The Agency for Construction and Development of Podgorica has announced a tender for designing the reconstruction of the Podgoričanka department store, located in the heart of Montenegro’s capital city.
The tender calls for the creation of a conceptual design and main project for rebuilding the existing building, including the interior design. The project is valued at €206,612 excluding VAT (€250,000 including VAT). The design will be based on the winning entry from last year’s international competition.
The contract duration is 150 calendar days from signing, with 45 days allocated for the conceptual design and 105 days for the main project. The tender remains open until August 25th at 9 a.m.
The Podgoričanka building has stood empty and neglected for decades, with multiple failed attempts to sell it. Now, the city plans to renovate it into a space where young entrepreneurs can start businesses, featuring a rooftop restaurant. The reconstruction is estimated to cost around €7 million.
Since its mid-20th-century construction, Podgoričanka has undergone several redesigns, and this project will continue that trend. The award-winning design, titled “Spiral of Encounters,” comes from an Argentine team of nearly 30 architecture and heritage preservation experts. It envisions stripping the building back to its core, making it strategically transparent and inviting, with a spiral ramp that encourages public interaction and fosters a sense of community.
The building consists of a basement, ground floor, and three upper floors, totaling 3,971 square meters of gross floor area. The future innovation and entrepreneurial center will be a multifunctional space including open co-working areas, offices, meeting rooms, and social activity zones.
Planned amenities include:
Basement: Gym with facilities, multifunctional hall, music production studio, radio broadcasting and editing rooms, rehearsal spaces, and technical support rooms.
Ground Floor: Public plaza, multifunctional gallery-like space called “Podgorica House” with a cafeteria.
First Floor: Offices of various sizes, meeting rooms, conference hall, relaxation areas, kitchen and dining space, and exhibition area.
Second Floor: More offices, meeting rooms, sound-isolated phone and conference call booths, presentation hall, rest areas, kitchen and dining space, library, and terrace.
Third Floor: Offices, open workspace, restrooms, and a restaurant with a kitchen.
Roof: Designed as an open terrace garden featuring a rooftop bar and restaurant.
The project aims to adaptively transform the neglected former department store into a flexible, modern space tailored to the needs of an innovation center, blending heritage preservation with contemporary urban functionality.
