Rakčević: Instead of 150 thousand square meters of housing, we will get a museum - a park full of public facilities

Luka Rakčević, deputy mayor of Podgorica and official of the Civic Movement URA, said that it is great news for all the citizens of Podgorica that the conceptual solutions for the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Natural History and House of Architecture, which are planned to be built on the site of the Morača barracks, were published today. He thanked everyone who helped to preserve that space and make today's development possible.

"After we fought during 2017 and 2018 against the intentions of the former city administrations to build 'City quarter 3' on the site of the Morača barracks, in cooperation with the former Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism (MEPPU) in November of last year - an ever-larger competition was announced for the development of conceptual solutions for three public buildings, which are planned in that area.

That competition, after almost 6 months, has finally ended today, and the international jury has chosen the first-ranked conceptual solutions for the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum and House of Architecture, with accompanying facilities (promenade along Morača, amphitheatres, conference and cultural center, galleries, food corner and others)", said Rakčević in a statement delivered to the media.

He said that the Italian bureau "A-fact" (composed of: Andrea Rossi, Giovanni Sanna, Pierluigi Turco) won the jury's convincing victory.

"Their project to the greatest extent preserves the existing trees (for which we did a detailed appraisal in response to the competition) and envisages more than 66% of green areas on the existing area of ​​the Morača Barracks.

Instead of getting 150.000 square meters of housing - as the former city fathers wanted, from which privileged investors would take the money, we will get a large museum - park, full of public facilities, on over 12 hectares of beautiful space along the Morača river," said Rakečvić.

"A big thank you to everyone who, when few believed and at the height of the power of the former regime, helped us preserve the Morača barracks and enable today's development. Thanks also to former minister Ana Novaković Đurović, former GDA Vladan Stevović and the entire MEPPU team for preparing and conducted a never more serious competition, which today formally ends the newly formed ministry.

I hope that the current Government will continue what has been started and start the preparation of the Main Projects (GP) as soon as possible, so that we can call for a tender for the execution of the works as early as next year. Most of the work has already been completed, and Podgorica is one step away from a new city jewel - which we leave to the generations to come," concluded the deputy mayor of Podgorica.