The Masterplan by Kenzo Tange for Reconstruction of Skopje City Centre

International Baccalaureate Programme “Josip Broz Tito� High School, Skopje, Macedonia March, 2006

Title:

The Master Plan by Kenzo Tange for Reconstruction of the Skopje City Centre after the earthquake in 1963 Research Question:

What was the idea of the Master Plan for Skopje City Centre by Kenzo Tange and to what extent was it implemented?

Dragan Krstevski 1

Dragan Krstevski

Kenzo Tange Master Plan for Skopje City Centre

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ABSTRACT The architecture is the first thing that is noticed and that gives visual expression to the cities. It should give individuality to the city and to serve the needs of its citizens.

The city of Skopje was almost completely devastated after the great earthquake in 1963. The new plan for the reconstruction of the centre of the city, that won the first prize on the international contest, was made by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and was one of the best city plans in the world at that time.

The research question of this essay is: What was the idea of the Master Plan for Skopje City Centre by Kenzo Tange and to what extent was it implemented in Skopje?

The essay gives a detailed explanation of the original idea of the master plan, its functionalism and creative solution and its symbolic meaning. The clear and dominant forms of the mega structures in his plan are supposed to create the new image of the city and to serve for the needs of the people. Furthermore, the essay shows a research to what extend has the master plan been implemented in the city until today. Approximately forty years have passed and still the innovative image of the city can not be seen. The only completely finished structure is the City Wall.

This is the greatest opportunity a city can waste. After the tragic event a new enthusiasm to the city was given and not used. Today, parts of the mega structures designed by Tange that are built are isolated and do not have a unity and dominance as in the master plan. A lot of changes to the original plan have been made and the idea of the master plan can not be seen.

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Dragan Krstevski

CONTENTS 3

Introduction

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The Idea

12 The Implementation 17

Conclusion

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Bibliography

INTRODUCTION Architecture is the first thing that one notices about a city. It is the first thing that will create a good or bad impression. If the people are the soul, the architecture is the body of the city, the template of the city’s soul. The architecture of a city has to be in harmony with its citizens and to serve them, while at the same time giving the city a unique identity.

3300 were injured. At that time Skopje was a fairly small city of about 200 000 people.

In 1965 several Yugoslav (at that time Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia) and international architects were requested to participate in a restricted international competition for reconstruction of the Skopje’s city center. All entries were evaluated by an international jury and they decided to award the first prize to the entry by the architect Kenzo Tange (Tokyo) and his team. His plan won because of its structural expression and clear complex elements that would give individuality of the new city centre.

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Skopje is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with population of more than 500 000 people. The architecture of Skopje was drastically changed after 1963. The reason for this transformation was a devastating earthquake.

On 26 July 1963 at 5:17 am, within 17 seconds the city Skopje almost disappeared. All monumental buildings in the centre of the city were ruined. 65% of Skopje was destroyed by this destructive earthquake. More than a thousand people died and more than

Kenzo Tange (1913 – 2005) was one of the most eminent modern Japanese architects. In his designs he tried to combine both traditional and modern forms of Japanese architecture. Also, in

Model of the Master Plan

Kenzo Tange Master Plan for Skopje City Centre

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