BIMAS 2010

BIMAS, which does not involve a selection process, offers a realistic presentation of major local trends in architecture and building during the previous two years. Indeed, the proponents of 'official' government preferences in architectural expression did not dare, or rather did not bother to participate, confident of their privileged entitlement to design and build major buildings on prime locations.

The nearly 200 exhibited works cover a wide variety of categories, although residential projects (houses and apartment buildings) still constitute the vast majority, since they also constitute the bulk of new construction. Yet, compared to previous years, there is a notable increase in the number of buildings in other categories.

The main characteristic of this biennale is an evident shift away from the long-standing quasi-postmodernist idiom admired by the new business elite and the appearance of young firms and architects who espouse a more sensitive approach and contemporary architectural language. Although it is more of a recognizable tendency than a new architectural mainstream, it is a signal that Macedonian architecture might finally be on its way to recovery after a long period of transitional agony and disorientation. The supporting exhibitions of work by architecture students contributed significantly to this impression.

Interestingly, the jury recognized this tendency and awarded the grand prix to Aleksandar Radevski and Viktorija Stavrić for the Stobi Winery in Gradsko. Other prizes went to Valentino Konstantinovski for his design for the Natural Science Museum at Matka and to the Platforma architectural office (E. Ikonomova, E. Jegeni, V. Bogoevski) for their interior design for the Republika offices in Skopje.