Thanks to huge investments in infrastructure, Serbia is today reminiscent of Europe’s most developed countries. We have new highways, trains that run at speeds of up 200 kilometres per hour, a high-speed railway, the expansion of housing construction, the latest business facilities and a completely different and much improved quality of life, but also economic growth that’s proving unstoppable
A TOTAL OF 36 DEPARTURES BETWEEN BELGRADE AND NOVI SAD
Two more pairs of “Soko” passenger transport trains were added to transport flows along the highspeed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad as of Wednesday, 30th March. Accordingly, the “Regio Express” Soko trains are set to depart from the “Belgrade Centre” railway station bound for Novi Sad at 8.03am and 12.03pm, with the return journeys scheduled to set off from Novi Sad at 10.07am and 2.07pm. This means that there are now 18 daily departures in each direction along the high-speed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad, or a total of 36 departures every day.
During the promotional period, which runs until 30th April, tickets for “Regio Express” trains are priced at 300 dinars for a one-way journey and 600 dinars for a return trip.
€885 MILLION FOR UPDATING INFRASTRUCTURE
Serbia will have 885 million euros at its disposal over the next decade to advance infrastructure. Over a third of this total (€300 million) is in the form of grants from the European Union (300 million) and just over half (€450 million) is in the form of loans from international financial institutions, with the remainder to be financed directly from the national budget.
One of the key roles in this area belongs to the Western Balkan Investment Framework, a financial platform that was launched in 2009 by the European Union to finance projects in this region.
A new Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans was presented in Brussels recently and will be used over the next decade to fund priority projects related to sustainable transport, clean energy, the environment and climate, the digital future and human capital.
SUNKEN GERMAN FLEET TO FINALLY BE RECOVERED FROM THE DANUBE
Following two and a half years of work on project preparation and the drafting of technical and tender documentation, we are now entering the final phase of implementation of the project ‘Removal of the Sunken German World War II Fleet From the Danube’.
“The Government of Serbia decided that, following many decades of neglecting transport and port infrastructure on the Danube, it would launch investments aimed at accelerating the development of water transport and water corridors via investments in ports, navigational safety and the regulating of our rivers to make them navigable 365 days a year,” said Serbian Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tomislav Momirović.
He noted that this project includes demining works and the removal of 21 sunken ships that narrow the width of the navigable route of the Danube from the prescribed 180 metres to just 90 metres. These ships, which were sunk prior to the end of World War II, are located downstream of hydroelectric power station Đerdap 2 [Iron Gate II].
These works are valued at an estimated 29 million euros and the required funds have been secured from a European Investment Bank loan and a WBIF fund grant.
FIVE ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION TRENDS
Architecture and construction have always been areas where creativity is expressed and boundaries pushed, where new technologies and achievements of the modern world are applied. Given that innovation is the norm and standard of this branch of the economy, and not merely an expectation and possibility, it’s no surprise that it brings us new trends every year, including this one, and the five that we present here are set to dominate the world in 2022.
Small Houses
Since the pandemic forced us to more deeply examine our priorities, interest has been growing in small houses that are economical and more environmentally acceptable. What began as a cute little trend is now transforming into a permanent option, because small houses undoubtedly save us both space and money, while being more environmentally acceptable.
Prefabricated Architecture
Creating entire buildings or different components in a location that is more suitable for construction, then transporting them to their final location for installation, is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Prefabricated solutions reduce costs, guarantee sustainability, save time and ensure simplicity and modularity.
DIY System
When the limitations of the pandemic prompted masses of people to begin considering how good it would be to build their own house or summer home, to live under a roof that they built themselves, between walls that they personal erected, FIVE ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION TRENDS the construction industry responded by launching the production of DIY elements. They come packaged and complete with step-by-step assembly instructions.
Sustainability
Contemporary architecture and construction strive to integrate our homes with the planet as much as possible, instead of drawing on the planet’s resources and thus shortening its lifespan. The aim is to construct sustainable homes that reduce CO2 emissions and encourage a clean lifestyle.
3d printed architecture
Creating construction elements with a 3D printer is a simple, efficient and innovative technique that reduces the risk of errors and saves time, as it eliminates many monotonous steps and simplifies the construction process as a whole.
PRICES OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ALSO SET TO RISE NEXT YEAR
“As soon as the construction industry restarted, which is the driver of all industry worldwide, prices of oil, transportation, raw materials and semi-finished goods also started to rise, which is why the prices of certain construction materials have increased by anywhere from 30 to 100 per cent, with a tendency to continue rising to a lesser extent next year,” according to the assessment of Goran Rodić, vice president of the Chamber of the Construction Industry of Serbia.
He considers us a small country where inflationary fluctuations are present, which is why he thinks that this is the right time for people who have money to invest in real estate and thus secure their money.
“Prices around the world depend on intermediate goods, or oil and gas prices, which are indicators of movements of the economy and have the greatest impact on overall rises in prices, leading to investors in large countries not earning upwards of 1,000 euros per square metre, but rather seven to ten per cent, in order to cover their costs and “turn around” the money, while it is interesting that in some locations in our country the returns are enormous,” notes Rodić.
Source: Biznis.rs
NATIONAL URBAN FORUM IN BELGRADE PREPARING FOR POLAND
The World Urban Forum, which is to be held in Poland this June, prompted the organising of the National Urban Forum in Belgrade, which will be held on 11th and 12th April and will bring together a large number of participants from the public and private sectors, the academic community, scientific and research institutions, civil society, the business world and international institutions, while it will also host participants from abroad.
The aim of the forum is to assess and analyse key topics and activities related to the field of urban development, as well as other policies included in the scope of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure that have synergies with urban development policy: National Housing Strategy, Long-Term Strategy for Mobilising Investments in the Renovation of the National Building Stock (energy efficiency) and National Architecture Strategy.
The National Forum is being organised by the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities – the Alliance of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia and UN-Habitat.