Press

MAIN architects held a guest lecture in Zagreb at Urania-Space of creation which hosted the event “Sustainable hour: Sustainability of Industrial Buildings”. The focus was on designing industrial spaces to meet new ecological standards and sustainability goals. It was an honor for us to share our experience in designing industrial buildings by presenting our project for the new Feniksbus factory, which will produce electrical mini and midi buses in Novi Sad, Serbia. We emphasized the presence of sustainability as an integral and intuitive element in the contemporary and pragmatic approach to designing and constructing buildings. This perspective extends beyond a purely environmental focus, incorporating a comprehensive approach to sustainability and optimization. It includes the functionality and cost-effectiveness of the building (economic aspect), the social aspect seen as fostering functional harmony among diverse user groups, and the resilience, flexibility, and adaptability of the building to societal changes and external factors that could impact processes and workflows.

In an interview for the web portal eKapija, MAIN architects’ co-founder and director Marko Matejić emphasizes that at MAIN architects, we believe true architectural quality transcends current trends. Their goal is to create spaces that remain relevant and inspiring for decades – not only at the moment they are built. He highlights the demanding nature of the architectural profession in Serbia, noting that a true architect must be both courageous and persistent, as realizing a vision with long-term value often requires a sacrifice of time, resources and personal energy. Equally important, he points out, is the role of the investor – when mutual respect, trust, and an understanding of architecture’s significance exist, the result is a work of art that brings lasting aesthetic and functional value to both users and the community. For MAIN architects, architecture is a collaborative act of creation – one that shapes living and working spaces, so they become an integral part of the users’ identity. Please read the whole article on the eKapija portal.

Marko Matejić, founder and Co-CEO of the MAIN architects, shared his experience with the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest from 2009. His team won the national competition and, as Serbia’s representative, went on to participate in the international stage, receiving a special jury award for their project presentation. Reflecting on the experience, Marko emphasized that everyone who takes part “leaves the competition wiser and richer” – not only in professional knowledge, but also through the development of communication and presentation skills, as well as personal connections, all of which are equally important for a successful architectural practice. He highlighted the importance of balancing architectural expertise with the ability to present that knowledge sincerely and clearly to clients, something that builds trust and credibility between the architect and the investor. Marko also underlined that the key to a successful presentation is honesty. “The best presentation skill is honesty, knowledge and belief in what you do.” Finally, he encouraged young architects to remain curious, humble, courageous, and committed to lifelong learning, as that is the true path to success in the professional world. Read the full interview
here.

In an interview for the m-Kvadrat magazine, Marko Matejić and Nikola Ivković describe how their paths into architecture began from a working-class background, without an architectural pedigree, and how years of professional experience have shaped their understanding that architecture is not a hobby but a business. When asked about their role models, they admit that as young architects, they sought inspiration in the great names and monumental works of architecture. However, with experience, their perspective has become more grounded. They now appreciate every piece of quality architecture that brings real value to everyday life. They respect every space that enriches daily living, not just the icons that grace magazine covers. For them, architecture is a serious business, equally rooted in professionalism, honesty, trust, and the value created for clients, users, and the community. Read the full interview here.

One of the founders of MAIN Architects, Marko Matejic, had the honor and privilege to moderate a discussion on ARCHITECTURE AND GAMING: Creating virtual worlds on behalf of ASAP at this year’s Salon of Architecture in Belgrade. Our interlocutors were artists and architects from the video game industry: Igor Simic / Demagog studio, Andrea Aleksic / Phobos, Lazar Mesaros / EBE Software, and Pavle Kostic / Ubisoft Belgrade. We held a Dialogue on the topic of the position and participation of architects in creating virtual architecture in video games, as well as on the similarities and differences between real architecture and virtual architecture, and on the specificities of planning, creating, and dimensioning spaces in video games. Watch video…

MAIN Architects has designed a unique visual and spatial identity for the editorial centers with TV studios for Bloomberg Adria in five cities and countries of the former Yugoslavia – the regional editorial center in Belgrade and other editorial centers in Zagreb, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, and Skopje. We applied the fundamental values of Bloomberg as a global brand in these spaces, as well as some spatial and functional premises from the architecture and interior design of the new Bloomberg headquarters building in London, designed by Foster+Partners. For more details on how we implemented these values and premises in these spaces, please read this article on the Gradnja portal.

MAIN Architects has an extensive portfolio of family homes, vacation homes, and various types of smaller rental apartments. In the GRENEF magazine, two of our projects were featured – a vacation house for recreation and celebrations in Cerevic, between the Danube river and Fruska Gora, and a family home in Koracica, Mladenovac. For more details about these projects, read the article “Rurbanizacija i nova ruralnost” on pages 72-77 in issue 20 of the GRENEF magazine (online).

MAIN Architects has an extensive portfolio of business premises projects. There is a wide selection of various popular floor coverings available for use in business premises, and the choice of flooring for the business premises is one of the more important interior design elements. For more details on the use of flooring in business premises and our business premises projects for Bloomberg Adria and Knjaz Milos, read pages 54-59 in issue 57 of the PODOVI magazine (online edition), or read parts of the article online for Bloomberg Adria and for Knjaz Milos.

The environment represents the biggest potential and resource of rural areas, and openness and integration of interior and exterior space are important elements of new rural architecture. The use of large glass surfaces, terraces and covered porches, as well as outdoor kitchens and water surfaces such as pools, plays a significant role in connecting the interior and exterior space. To read more about the use of these elements in our projects of family homes and vacation homes, please see the article “Rurbanizacija i nova ruralnost” on pages 88-94 of issue 42 of the magazine “Prozori+Vrata” (web edition), where our two projects are presented – a holiday home for recreation and celebration in Cerevic between the Danube river and Fruska Gora, and a family house in Koracica, Mladenovac.

The founders of MAIN Architects, Marko Matejić and Nikola Ivković, participated in a panel discussion as part of BDN organized by the Gradnja portal on the topic of outsourcing in architecture.

They presented their personal experience of working on outsourcing projects during their 14 years of work in architectural practice, as well as outsourcing projects that MAIN Architects has worked on in the past 5 years.

They analyzed the business of MAIN Architects in terms of the share of outsourcing projects in their overall business and discussed the importance and potential of collaboration through outsourcing with foreign and domestic architectural firms for the development of a young architectural firm.

They also presented outsourcing projects from abroad and in Serbia, on which they have worked in the previous period. In the presentation, significant space was dedicated to residential projects in the United States, which are a significant segment of MAIN Architects’ business.

You can read more about the event announcement here, and a detailed report on the event and what Marko and Nikola said on the topic can be found here.