CommonLab
City Housing in Podgorica
Housing, International Competition
Type: Housing / Status: Concept Project Location: Podgorica, Montenegro / Year: 2026 / GFA: 31.822 m2
Architect: CommonLab
Project Team: Aslı Aydın, Derya Ertan Şen, Tuğçe Nur Coşkun, Gizem Helvacıoğlu
Award: Honourable Mention, Competition for the Conceptual Urban and Architectural Design of a Residential and Commercial Complex in 'City Housing' Project in Podgorica
2026 / Chamber of Architects Turkey, XX National Architecture Exhibition and Awards, "Project Category" Award
Architectural Concept
Located on the south-eastern edge of Podgorica, the housing project is characterized by community-centered architecture through common spaces, fostering a vibrant community life and a sense of belonging. The complex comprises five perimeter blocks, each five stories high, with a total of 212 housing units. The blocks are organized around a communal green courtyard that enhances social interaction.
The peripheral blocks are located closer to the site edges within allowed setbacks, enlarging the central courtyard. The linear blocks are fragmented into smaller parts to break down the scale of the building, relate to human scale, and create intermediate community spaces on each floor.
The complex is planned to be constructed in three phases. Blocks A and B form Phase 1, Blocks C and D form Phase 2, and Block E forms Phase 3. The phasing strategy intends to create a balanced distribution of apartments while allowing for basement-level car park access in accordance with the masterplan.
The apartments are located between the first and fourth floors. The ground floor accommodates 86 retail units along the street facade and a shopping passage, including cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, local shops such as bakeries, grocery stores, and bookstores, and office spaces, creating an active, pedestrian-friendly street front. An arcade provides a shaded, sheltered walkway for pedestrians.
Four community spaces for residents are located on the ground floor facing the courtyard: a wellness area with a swimming pool, gym, and yoga studio; a coworking space; a multi-purpose community centre for recreation and gatherings; and a kindergarten. The courtyard includes a children’s playground. The roof accommodates solar panels as well as green and brown roof areas.
Each apartment block includes outdoor bicycle parking and enclosed bicycle storage. Blocks A and D include outdoor car parking with a total capacity of 33 cars.
Apartment units are arranged along both sides of a central exterior passageway, with stairs and elevators at either end. The lightweight steel-structured walkway has been enlarged to bring more natural light and air into the apartments and to create communal spaces on each floor. Varying widths of the walkway create spaces of different sizes, ranging from small semi-private pockets to larger shared patios in front of each apartment, transforming the passageway into a community gallery that encourages informal interactions and everyday encounters among neighbours.
The Community Gallery divides the residential complex into smaller neighbourhood clusters of 10-12 apartments per floor, incorporating seating elements, entrance niches, greenery, and multi-purpose spaces for gatherings. The gallery receives natural light through roof openings and floor voids.
The residential units are offered in six typologies, ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments, accommodating a diverse group of users. Linear buildings, based on an 8 m × 8 m concrete structural grid, incorporate apartment units designed around a 4 m module, enabling flexible layouts and easy reconfiguration.
Each apartment has a private outdoor terrace along the facade, accessible from the living rooms or bedrooms, and a communal outdoor area at the apartment entrance. The exterior spaces extend the residents’ living environment beyond the private interiors of their apartments.
All apartments are designed as dual-aspect units, allowing cross-ventilation, better natural light, and multiple views. Kitchens and bathrooms are centrally located, forming a compact service zone. Kitchens open onto the living and dining areas, receive light and air from both facades, supplemented by mechanical ventilation, while the open-plan layout minimizes corridors.
The central location of the kitchens and bathrooms frees the facades, avoiding the distinction between a main facade and a service facade. Living rooms and main bedrooms face the main street or the courtyard, while dining areas and second bedrooms face the community gallery, activating both facades in daily life.
Balconies act as climate galleries. In summer, operable shading elements protect from the sun, cast shade, increase habitability, and create a buffer zone between indoor and outdoor spaces. In winter, the glazed facade allows sunlight to penetrate the interior, enhancing passive solar gain and warming the space.
