Music, worship, and energy. Club, chapel, and thermodynamic wind turbine

Between Kotor and Budva, on the coast of Montenegro, the project to transform an old disused tunnel combines the tradition of religious pilgrimage to Ostrog, popular music festivals, and the need to provide energy and light to a remote and dangerous area. This gives rise to a futuristic object that is both a club, a chapel, and a thermodynamic wind turbine

The mountains of Montenegro

The mountains of Montenegro over the centuries have hosted the population seeking refuge from invasions and wars. A territory of steep mountain ranges, dense and dark forests, canyons and gorges, and the powerful Bora wind. Today, in addition to the famous cliffside church of Ostrog where a heartfelt pilgrimage still takes place, many tunnels in the mountains offer shortcuts to the Adriatic Sea and coastal cities while the country thrives on tourism and a lively mining industry

An appropriate approach to the harsh and inhospitable landscape

The long coastal roads are winding and often responsible for serious accidents. This is why one of the aims of the project by Margot Krasojevic Architects is to bring electrical energy and, therefore, light to this remote stretch of land. The design of the center, which includes a club, a chapel, and a system of thermodynamic wind turbines, respects the natural beauty of the region but acknowledges the harsh and inhospitable landscape, suggesting a more aggressive and dynamic approach

A technology to harness the Bora wind: Archimedean spiral turbines

The pilgrim community is equipped with a new chapel that includes the generation of renewable energy. The prevailing wind in the area is the Bora, which reaches speeds of up to 160 km/h and can now be channeled through the walls of the new complex towards the series of wind turbines. These further accelerate the air speed by utilizing different sections. The turbines are Archimedean spiral turbines, more resistant and suitable for the characteristics of the Montenegrin environment. Less complicated to tilt, they minimize the interference of the opposing wind, which would otherwise slow down energy production

Echoes of music, prayer, and wind. Human synergy and renewable energy

Worship, music, and dance come together in a single building. Here, people gather to pray and experience music, creating human synergy and renewable energy: the project's concept is to create spaces that bring people together, also utilizing their movement to generate additional energy through the use of thermodynamics and piezoelectricity. Like the wind, the building takes shape from the cliffs. The chapel is connected to the music hall by a walkway along the turbine channels. The chapel uses steel tubes wrapped around the vestibule containing the wind generator. The club is composed of spiral steel sections that mimic the mountains of Montenegro

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Margot Krasojevic Architects

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