Ljiljana Bakić facts for kids

Ljiljana Bakić (born 1939, died July 9, 2022) was a famous Serbian architect. She designed many buildings in Serbia and other countries. She often worked with her husband, Dragoljub Bakić, who was also an architect. Ljiljana also wrote books and articles about architecture.

Her Early Life

Ljiljana Vucović was born in Belgrade, which was then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. She studied architecture at the University of Belgrade from 1957 to 1962. After finishing her studies, she married Dragoljub Bakić, who was also an architect. They had two daughters. Ljiljana and Dragoljub designed their own home in the Višnjička area of Belgrade, where they lived.

Her Career as an Architect

The Aleksandar Nikolić Sports Complex

Ljiljana Bakić started her career in 1964 at a company called "Garden Architecture." Later, she moved to Kuwait with her husband, Dragoljub. There, she worked for a local firm called "Breik & Marwan Kalo Consulting Engineers."

In 1966, Ljiljana and Dragoljub returned from Kuwait. Ljiljana took a break from work to start a family. She began working again several years later. From 1970 to 2001, she worked at Energoprojekt holding, a big Yugoslav company, alongside her husband. In 1970, they even worked in Finland. There, they learned a lot about the "modernist" style of architecture from famous architect Alvar Aalto.

Designing the Pionir Sports Hall

Ljiljana Bakić is most famous for her work on the Pionir Sports Hall. She co-designed this large building with her husband in 1973. It's a multi-purpose building, meaning it can be used for many different things. With nearly 6,000 seats, it's one of the biggest sports arenas in Belgrade. The complex includes a sports hall, a swimming pool, and a velodrome (a track for bicycle racing).

The building was renamed the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall in 2016. It was built in a "post-modernist" style. This means it used new ideas while still respecting older styles. The hall has many layers of balconies and roofs. It also has lots of windows that let in natural light, making the inside bright and welcoming.

Other Important Projects

From 1974 to 1975, Ljiljana Bakić worked alone on a special project. She designed the "Institute for Rehabilitation from Non-specific Lung Diseases" in Soko Banja. This building was made specifically to help patients. Ljiljana believed that architecture should always think about the people who will use the building. She said, "Architecture is a sociological phenomenon. No fooling around with various details, but thinking of those who will use it."

Soon after, Ljiljana and Dragoljub designed two housing areas in Belgrade. These were in the neighborhoods of Nova Galenika and Višnjička Banja. The houses had sloped roofs and warm colors. They looked a bit like mountain villages, inspired by the hilly land and their experiences with Finnish architecture.

The Bakić couple also designed buildings in other countries. They worked in Japan, Switzerland, Poland, and Venezuela. In Zimbabwe, they designed the Congress Center and a Sheraton hotel in the capital city of Harare in 1982. The congress building has a repeating pattern of shapes, which became a signature style for them. From 1994 to 2001, they even had an office in Harare.

Ljiljana Bakić was a member of the Academy of Architects of Serbia. She also wrote a book called "The Anatomy of B&B Architecture." This book shared details about her and her husband's work. It also explained how society and politics influenced their designs. She wrote many articles about architecture for professional magazines and local newspapers.

Awards and Recognitions

Ljiljana Bakić and her husband received many awards for their designs.

• In 1974, they won the "Grand Prix of the Belgrade Architecture Salon" for their design of the Pionir Sports Hall.
• Four years later, they won another Grand Prix award for the ice rink next to the sports arena.
• In 1994, Ljiljana Bakić received a special lifetime achievement award from the Architects of Serbia Society. This award recognized her amazing work throughout her career.
• In 2013, her book "The Anatomy of B&B Architecture" won the "Ranko Radovic" award from "The Applied Artists and Designers Association of Serbia".
• In 2018, Ljiljana Bakić was one of 100 women architects featured in a book published by the European Union. The book is called "MoMoWo – 100 papers in 100 years: European Women in Architecture and Design (1918–2018)". This showed how important her work was in Europe.