The Zabjelo Community Centre brings together healthcare, municipal administration, cultural and social programmes within a single civic structure. Rather than treating these functions as separate institutions, the project places them around a large central atrium, conceived as a shared interior public space.

The atrium becomes the organisational centre of the building. Galleries, stairs and visual connections overlook the open space, allowing the different programmes and their users to remain connected. Natural light penetrates deep into the building, while the atrium creates a continuous field of movement and interaction between people of different ages and backgrounds.

The programmes are organised vertically: the healthcare centre occupies the lower levels, municipal administration is located above, and the uppermost floor is dedicated to community and cultural activities, including a multipurpose hall, youth club and senior citizens’ club. The building therefore becomes active throughout the day and into the evening, with different uses overlapping around the same civic space.

This sequence culminates in a lightweight translucent volume clad in polycarbonate. During the day, it appears as a calm, floating pavilion above the more solid base of the building. At night, illuminated from within, it becomes a civic landmark.

The project extends beyond the building itself through gardens, pedestrian connections and public spaces around it. Its environmental strategy is integrated with the architectural concept, combining natural daylight, solar protection, vegetation and a biosolar roof with photovoltaic panels. The structure and floor plates are conceived to accommodate future changes, allowing parts of the building to be completed in later phases as the needs of the community evolve.

The project proposes a civic architecture that is open and adaptable, where the architecture of the building and the life of the neighbourhood become inseparable.

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STATUS: Competition entry (2026).

TEAM un-icon: Joana Azevedo & Matteo Missaglia, Alessio Iacob, Max Geilich

LOCATION: Podgorica (Montenegro)