a New Museum and park for Montenegro
A new Museum District and Park of Arts & Culture in Podgorica, Montenegro is set to transform the city’s relationship with its riverfront. Designed by Milan- and London-based a-fact architecture factory, in collaboration with LAND, Maffeis Engineering, and Charcoalblue, the competition-winning project will consolidate cultural institutions within a landscape that strengthens the link between the city and the Morača River.
The masterplan brings together the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Natural History Museum, and the House of Architecture. These institutions are arranged within a public park that doubles as civic terrain, extending cultural life beyond enclosed galleries. Programs include permanent and temporary exhibition halls, research facilities, educational laboratories, and social spaces, all of which flow outward into terraces, a botanical garden, and a flexible plaza for events.
The layout establishes a porous boundary between indoors and outdoors, ensuring that exhibitions, gatherings, and everyday encounters unfold across both architectural and landscaped settings. This approach positions the district as a civic hub as much as a museum destination.
two monumental volumes frame a new public landscape | images © EmmeWorks
monolithic design by a-fact architecture factory
Three sculptural volumes designed by a-fact architecture factory will emerge from the riverbank museum masterplan of Podgorica, Montenegro. Their boulder-like massing is conceived as a continuation of the topography. Designed by the team to be clad in stone, the buildings recall the mountains that surround Montenegro while introducing a precise and contemporary architectural language. The material strategy ties the complex to its geographical setting while projecting an image of cultural renewal for Podgorica.
Inside, circulation is organized to encourage fluid movement between galleries and shared spaces. The design anticipates varied programming, allowing institutions to function independently or converge for larger cultural events.
a green roof merging with the landscape overlooks the riverwalk
green roofs project over Podgorica riverbank
One of the defining elements of the museum masterplan is its treatment of the roofscape. The excavated ground is returned in the form of planted, accessible roofs that merge with the landscape and extend public space upwards. These green surfaces enrich biodiversity, create shaded outdoor meeting places, and offer elevated views across the river and city.
The surrounding park, developed by LAND, employs a blue-green infrastructure approach. It preserves 290 existing trees while introducing over 500 new ones alongside 900 shrubs, reinforcing ecological continuity. This strategy strengthens Podgorica’s biodiversity while providing shaded pedestrian routes and comfortable outdoor areas.
Environmental responsibility is integral to the project. Passive design methods minimize energy demand, while advanced engineering reduces heating, cooling, and water consumption. The use of local materials supports a low-carbon construction process, and the integration of vegetation enhances thermal comfort and resilience.
roof vegetation blurs the line between building and landscape, while fostering local biodiversity
between stone, light and water, the new museums create a fluid threshold between city and landscape
the museum interior becomes a stage for art and encounter, open to the sky and the landscape above
project info:
name: The new museum district and the park of arts & culture of Podgorica
architect: a-fact architecture factory | @afact_architecturefactory
location: Podgorica, Montenegro
client: Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State
landscape design: LAND Italia Structural and Facade
engineering: Maffeis Engineering
experience design: Charcoalblue
status: international competition, 1st Prize
completion: 2024
visualizations: © EmmeWorks | @emme.works
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