Draft:Snežana Vesnić

Snežana Vesnić

Snežana Vesnić (born 1974, Lazarevac) is an architect and professor at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture. She serves as an editor-in-chief of Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy and is a founding partner of the Belgrade-based architecture studio Neo Arhitekti.

Biography

Education

Vesnić graduated from the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture in 2000, where she also obtained her PhD in 2018. Her doctoral dissertation is titled “Philosophy and Aesthetics of the Architectural Concept: Object of Reality and Object of Illusion” and was supervised by Vladan Đokić. In 2019, she completed her postdoctoral studies at the Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe of the University of Rijeka.

Career

Vesnić is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, where she teaches architectural design and theory. She has given guest lectures at many European universities, including Politecnico di Torino, the University of Ljubljana, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and the University of Montenegro. Since 2024, Vesnić has been a visiting professor at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. In 2023, she served as a jury member for the Young Talent Architecture Award (YTAA), organized by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation with the support of the European Commission’s Creative Europe program.

Vesnić’s theoretical work focuses on architectural philosophy and aesthetics, particularly on architectural concepts. Her book Architectural Concept: Object of Reality and Subject of Illusion [Arhitektonski koncept: objekt stvarnosti i subjekt iluzije] (2020) explores the meanings of the term “architectural concept,” aiming to contribute to both an epistemology and methodology of contemporary architectural design. The book also offers a broader reconstruction of philosophical terminology that influences and shapes the theory of architectural objects and architectural discourse in general. The same themes are central to many of Vesnić’s articles published in journals such as Rivista di estetica, Vesper, Philosophy and Society, Ardeth, Filozofska istraživanja, Serbian Architectural Journal, Filozofski vestnik, and AM Journal of Art and Media Studies. Vesnić is a founder and editor-in-chief of Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy, published by the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University of Belgrade.

In 2000, Vesnić co-founded the architecture studio Neo Arhitekti with Vladimir Milenković and Tatjana Stratimirović. Notable projects include the Textil Commercial Building in Užice, Serbia (2007), and Villa Pavlović in Zlatibor, Serbia (2018), which have garnered many awards, including the Annual Award of the Union of Architects of Serbia for Villa Pavlović and two nominations for the EU Mies Award (in 2009 and 2019). In 2013, Neo Arhitekti won the competition to design the memorial for the 16 workers of Radio Television of Serbia who were killed during the 1999 NATO bombing of the RTS headquarters.

Vesnić serves as the national coordinator for nominations for the EU Mies Award at the Union of Architects of Serbia. In 2023, she was a jury member for the competition for the Serbian pavilion at the 18^th Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Selected Work

·       Textil Commercial Building, Užice, Serbia (2007). Neo Arhitekti (S. Vesnić, V. Milenković)

·       Textil Showroom, Belgrade, Serbia (2011), interior design. Neo Arhitekti (S. Vesnić, V. Milenković)

·       Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade, Serbia (2015), interior design. S. Vesnić

·       Villa Pavlović, Zlatibor, Serbia (2018). Neo Arhitekti (S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, T. Stratimirović)

·       Hrastovina Wine Bar, Belgrade, Serbia (2018), interior design. Neo Arhitekti (S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, V. Jovanović)

·       “Belle Blanc,” Belgrade, Serbia (2020), interior design. V. Milenković, S. Vesnić, V. Jovanović

·       Villa M, Fruška gora, Serbia (2021), in construction. S. Vesnić, V. Milenković

·       Three Villas Fava, Vourvourou, Greece (2023), in construction. S. Vesnić, V. Milenković

Projects:

·       RTS Memorial “Why?,” Belgrade, Serbia (2020), in construction. Neo Arhitekti (S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, T. Stratimirović)

·       “Sokolova Brand(y)” Distillery, Kostojevići, Serbia (2023). S. Vesnić, V. Milenković

·       “Tornik Tomorrow: Conceptual Horizons – The Golden Pine,” Zlatibor, Serbia (2023). S. Vesnić, V. Milenković

Competitions:

·       Dipos Diplomatic Club, Belgrade, Serbia (2017), 2nd prize. Team: S. Vesnić, T. Stratimirović, V. Milenković, N. Đukanović, V. Jovanović, M. Popović, S. Danilović

·       “ArXellence 2”, Redefining of the west riviera of Thessaloniki, international competition, Thessaloniki, Greece (2020). Team: S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, S. Danilović, F. Prica, D. Prodanović, L. Grgić, J. Aleksić, M. Luković, A. Lulević

