Jana Konstantinova | EPFL Graph Search

Jana Konstantinova (born 1987) is an architect with studies in architecture and urbanism, based in Lausanne. She graduated on Architecture faculty of Skopje at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius (Macedonia), where she obtained her master diploma. She is continuing her academic involvement with her PhD studies at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Her doctoral thesis is focusing on the methodological overview of the cultural infrastructure in three city case studies: Skopje, Sarajevo and Belgrade. The thesis is under the supervision of Prof. Nicola Bragieri (Architect) and the co-director Luca Pattaroni (Urban Sociology). She took involvement in several international exhibitions and venues such as "Critical Archive Revealed" in Kino Kultura (MK), "Sarajevo Now" at Venice Architectural Biennale (Italy), "Directed by the City" Macedonian Architectural Biennale (MK), "Everyday Sublime" Thessaloniki International Biennale (Greece) and "Findings" Lisbon international Triennale (Portugal). Her essays are published in revue Tracés (Lausanne), Domus (Italy) and Arhi.tek (Skopje). Despite her portfolio dedicated to various research and design projects she took part in, she is also the co-founder of Exhibit - an NGO for urban research-based in Skopje, Macedonia.

A Third Way Alternative; Critical Assessments from the Model of the Yugoslav City

Jana Konstantinova

This dissertation aims to demonstrate the development, meaning and significance of cultural infrastructure in the cities of Skopje, Belgrade and Sarajevo (1945-1991). In the historic context, culture became the fundamental critical tool with which to yield a vivid cultural scene, and it coincides with the emergence of remarkable cultural artefacts - including 'the right architecture'. The thesis recognizes a common (Yugoslav) Creative Model behind this âmovementâ, which stimulated and anticipated the emergence of the elements that eventually form the cultural artefacts. For the purpose of studying the strengths and weaknesses of the model, the exercise investigates the extensive body of cultural creations which emerged through the model. As such, the thesis highlights the flow of creativity, and the particular understanding of creativity as a âlife qualityâ in support of the theoretical concept of balance which emerged in the local context - striving for equilibrium between the man-made, the human (civic) and the natural environment. The aims of the research are threefold. Firstly, to understand the objectives on which the model is created; secondly, to reposition the object â cultural artefact â as a departure point of analysis of the model; and thirdly, to analyze the evolution of the cultural infrastructure in the environments to trace the transformations of the model. To that end an analysis of the entire cultural creation of the epoch has been carried out in relation with the specific interest of the thesis. The exercises are conducted by drawing from the primary data sets (the press: both architectural and cultural magazines) and the secondary sets of data (original documents and testimonials with the protagonists: wider cultural milieu). Bridging the epistemological gap in the academic discourse, exemplifying the selected cities not as isolated case studies but in comparative synthesis, the thesis positions these rich cultural, spatial and social qualities (collected in the form of a critical archive) and their common Creative Model as the possibility to depart from the neo-liberal paradigm still affecting regions globally and to re-imagine our own current models for human settlements in ways more open to people, nature and culture.

EPFL2021

A Third Way Alternative; Critical Assessments from the Model of the Yugoslav City

Jana Konstantinova

EPFL2021