Kristina Žilić
ART CAMPUS AND THE CONTEXT OF NATURE
A higher level of education of architects implies their acquaintance with the principles of solving more complex problems in urban – architectural design, such as designing new useful contents in the vicinity of natural and created values. It is necessary, in a creative, bold and studious way, to approach the integration of new useful content in the given sensitive and demanding environments, which are often special nature reserves, protected areas, areas of special natural features and values, and most often unused spatial and functional potentials in extremely inspiring spaces. The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the obligations of the profession towards potential users in a broader educational sense. The location for creating the task will be selected in accordance with the given Thematic Framework. Water (or some other natural phenomenon with all their peculiarities) as the main motive, and their relationship with the environment, the variability of the landscape during the year, and the abundance of challenges and inspirations in designing and materializing content, will be the basic reason for choosing a specific site. Such spaces represent only one of the many phenomena of nature and created values of Serbia. As highly ranked indigenous ambiences and visited spaces, they usually do not have contents that provide informational, educational, visitor and technical services to visitors and curious people. Students will have the opportunity and obligation to design a polyvalent center at the selected location – a station or habitat, which should, in addition to reception, residence, educational, presentation, animation, recreational and other requirements, respect the existing ambient values. In addition, the limitation and obligation of respect found in the design of the center – station, is to fit into the existing values created at the site, as well as the relationship to the contents in the wider environment, if any. However, the key problem is the relationship between the newly designed contents and the highly valued nature or significance of the heritage, where reaffirmation and new activation of existing tourist and commercial resources are expected through the projected center.