·       Competition for the Conceptual Design of the Pavilion of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Serbia (2021). Team: F. Prica, S. Vesnić, D. Prodanović, V. Milenković, S. Savatijević, J. Rajović

·       Competition for the Preliminary Design of the New Building of the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Serbia (2022), 2nd prize. Team: S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, S. Savatijević, M. Luković, D. Prodanović, S. Danilović, J. Rajović

·       International Urban-Planning and Architectural Competition for the Development of Belo Brdo Archaeological Park with Preliminary Designs for the Visitor Centre and the Scientific and Research Centre, Vinča, Serbia (2022). Team: S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, S. Savatijević, A. Radovanović, M. Čekanović, J. Rajović, D. Prodanović, M. Luković

·       International Competition for the Conceptual Architectural and Urban Design of the New City Cemetery in Berane, Montenegro (2023). Team: S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, S. Savatijević, M. Čekanović, L. Ivančević, F. Vasić

·       Competition for the Conceptual Design of the Museum of Natural History in Belgrade, Serbia (2024). Team: F. Prica, S. Vesnić, V. Milenković, B. Belaćević, S. Savatijević, L. Ivančević, M. Čekanović

Awards

·       Nomination of the book Arhitektonski koncept: objekt stvarnosti i subjekt iluzije for the Nikola Milošević Prize (2020)

·       BIG SEE Interior Design Award 2020 Winner (2020)

·       MICROMACRO Award for Villa Pavlović in Užice, Serbia, at the Fourth International Exhibition On Architecture: Challenges in Architecture, Urban Design, and Art (2019)

·       BIG SEE Architecture Award 2019 Winner (2019)

·       Nomination of Villa Pavlović in Zlatibor, Serbia for the EU Mies Award (2018)

·       “Aleksej Brkić” Annual Award of the Union of Architects of Serbia for Villa Pavlović in Zlatibor, Serbia (2018)

·       MICROMACRO Award for the Weekend House in Avala, Serbia at the Fourth International Exhibition On Architecture: Scale of Design from Micro to Macro (2016)

·       Nomination of Textil Commercial Building in Užice, Serbia for EU Mies Award (2009)

·       “Novosti” Award for the best built object in Serbia in 2007 for Textil Commercial Building in Užice, Serbia (2008)

Gallery

Bibliography

·       Arhitektonski koncept: objekt stvarnosti i subjekt iluzije. Novi Sad/Beograd: Akademska Knjiga/IDESE, 2020.

·       “The Philosophical Platform of the Architect. Why Philosophers Make Such Good Drawings?” Serbian Architectural Journal 9, no. 3 (2017): 201-216.

·       “What Is an Architectural Concept? The ‘Concept’ of Deleuze and ‘Project’ of Eisenman.” Philosophy and Society 4 (2017): 1122-1136.

·       (With Miloš Ćipranić) “The Concept: A Map for Generations.” Rivista di estetica Vol. 2 (2019): 101–116.

·       “Time and Technology of the Architectural Concept: (Sur)réalité virtuelle.” In Innovation in Practice in Theory: Positioning Architectural Design and Its Agency, eds. Caterina Barioglio et al: 54-65. Applied Research and Design Publishing (AR+D), 2022.

·       (With Petar Bojanić) “Architecture and Terminology.” In Innovation in Practice in Theory: Positioning Architectural Design and Its Agency, eds. Caterina Barioglio et al: 107-117. Applied Research and Design Publishing (AR+D), 2022.

·       “Dispositif between Philosophical Category and Architectural Concept.” Filozofska istraživanja 42, no. 4 (2022); 821-832.

·       (With Petar Bojanić, Miloš Ćipranić) “The Object as a Series of Its Acts.” Filozofski vestnik 44, no. 3 (2023): 131-144.

·       (With Petar Bojanić) “Positio(n).” Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy 1, no. 1 (2023): 1-6.

·       (With Petar Bojanić) “And.” Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy 1, no. 2 (2023): 1-2.

·       “Villa Pavlović and the Dissolution of Gold.” Vesper. Journal of Architecture, Arts & Theory, no. 8 (2023): 42-51.

·       “Architectural Concept: (Op)positional Infinity of the City.” Rivista di estetica, no. 85 (1/2024): 157-167.

·       (With Petar Bojanić) “Endless Change.” Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy II, no. 1 (2024): 1-3.