The "Invest-Import" Building, later Hempro, is the fundamental work in the oeuvre of the architect Brkic, and it contributed significantly to the development of the Belgrade School of Architecture. This building clearly defines his architectural logic and has great significance for accepting modern, abstract and functionalist ideas in the 1950's. Brkic composes this building in the spirit of Mies's functionalist methods, but makes deviation in the structure of the main facade. The glass facade, so-called "curtain wall", is framed by the marble frame. The striking balcony is placed asymmetrically; it unexpectedly emerges from the glass. On the ground floor, the architect draws the glass window plane. On the roof, instead of the conventional roof cornice, he places the terraced structure. All these elements strongly invigorate the composition of the street facade, which is based primarily on a simple geometric form. The building was immediately noticed by contemporaries, and it soon became, and remains to this day, one of the most recognizable architectural motifs in Terazije Street.
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bostjan, May 6th, 2014