Floating Buildings as a Residential Solution in Belgrade
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31522/p.33.2(70).8Keywords:
Belgrade spatial planning, climate resilience, floating architecture, riverfront housing, sustainable urban developmentAbstract
This study is intended to provide a preliminary insight into the potential role of floating buildings in redefining residential development in Belgrade. Increasing urban density and land scarcity have encouraged the exploration of alternative housing models, among which floating structures have gained attention due to their adaptability and sustainability. Drawing upon previous research on urban riverfronts and floating typologies, this paper outlines the key environmental, regulatory, and socio-economic dimensions relevant to Belgrade. In addition to theoretical analysis, the research includes a site visit to the Ijburg floating housing project in Amsterdam, complemented by a comparative overview of European case studies. The findings are expected to serve as a foundation for continued interdisciplinary research and strategic urban planning along Belgrade’s waterfront.
References
1. Baker, L. (2015). Built on water: Floating architecture + design. Braun Publishing.
2. Baker, R. and Coutts, R. (2016). Aquatecture: Buildings and cities designed to live and work with water. RIBA Publishing.
3. Bertram, L. (2010). ‘Amphibious housing’, Architectural Design. https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.107.
4. BIG Architects (2017). Urban Rigger. [online]. Available at: https://big.dk.
5. BuoyantFoundation.org (n.d.). ‘Maasbommel amphibious homes’. [online]. Available at: https://www.buoyantfoundation.org/resources/maasbommel.
6. Calcagni, L. (2025). Floating Architecture for Future Waterfront Cities: A Performance-Based Design-Support Framework. PhD dissertation. Sapienza Università di Roma & Technische Universität Wien.
7. CityChangers (2024). ‘Schoonschip: A community-built floating neighbourhood’. [online].
8. Climate-ADAPT (2020). ‘Amphibious housing in Maasbommel, the Netherlands’. [online]. Available at: https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/metadata/case-studies/amphibious-housing-in-maasbommel-the-netherlands.
9. Danfoss (n.d.). Urban Rigger case study. [online]. Available at: https://www.danfoss.com/en/about-danfoss/insights/urban-rigger/.
10. de Graaf, R. (2012). Adaptive urban development: A symbiosis between cities on land and water in the 21st century. Rotterdam: Rotterdam University Press.
11. IBA Hamburg (2013). WaterHouses Project Description. [online]. Available at: https://www.internationale-bauausstellung-hamburg.de.
12. Jaroszynska, A. and Wolanski, M. (2019). ‘Floating buildings as a solution for climate change adaptation in urban areas’, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.
13. Kim, J. and Bae, J. (2020). ‘Adaptive Architecture for Climate Resilience: The Case for Floating Urbanism’, Sustainability.
14. Koekoek, M. (2010). Connecting Modular Floating Structures: A General Survey and Structural Design of a Modular Floating Pavilion.
15. Kuryłek, A. (2016). ‘Floating housing communities on the example of Waterbuurt in Amsterdam’, space & FORM, 27. https://doi.org/10.21005/pif.2016.27.C-08.
16. Lago, P. and Czapiewska, K. M. (2020). ‘Floating development and the city: An overview of challenges and strategies’, Journal of Urban Technology.
17. Planning and Construction Act of the Republic of Serbia; Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade. (2022). Technical Regulations and Legal Framework. Official Gazette of RS.
18. Li, Y., Cao, X. and Lin, J. (2021). ‘Floating city and sustainable urban development: A review’, Sustainable Cities and Society.
19. Maksimović, T. J. (2019). ‘Floating Buildings as New Concept of Residence in Belgrade for Future Social Requirements’. In: 6th International Academic Conference: Places and Technologies. Pécs.
20. Maksimović, T. J. and Krstić-Furundžić, A. (2020). ‘New Technologies of Construction on Serbian Waters’. In: 7th International Academic Conference: Places and Technologies. Belgrade.
21. Metabolic (2019). ‘Schoonschip: Circular and social urban development’. [online]. Available at: https://www.metabolic.nl/projects/schoonschip/.
22. Olthuis, K. and Keuning, D. (2010). Float! Building on Water to Combat Urban Congestion and Climate Change. Frame Publishers.
23. Plovput, Republic of Serbia – Directorate for Inland Waterways. (2018–2022). Hydrological and Navigational Reports. Belgrade.
24. Schoonschip (2022). Official website. [online]. Available at: https://schoonschipamsterdam.org.
25. Tilinger, A. and Lalić, I. (2008). Savski amfiteatar. Belgrade: SANU. https://www.academia.edu/9178563/Savski_amfiteatar.
26. UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat and UNECE (2024). Progress on water-related ecosystems: SDG indicator 6.6.1. United Nations.
27. UN-Habitat (2019). Floating Cities: The Future of Urban Expansion. Policy Brief.
28. Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade. (2021). General Urban Plan of Belgrade 2041. Belgrade.
29. UrbanGreenBlueGrids (n.d.). ‘Amphibious homes, Maasbommel, The Netherlands’. https://urbangreenbluegrids.com/projects/amphibious-homes-maasbommel-the-netherlands/.
30. Vuksanović-Macura, Z. (2017). ‘Informal Settlements on the Water in Belgrade’. In: Housing and the Informal City. IAUS.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Tijana Jaćović Maksimović

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2021 authors and journal.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
In agreeing this form, you certify that:
- You read the ethical codex of the PROSTOR available at journal web.
- You submitted work is your original work, and has not previously been published and does not include any form of plagiarism.
- You own copyright in the submitted work, and are therefore permitted to assign the licence to publish to PROSTOR.
- Your submitted work contains no violation of any existing copyright or other third party right or any material of an obscene, libellous or otherwise unlawful nature.
- You have obtained permission for and acknowledged the source of any illustrations, diagrams or other material included in the work of which you are not the copyright owner.
- You have taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the work, and that, to the best of your knowledge, there are no false statements made within it.
- All co-authors of this submitted work are aware of, and in agreement with, the terms of this licence and that the submitted manuscript has been approved by these authors.

