BELGRADE, Serbia – Global architecture, planning and design firm CallisonRTKL, has unveiled Galerijа Belgrade, the biggest shopping, dining and entertainment destination in the (CEE) region, part of the £3billion development of Belgrade Waterfront.
Working with Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment and development company, Eagle Hills, Galerija Belgrade covers a total area of 300,000 square metres seamlessly integrated into the city and the Sava riverfront.
The Galerija Belgrade was conceived as the commercial heart and soul of the Belgrade Waterfront, a mixed use development of a neglected site along the Sava River that includes residential buildings, retail, F&B, public spaces and Kula Belgrade, the highest building in Serbia and future home to The St. Regis Belgrade and The Residences at The St. Regis Belgrade. This vibrant commercial core is designed to be the primary point of physical and cultural connection within the wider project and, to the entire city. It held its official opening in October 2020 in the presence of Eagle Hills’ Chairman Mohamed Alabbar and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.
The team at CRTKL set out with four clear objectives in creating one of the most extensive retail destinations in Europe in the twenty-first century to-date. Their design goals were based firmly around extending Belgrade beyond the city grid; integrating the riverwalk Sava Promenada as an amenity for the community; creating a varied experience through innovative districting within the plan and crafting a realistic indoor/outdoor street feel that culturally references historic Belgrade.
Taking inspiration from Belgrade’s rich and existing city fabric, CallisonRTKL’s design references the city’s iconic passageways and public spaces to create a series of districts within the three-story, 130,000-SM mall focused on a wide range of retail and entertainment, as well as food and beverage offerings.
With more than twenty years’ experience, CallisonRTKL’s Kevin Horn out of their LA office led the project. Harnessing Kevin and his team’s international experience and forward-thinking approach, they set out to re-imagine and transform the conventional mall concept.
The unique context of the site drove their design strategy, taking it away from an inward-focus mall archetype and opening it up to the surrounding context of the city and riverside locale. From reflecting local design vernacular, to the series of scene setting blocks of buildings conceived to feel like a network and extension of the city’s streets; the development succeeds in re-defining an urban and leisure destination.
Kevin Horn, comments: “It was an honour to win the brief for Galerija Belgrade and one we did not take lightly. The concept was informed not only by the spirit of Belgrade but also how its context on the banks of the River Sava created an enhanced sense of place and destination. We inherently understood that a project of this scale needed variety and to be the truly distinctive destination it is we knew we had to take the scale and fit it to the human experience. Our philosophy was based on the idea of creating a series of compelling spaces and moments, both big and small, that would engage customers in a variety of ways leading not just to commercial success, but the bringing together of a city and its community. This is what we aimed to achieve with Galerija.”
Inspired by the open shopping streets of Belgrade, Galerija’s exterior is designed as a variation of urban blocks and façades, and the interior design of the mall continues this idea to create a seamless customer journey. CRTKL’s design emulates an open street-like retail experience with subtlety demarcated districts, carefully driven by the leasing strategies. This is made up of: Lux Street (high-end and luxury), High Street (contemporary and attainable), and Arcade and Laneways (family oriented and young, casual brands). The principle three main streets take cues from the Belgrade’s heritage with turn of the century ornamentation, transitioning into contemporary cleaner lines, and in the arcade – cleverly conceived adaptive re-use references of old warehouses with brick facades bring an edgier quality, in response to the entertainment and market based program.
Breaking down traditionally lower upper level footfall volume areas, a myriad of social activated spaces provide versatility from a large roof top outdoor lawn area to extensive platforms, mimicking city squares and plazas that provide event space and activity on the second floor. A vast floor-to-ceiling window anchors the end of the primary interiors concourse visually extending the interior to the exterior while providing dramatic riverside views and enhancing connections to the community. ETFE-covered skylights inside the mall blur the lines further between indoor and outdoor while creating a sense of maximum daylight and a sky overhead for a true outdoor street feeling. Zones for kiosk and food truck programmes further consolidate Galerija’s retail, F&B and leisure destination credentials.
One of the primary focal points of the project is the Riverwalk, opening onto a large exterior plaza overlooking the Sava River. The careful assimilation and respect to Belgrade’s waterfront area help maintain a connection and access to the outdoors and nature and was a fundamental design consideration. The riverfront is activated with terraced outdoor dining, an open air events space, a food truck program as well as walking and biking paths providing a mix of unique outdoor experiences along the river’s edge and a physical connection with the city community.
The landscaped green roof (the largest in Europe) is covered by native plants that support the collection of the city of Belgrade’s approximately 680 millimetres of precipitation each year. The low-irrigation plantings, lightweight growing medium and plants help cool down the mall’s mechanical systems, reducing the need to use additional energy. Since it is situated in a natural flood zone, the exterior landscape was designed with water-tolerant plantings. Open parking at the mall provides natural ventilation to help improve air quality.
Chairman of Eagle Hills, Mohamed Alabbar commented: “We are very proud of what we have achieved with Galerija Belgrade, a pivotal part of the transformation of Belgrade Waterfront. It has created not only a distinct waterfront destination adding to the city’s appeal, but it also provides a new urban centre that will bring value to Belgrade through exceptional world-class retail and leisure facilities.”