“Fourth Nature” (4th NATURE); “Fourth nature” is a theoretical concept of larger natural units arranged by man, which show high complexity through the connection of nature and technology, infrastructure and landscape.
Architecture
Linear Park
Location / Belgrade, Serbia
Year / 2020 – ongoing
Area / 32000m²
Client / City of Belgrade
Project team / Marina Lazović / Dijana Savanović / Predrag Ignjatović /
Danica Stojiljković / Zoran Lazović / Dunja Nedeljković
3d model and graphic presentation / Filip Popović
“Fourth Nature” (4th NATURE); “Fourth nature” is a theoretical concept of larger natural units arranged by man, which show high complexity through the connection of nature and technology, infrastructure and landscape.[1] The name “4th NATURE” itself is a play on words based on the phonetic similarity of the words fourth and fort, which emphasizes the connection of the linear park with the Kalemegdan fortress, as well as its function in the ecological defense of the city.
In the “Fourth Nature” concept, there is no more dialectic of nature against the city, or natural against the artificial, but a position is taken in that part of the spectrum that is necessary to form an environment that has the capacity to mitigate or eliminate the local effects of climate change. “Fourth nature” emerged from the strategy of smart cities, where monitoring is carried out using modern technologies in order to optimize resources and processes. The natural environment is monitored and controlled, the ecology is strengthened with the intention of improving performance and responsiveness in order to prevent imbalances in the environment.
This concept implies the dynamism and sustainability of the landscape, which means that the given urban-natural structure is monitored and changed in accordance with the current and expected challenges induced by climate change, the needs of the inhabitants and the city. In this sense, the green areas covered by urban forests, hills, meadows, urban orchards and flower gardens within the linear park are not statically defined, but will change in accordance with the prevailing climatic conditions and needs in the future. The green areas are intersected by streams that evoke the historical context of the former railway routes, which have been transformed into footpaths, bicycle paths, jogging paths, the flow of a shallow stream-fountain along the footpath. The establishment of a new culturally constructed connection with nature, history and technology is realized through spaces for social activities consisting of multifunctional spaces for games and sports, a pavilion for art installations, a lookout point, sun terraces, and spaces for occasional events, which are concentrated at points along the set paths. This achieves the mosaic and diversity of the microclimate and the urban dynamism of the content within the large complex system of the “Fourth Nature” integrated into the city core.
