual conditions, hyper-production of sensations and perceptual experiences in modern cities, which increasingly affect notions of aesthetic values in architecture and urban space in general. In the modern context in which dynamics of the exchange of information is the main carrier of cultural value systems, the experience of architectural space can be understood as a kind of communication tool that is realised through direct, sensory experience. The aesthetic dimension of architecture articulates this act, as a form of cultural exchange, and interaction defines the degree of the associativity of the content, controlling the way of interaction between the user and the environment and forming a certain experience. The importance of spatial experience in the cultural dimension of architecture is very important in aesthetical perspectives of sustainable development, which position the experience of space in the domain of the activation of feelings, emotions, and communication with all senses, as well as diversity, inclusion, and well-being. By the actuality and importance of dealing with the topics of re-use of built, industrial, heritage and the New European Bauhaus design curricula, this research intersects the main postulates of new approaches with the results of teaching experience from Diploma Master studio at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, led by professor Nebojša Fotirić and Teaching Assistant Bojana Jerković-Babović. The graduate studio topic is Making of a city: post-industrial development of the area between Dunavska Street and the Danube‘s Belgrade waterfront, where the importance of possible instrumentalizations of theoretical perspectives in research design, expanding the existing scope of architectural design and operational knowledge and skills, is recognized.