The new control tower at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has been officially opened with air traffic controllers taking their posts at the new facility. The 75-metre tall building boasts 7.500 square metres of space and has a control tower cab of 120 square metres. It is linked to the Air Traffic Control Centre opened in 2010. The tower represents a commitment by the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency (SMATSA) to improve safety and energy efficiency, as well as enhance service for customers. The new facility came at a cost of 18.8 million euros, as well as an additional five million euros used for the purchase of necessary equipment. The control tower used at the airport since 1962 will be closed upon the completion of a transitional period in order to ensure the seamless transfer of staff between the two buildings. The fate of the old control tower will be decided by its operator SMATSA. Belgrade Airport's concessionaire VINCI has expressed interest for the old tower to be be transformed for commercial use.
Congratulations!
ReplyDeletedesign ... lol #facepalm
ReplyDeleteTower and the whole SMATSA campus looks much better up close. Have seen it couple of times in person and I am starting to like it.
Deletesorry mate but design is horrible. close or far away. zero aesthetic. looks like old building got new windows and some fresh paint.
DeleteIf that’s your subjective take on it, then there’s nothing more to discuss.
Deleteit accually does not look that bad as we think of it would be
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI'm sure they could've done way better job with 19 million euros. Looks way too basic, like they renovated the old tower.
ReplyDeleteFrom far away looks basic, but close-up shots show that the building is actually very good.
ReplyDeleteIt would be perfect that old tower become observation deck.
ReplyDeleteCongrats :)
ReplyDeleteLost opportunity to make something nice, but it's better than it was. Pretty much like everything else in the city.
ReplyDeleteDon’t hold back the generalisations, ma’am.
DeleteYou didn't it was a wrong generalisation.
Delete* say
DeleteI would say that controllers do not have a great view of the A1- C1 area ...it seems the area is a bit hidden by the roof of the terminal structure. Maybe it is only the photo?
ReplyDeleteWhen aircraft are at the gates they are not ATC responsibility. Second to last photo has overhead monitors for closeup of gates, pushback etc.
DeleteIt has a better view of C1 then on the old one, and view of A1 is only marginally worse, plus there are cameras to cover it
DeleteDifferent opinions, different views. Design looks too from the 2000s.
ReplyDeleteBelgrade waited more than 60 years for a new tower. Construction was delayed many times. Some towers in EX YU were built after the original Belgrade tower and got refreshed before Belgrade, for example Tivat. No other airport in EX YU had to wait 60+ years for a new one.
ReplyDeleteBelgrade tower is newer, taller and better equipped than any other in EX YU so some envy is expected. Congratulations BEG!
What do you mean BEG had to wait 60 years for a new tower??? The original tower opened in 1962. How soon after that date did you expect a new tower to be built?
DeleteYou can say it waited 20 years or so, but not 60. C'mon man.
Okay. What other EX YU ATC tower had to wait... no, had an INTERVAL of 60 years between current/refreshed one and previous one?
DeleteI have no idea, but your point is mute. What did you expect, for BEG to get a new tower every 10-20 years? BEG didn't really need a new tower until now.
DeleteMost ATC towers are designed for about 50 years.
BEG really did need a new tower long time ago. Old one wasn't designed for 2010 needs and level of traffic let alone 2022. Tower was long overdue. New one was planned to be in function 8 years ago. From 2012: "Construction will begin next year and is set to be completed by 2014. "
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2012/03/new-control-tower-for-belgrade-airport.html
From 2014: “The rapid development in traffic in recent decades has called for the improvement of the city’s air traffic control system... The establishment of Air Serbia has significantly increased traffic at Belgrade Airport with the number of flight operations growing by 30%, which is why we need a new control tower”.
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2014/10/new-control-towers-for-belgrade-and.html
BEG tower in original shape served much larger traffic longer than many other towers. For example Tivat got tower in 1971 (BEG in 1962) that was fully renovated in 2016 (BEG in 2022).
BEG survived with old tower up to now and it didn't impede it's development being 'outdated'
DeleteNot sure what’s with all the complaining here. Looks modern and minimalist. I like it. Good to see it finally completed after a long wait!
ReplyDeleteif this is minimalist for you ... please google CPH tower ...
DeleteMust be one of the ugliest buildings in Scandinavia!
