NEWS FLASH
The construction of the new 75-metre control tower at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is progressing on schedule with work set to be completed by the end of this quarter. The new facility, which also includes a two-level flight control centre at its base, will become operational later this year, once all the latest equipment fitted inside the facility is tested. The project is valued at 17.5 million euros, with a further five million invested into new equipment. The facility stretches over an area of 7.500 square metres and has a control tower cab of 120 square metres. The existing control tower at Belgrade Airport has been in use since 1962. It will be closed upon the completion of the new facility, however, it will be up to operator SMATSA (Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency) to decide on its fate, with Belgrade Airport’s operator expressing its desire for the building to be used for commercial purposes, however, it will be up to the air traffic control provider to make a final decision.
Photos courtesy of Delta India Delta / ID Supreme Art
I'm glad BEG has a new control tower but I'm not a big fan of this design.
ReplyDeleteAgree. The design is not good.
DeleteYes, it is very 70s-80s. The same with some of the terminal extensions. If you compare, say, ZAG or LJU from the outside then this is another story.
DeleteBut, at least BEG can now enjoy a new control tower.
The facilities inside are important. Not the view you will see from the outside for 2 minutes.
DeleteThe facilities inside are essential but the aesthetics is important. This looks like some nadogradnja so it tells the story of XXI century architecture in Belgrade.
DeleteYet Belgrade will have a new control tower with the latest technology, while some other airports in the region have to rely on cameras because their control towers can't see the apron...
DeleteThat is great and the most important thing, I agree. It's just pitty the architecture doesn't reflect that state-of-the-art technology.
DeleteTrue about the possible latest technology, but hey, why not construct something more modern if you're gonna pay almost 18€ million euros, no?
Delete@Anon 11:17:
DeleteRemote towers via cameras is the future in most modern and efficient societies, so maybe there is not always a need of control tower ego trip.
And I agree with the others, this design is disappointing and esthetics are part of branding and marketing of an airport. As with terminals.
Of course it shall fit the rest of the architecture and you won't necessary combine curves with squares, but this looks a bit as a easy but for sure not cheap solution.
Instead of using this tower as the 'bilboard' and saying look what we are capable of in Serbia, after so many decades of being great in architecture, it says, look what we could until 1970 just with new materials.
P. S. The public doesn't see what is inside and not always care, despite it being more important in this case.
Actually, the whole design of the complex is very harmonious. The new tower basically mimics the design of the old one if you look carefully, with white and gray square protrusions, in effect it's big brother brought up-to date. The ATC building next door has a roofline that reflects the roofline of the old Terminal 1. The facade of the new terminal is in rhomboids so as to reflect the glass facade of the aviation museum. As an arriving passenger walking down C gates you will see a beautiful park with planes on the right and a passenger arriving on the other side will see the A platform. You may not like the aesthetic, but given what was there before and the need to fit all this in, this is the work of a very good architectural team.
DeleteWhat ever was there before has nothing to do with the design of this new tower.
DeleteThey had no issues with space.
Only limitation may have been in available budget.
Should have spent a little more for a contemporary design that will continue to look modern for decades to come.
Instead we will have a tower that esthetically already looks out of date.
Tower as a tower, let it be.
ReplyDeleteI am much more interested if they would allow the old one to be used as commercial property, imagine the restaurant at the top floor or something similar.
In my opinion they could have just retrofitted the old tower, expand it in height and still use it for it's main purpose. This is just another waste of money i naravno ugradnja pojedinaca u projekat.
ReplyDeleteNo, you can't just build an additional 20 meters on a 60 year old structure and expect it not to collapse.
DeleteAlso where and how would air traffic control function during the 2 years of expansion.
DeletePity.
DeleteCheck CPH old control tower from 50 years ago, which has some similar details as this new one BEG, but in much nicer quality and long lasting materials used. Especially if you go in detail, seeing the tiles/elements.
And then check the new CPH one, which of course also ended as a rip off new design, they cut corners even in the ratten country of Denmark, but has a state of the art non standard cab and minimalistic design.
Again, it was supposed to be more streamlined and taller, but this was not possible due to several factors.
This in BEG seems as a standardised product on top of a 'office building' on top of a shortened pillar. Proportions are a bit fun.
There is some beautiful design of control towers around the globe. Maybe not the prettiest but I like Mumbai one, it resembles Avala Tower a bit
DeleteBeograd airport keeps winning. Lol
ReplyDeleteThey should keep the old tower ready in case those guys from Die Hard 2 try anything funny like they did at JFK. Luckily John McCLain was there to save the day. He saved it again in Die Hard 3 using a Yugo!
ReplyDeleteThat was Dulles. But for sure, a great movie!
DeleteO izgledu i estetici Novog Tornja nebih mudrovao.
ReplyDeleteVideo sam mnogo lepsih i boljih imidza. Ali i visestruko novca vise ulozeno. Siguran sam da ce nova tehnologija i veoma veliki prostor na tornju
biti ravan objektima koji su do sada izgradjeni.
Ne samo u Evropi, vec i na ostalim kontinentima.
Kada se bude gradio drugi medjunarodni aerodrom kod Beograda, bice i prilika za lepsi izgled tog buduceg tornja. Nove generacije arhitekata imace
sansu za izrazaj. Pa i sam imam nadu da cu doziveti
i to da se ispuni, svedoceci nastojanje ljudi u razvoju
Aerodromske infrastrukture.
Rod. 😀🛫🌐✈
Čika Rade, neće se graditi drugi aerodrom kod Beograda sledeće 100 godina.
DeleteMislim da sa Vašim iskustvo u avijaciji da to dobro znate.
Za estetiku bih samo rekao da je moglo biti moderniji dizajn.
Хоће, градиће се за 20 година, када истекне тренутна концесија.
DeleteПоздрав чика Аниме.
Pa pogledajte novu zgradu oblasne kontrole iliti SMATSA-e, pa ćete shvatiti zašto toranj izgleda kako izgleda...
DeleteObjective comparison of height, functionality, location in regards to new terminal/apron, equipment and design of new BEG vs ZAG towers are all in favor of Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteIf you say so.
DeleteFacts are identical if I say so or if you say so. For example BEG tower is higher regardless of who is talking.
DeleteIf you say so.
DeleteWho cares about ugly tower
ReplyDelete