Belgrade’s Milan Vapa Paper Mill to be transformed into museum celebrating the Serbian-American inventor’s legacy
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), in collaboration with Bureau Cube Partners of Serbia, has been selected as the winner of an anonymous design competition for the new Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
The project seeks to transform the historic Milan Vapa Paper Mill into a cultural destination, celebrating Tesla’s contributions to science and technology while preserving the building’s architectural heritage.
The museum’s design takes inspiration from Tesla’s research into magnetic fields and wireless energy transfer, and incorporates elliptical curves radiating from the factory’s chimney, a key feature of the site.
A new circular opening in the western façade will serve as the main public entrance, leading to a triple-height central atrium dominated by the chimney.
The museum’s interior will feature openings carved into the walls, creating interconnected voids that extend visitors’ views from the entrance through the atrium to the Tesla memorial at the eastern end of the site.
The 13,400-square-metre museum will include permanent galleries showcasing Tesla’s historical artefacts, interactive displays, and immersive presentations, alongside temporary exhibition spaces for temporary exhibitions.
Additional facilities include a café, a multipurpose hall, and a rooftop restaurant with views of the Sava River.
The museum’s surroundings will feature Nikola Tesla Square, a new public space designed with gardens and plazas inspired by electromagnetic fields. The square seeks to enhance accessibility and integrate the museum with the Belgrade Waterfront and the city’s transport network.
The paper mill, constructed in 1924 as the nation’s first modern factory, was decommissioned several decades ago and had been used as a storage facility before being abandoned. The Belgrade Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments has protected the building for its cultural importance, and its adaptive reuse is funded by Belgrade Waterfront.
>Also read: 1950s Belgrade landmark to be reimagined by Wilkinson Eyre
Project team
Client: Belgrade Waterfront
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects with Bureau Cube Partners
Sustainability Engineering: Max Fordham
Structural Engineering (New additions): Lanik
Structural Engineering (Restoration): DB Engineering
MEP Engineering: Conventus Consultants
Lighting Designer: Lichtvision Design Ltd
Visualisers: Xuniverse, Norviska, 3D Point
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