SARAJEVO TOWN HALL When Bosnia was under attack from Serbs, not only that thousands of people died as war casualty, Serbians attack was purely strategical, an organized crime some might say when they took the genocidal route. Genocide as in attempted to eliminate Bosniaks while at the same time the most cruel crime one can think of, to wipe away culture and history of Bosnia. When Serbs bombshelled Sarajevo TownHall, their intention was not to overtake the town hall, exactly not to overtake the heart of the small city to acquire territory but more sinister as what they wanted was to destroy the library within the town hall which coincidently has the largest historical archive of Bosnian publications, Bosnian historical evidence. Bombshell was their chosen mode of weaponry because they only needed to burn the interior of the town hall, just to affect the library. They are still aware the significance of history embedded in the architecture of the building, it is the history inside the walls that has no value. Serbs threw the bombshells precisely to the centre of building, from the top where there was a glass dome. Up until now, almost two decades from the war, the townhall is have yet to be reconstructed due to indecision of how it should be constructed, ownership and property issues or still pending negotiations with the UN. From 1948 to 1992 it housed the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the National and University Library, the Town Hall was important for the entire region. It was hit by quantities of heavy artillery fire and incendiary bombs during the night of 26 August 1992; it caught fire, and incalculable damage was caused to both the physical structure of the building and the library holdings, which were destroyed by the fire. With the destruction of the book and academic holdings, the function of the Town Hall as the central academic library of BiH was lost. The proposal is to rediscover the meaning of this Town Hall and interpret the role the building and try to respond to the issues of collective memory, identity and heritage, and its subsequent destruction in the war as an attack on that memory. Keeping the remnants of the old provided a point of continuity upon which new designs could be built.
SARAJEVO TOWN HALL: Sections Revealed Breaking and Entering is a proposal to address lost sense of attachment of multicultural citizen of Sarajevo to their prized landmark resulted from continued abandonment of the building throughout the course of war and years after, with building shunned away from participation or interaction by the public and vice versa. The building as received attention from artists and musicians alike trying to highlight its histroical significance but so far attempts to bring attention to the townhall has not been fruitful due to disengagement of locals unable to relate to the events which occured due to inactive state of the building, most of the time locked away and resembled somewhat a shrine or taboo of a dreadful day. Unlike the majority of buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the pseudo-Moorish manner, characterized by a decorative facade, the Sarajevo City Hall is a successful example of the sublimation of this style in its decorative
but also in its spatial and structural treatment, but what is most important is the collective memory that was destroyed on the day it was attack, a reminder of multiculture and heritage which formed them is also what divides them. Taking lessons from Gordon Matta-Clark and his anarchitecture of cracking open the institution of dwellings, this project take on similar aims. What disconnected this building with its local support is exactly the exterior architecture that they adore and worship, monumentality that closed them off direct connnection to reminisce. Similarly the attacks by Serb was a target of the interior, and preservation of the exterior which accorded this disengagement from their history, in a way the Bosnians have not really retrieved this building which belongs to them owing to the fortress wall, silently underlines a territorial boundary. The first act is to collapse this monumentality by assaulting the exterior before they remain authoritative. Once the ‘crack’ is there the outside starts to bleed into the inside. The position of this crack is determined by site surroundings, how this building starts to consider its environment. As the front facade facing the river is mainly the more important of all facade because it forms the language of the intersecting roads, borders the village behind and distinct facade serves as contender to the river, this portion will be left intact in its state of monumentality and become a sample of essence which gives identity to the building. Splitting will occur at precisely at 1/4 of length of the side walls. Starting from that quarter and to the back, this building will be put through extensive redefinition, to be more inviting and receptive to local’s interaction and socializing. The focus of this building cracked open is to reveal its section, an opposition of old and new sectional cut challenging a rethinking of meaning for the whole building simply by trying to understand what it was and what potential it can be. Where this section occur, a pedestrian pathway is introduced to cut accross the building and serve as a platform for memorial where a stroll along this pathway can be educational. From this platform to the north, a new play of levels on ground floor is introduced, where floor plates is pressed together and form an undulating platform as if earthquake is taking place, this floor will become the base for memorial which extends into the inside of the altered portion resembling the uneasy turmoil faced during the war. Public can experience hesitation of the ground while examining preserved structural columns and domed vaults. Interplay of multiple heights enable the public to view closer the details which makes the building while utilizing new spaces formed by additional features to accentuate the old. Intense visual, physical and spiritual connection to the building is the main objective at the same time rehabilitate the program as library, museum, memorial