Benefit Living: A New Layer of Creative Building and Planning in Montenegro

The project "Benefit Living" started on January 1, 2010 and it is conducted in partnership between EXPEDITIO, as a lead partner, CORNUCOPIA - Institute for Space and Culture, from Vransko, Slovenia and ACADEMICA - Academic Group, from Belgrade, Serbia.

The overall objective of the project is to promote intercultural dialogue and creativity between EU and Montenegro in the field of contemporary architecture and planning. Its main purpose is to create models of «BeneFIT houses», i.e. contemporary, low energy and low cost houses which would form a new space that would put together characteristics of Montenegrin surroundings and the accomplishments of contemporary architecture, new technologies and knowledge taken from EU and neighbouring counties.

The final beneficiaries of the project:
• All people who will receive new knowledge about contemporary, high-quality and healthy architecture and who will have the opportunity to live and work in structures of that kind some day
• Project and construction companies, the manufacturers of prefabricated object

The concrete results of the project:

1. Exchanged experience and knowledge with partners in the project about accomplishments from EU in contemporary architecture and planning
2. Designed house models of «BeneFIT Houses» (contemporary, low energy and low cost) for three Montenegrin region-mountain, central and costal-based on knowledge exchange with partners.
3. Completed study for developing the model of creative cities in Montenegro based on the experiences from Serbia and EU (Slovenia).

Studies will be created by each partner:
• Study "3C concept" - clean energy & creativity for communities
• Overview of trends focusing on present eco-logical and energy-efficient architecture in eu and slovenia)
• Cost-benefit analysis of the possibilities and potentials for the usage of "Benefit houses” in Montenegro

4. Promotion of new house models and principals of creative cities planning.

The duration of the project: 18 months.

The project value: € 50,000.00 (45,000.00 € provided by the EU)

The project is co-funded by EU, managed by Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and implemented by EXPEDITIO