Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade

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Zaha Hadid Architects – in collaboration with Bureau Cube Partners – has won the anonymous competition to transform the old Milan Vapa paper factory in Belgrade into the new Nikola Tesla Museum. Encompassing 13,400 square meters, the project helps to safeguard the city’s industrial heritage by reusing the listed 1920s building, while maintaining original elements of the manufacturing plant, such as the vaulted ceilings and the chimney. Drawing inspiration from Tesla’s studies on magnetic fields, wireless transmission of energy, and interconnectivity, the scheme incorporates dynamic elliptical curves that radiate from the old chimney. The refurbishment includes a public entrance on the west facade, marked by a circular aperture that leads visitors into a triple-height central atrium, the site of the mentioned chimney, which is the heart of the museum.