DeleteI have to agree, from a distance it looks “old” but in the closer pics it looks modern and quality-built. As long as it does the job! Congratulations Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteI am certainly not qualified to comment, but in my view, I find this tower very odd in design and architecture. It realy does not look well designed, in my view. It is probably the worst designed airport tower that was build in the last decade anywhere in the world. It appers the architects are partly ‘stuck in times’ loving and praising the communist architecture of socialist SFRJ and the ‘glory of what we once were and had’ with very little if any spirit of neo design, enovation, futurism or the will for pushing the boundaries (which is a must for any kind of architect or designer in any other part of the world today). Only in Serbia, people are still mentally stuck loving and prasing the old times, and motivated by them, which is basically holding them from progressing or keeping up with the rest of the world. Similar example to this/evidence to this was the Avala tower, that was rebuilt in almost identical form as the old tower (destroyed by Nato) which is probably the only world example anyone is building anything with the design style from half a century ago. Nostalgia has no place here, I think. Likewise, I dont see much stuff designed in Serbia lately, the way stuff is designed in the rest of the world today, unless done and ran by foreigners, which tells the story of the state of the innovation and progress spirit of the trained professionals in the country. In my view, the shape and design (not size) of the airport tower in Mahovljani is more advanced then this new tower in Belgrade. The top level on it appers completely out of place and like it was a makeshift add on that was added on top of the already designed/built tower after the fact.
ReplyDeleteExactly, first thing on my mind was how better ct Mahovljani looks like. That's a lot of money for basic*** looking ct :/
DeleteWasted two minutes of my life reading your rant. Good luck with your design next time they need a new tower in 60 years.
DeleteTower looks fine and more importantly, it is 100x more functional than the old one.
While I'm not a huge fan of the design. It was designed that way to fit in with the look of the ACC, as the new tower is an annex of the ACC building
DeleteProve me wrong but control tower in BNX airport looks way more modern than this.. yeah it's tall and new but still, couldn't they made more effort in creating something unique and different?
ReplyDeleteDid you skip your meds? How many repeated comments?
DeleteRepeated? You mean 2 comments? Why so pressed? did you made them this design so now you pissed bcs it suks big time lmao. Seems like you need some meds asap.
DeleteBeing critical at the time initial design was published years ago might have rendered some changes in design. Doing it after the building is already operational and expecting some change or positive impact is, to be honest, more of a mental health issue.
DeleteSo no criticism of architecture? What are you afraid of? Do you have a vested interest?
Delete00:36 man you obviously have some real issues.. how did you even come to the conclusion that I've seen render of it before? Or that someone is expecting impact? Wthhh lmao, you came arguing and insult my opinion that for that amount of money it had to look way better that it does.
DeleteTower looks cool, like something from Star Wars. I hope orginal terminal building and tower get RESTAURED to original condition. They are architectural marvels (designed by women architects!)
ReplyDeleteThat would be cool.
DeleteSome people feel really strong about hating a design of a control tower. It literally doesn't matter how a control tower looks like if it works as it should.
ReplyDeleteYou all should direct your energy toward something that matters.
When is it appropriate to criticize architecture?
DeleteNice one. Thanks for the pictures Admin
ReplyDeleteNew arrivals area is also open.
ReplyDeleteI never knew there is a beauty contest for MISS CONTROL TOWER. So many stupid comments.
ReplyDeleteLike yours?
DeleteThis happens when you accept literally everything served in front of you. Of course it is not a contest, but don't you agree it's supposed to be recognizable? Not even some crazy design, tho they managed to do so with these layers between the floors.
DeleteGreat progress! Wishing best of luck to the controllers!
ReplyDeleteNovi Kontrolni Toranj prosecne lepote. Ali nadprosecne radne povrsine. Opremljen tehnoloski za iducih 15 i vise godina. U mogucnosti funkcionalnosti je ravan vodecim u ovom delu Evrope. Sto se tice starog tornja ostaje nada da ga odkupi VINCI koncesionar. Prosiri u veliki restoran i veliku platformu za posetioce i posmatrace saobracaja na aerodromu. To je sto nedostaje uz hotel sa tri i cetiri zvezdice. Kao i prikljucak gradske zeleznice, ili metroa. Sa ovim dodatcima Aerodrom Beograd bi bio izgradjen za buducnost. Dostojn Srbiji i svetu buducnosti. 🇷🇸✈🌐🛫
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