Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1
Title
Reframing a Monument: The House of Revolution in Nikšić between Memorial Architecture and Fragmented Adaptive Reuse
Author(s)
Vladimir Bojković
Affiliation
University of Montenegro-Faculty of Architecture
DOI
https://doi.org/10.65686/HTPC8626
Keywords
House of Revolution, Nikšić, Adaptive Reuse
PP
175-180
How to Cite
Bojković, Vladimir. “Reframing a Monument: The House of Revolution in Nikšić between Memorial Architecture and Fragmented Adaptive Reuse.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 175–180. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.
Abstract
The House of Revolution in Nikšić, Montenegro, designed by Slovenian architect Marko Mušič in 1976, remains one of the largest and most ideologically complex unfinished buildings in the former Yugoslavia. Conceived as both a cultural centre and a monument to the city’s World War II liberation, its construction began in 1977 but was halted in 1989. Over time, the structure shifted from a symbol of collective pride to a contested and often negatively perceived element of urban identity. This paper examines the House of Revolution as a case of adaptive reuse within a post-socialist context. While many citizens perceive the building as a failed relic, others recognise its historical and social value, particularly given that its construction was collectively financed through mandatory salary contributions. In 2015, an international architectural competition proposed a phased adaptation strategy, yet the winning concept was never implemented. Instead, the building has undergone fragmented and uncoordinated reuse. The paper argues that the House of Revolution demonstrates how unfinished monumental architecture can be understood not as a problem to be completed, but as a layered and ongoing process of negotiating memory, identity, and contemporary use.
Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai
Publisher
STH Press, Firenze
ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263
Year
2026
Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.