Conceived during the golden years of Yugoslav socialism, New Belgrade’s ‘Blokovi’ were designed to represent a radically modern, new way of living. The endless repetition of concrete blocks had to accommodate as many people as cheaply as possible, but this seemingly strict and cold state project hid all the ingredients for a perfect childhood.
Rarely would one associate grey concrete with warmth and a happy childhood, but these are exactly my first associations when I think of the brutalist buildings of New Belgrade. On top of that, I grew up during the Yugoslav war, international sanctions, and later even the NATO bombing of Serbia. But I have to say that all of those events seemed so distant and unreal. It was mostly something that you would see on the news while you waited impatiently to go outside and play. Our parents did a great
