Zaha Hadid Architects and Bureau Cube Partners win Nikola Tesla Museum design competition

Following the anonymous design competition for the new Nikola Tesla Museum, the jury selected the design submitted by the team of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) working with Bureau Cube Partners of Serbia.

Visionary inventor and engineer, Nikola Tesla shaped the modern world with his groundbreaking contributions to electrical engineering and technology. Best known for his development of alternating current electricity, Tesla’s innovations also include the invention of the Tesla coil, early advancements in wireless communication, and concepts that laid the groundwork for radio and radar technology. Tesla’s work, spanning from the 1880s to the early 1900s, continues to influence and inspire developments in energy, communications and technology to this day.

The new Nikola Tesla Museum renovates Belgrade’s historic Milan Vapa Paper Mill into a cultural destination celebrating Tesla’s legacy while preserving the city’s architectural heritage and creating a variety of new public spaces for local residents and visitors.

Built by Belgrade industrialist Milan Vapa and opened in 1924 as the nation’s first modern factory, the paper mill was decommissioned and used as the storage facility of a freight company until being abandoned approximately a decade ago. The building has been protected for its cultural importance by the Belgrade Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Its renovation as the Nikola Tesla Museum is funded by Belgrade Waterfront.

The adaptive reuse of the 1920’s structure will preserve its industrial heritage whilst upgrading its indoor and outdoor spaces as a leading cultural venue with improved accessibility from the city.

The museum’s design draws on Tesla’s research into magnetic fields and wireless energy transfer. Informed by concepts of magnetic forces and interconnectivity, the design incorporates dynamic elliptical curves radiating from the old factory chimney, the site’s dominant feature.

A new circular opening in the factory’s western façade will be the public entrance leading visitors to the triple-height central atrium anchored by the historic chimney at the heart of the 13,400 square metre museum.

To enhance circulation and functionality in the building’s continued life as a museum, ellipsoidal sectional openings will be carved within the walls that divide the old factory’s interior. These openings define a series of three-dimensional spherical voids that create an extended perspective viewed from the western entrance, through the atrium and terminating at the Tesla memorial at the eastern end of the museum.

Nikola Tesla Museum

The museum’s first floor galleries incorporate historical artifacts, interactive displays and immersive presentations, while temporary galleries will host an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and events, ensuring a new experience for returning visitors.

Featuring a 12-million-volt transformer, the immersive Tesla Electronic Transformer Gallery will capture imaginations and showcase Tesla’s pioneering spirit. The museum’s visitor amenities also include a café, a multipurpose hall and rooftop restaurant offering panoramic views of the Sava River.

Outside the building, Nikola Tesla Square will serve as a new public space for the city. Inspired by Tesla’s concepts of electromagnetic fields, the square’s flowing pathways, gardens and plazas will enhance accessibility and connect with Belgrade Waterfront as well as the city’s transportation network.

Minimising ecological impact through passive design in addition to the use of renewable and geothermal energy, the paper mill’s restoration preserves its historic façades, vaulted ceilings and masonry, while updating its structure to serve as one of the city’s most important cultural destinations.

Designed to bring artists and the public under a shared roof, the sweeping form of the new Opera House connotes movement. The helical roof surface evokes an unfolding fan, capturing the dynamism of dance and the human body. Generating both surface and space, the radial movements of the roof form a spiraling staircase that connects ground and sky while creating views towards the city and the Huangpu river banks.

The spiraling, fanning motions extend throughout the project into the lobby, the halls, and the three auditoriums. The Opera House’s visual identity also references the same movements, with the new, clean logo characterized by a highly recognizable open fan pattern.

The project description is provided by Zaha Hadid Architects.

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