Academician Milan Lojanica passed away

It is with deep regret that the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) announces the passing of its full member Milan Lojanica at the age of 85, on 23 July 2024 in Belgrade. Born on 8 January 1939, he was one of our most distinguished architects and a full professor of the University of Belgrade. His main field of professional, artistic, scientific and educational work is the field of theory and practice of architectural and urban planning.

He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade in 1962. In the period between 1963 and 1967, he was employed at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning of Serbia, serving as a secretary of the Functionality Board.

In 1965, he was appointed a teaching assistant at the Department of Design of the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade. Throughout his career at his alma mater, he was elected to all positions having been elected a full professor in 1988. During his long and fruitful professor career, he carried out various duties at the Faculty including being the head of the Department of Design, vice-dean for curriculum and head of post-graduate studies programme.

He is the author of more than 20 completed projects, encompassing several large urban areas and more complex reconstructions within urban zones of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Valjevo, Pančevo. Ljubljana, Zagreb, Osijek, Trebinje and Warsaw. Alongside his design work, he conducted research in the field of the theory of architecture. His bibliography contains over fifty scientific and expert papers, three monographic studies and four expert publications.

As a SASA corresponding member, he was elected in 2003, and he was elected its full member in 2009. From 2011 to 2023 he was the secretary of the Department of Fine Arts and Music of SASA, which later became the Department of Arts of SASA. He was a driving force behind the initiative to rename the Department of Fine Arts and Music of SASA into the Department of Arts of  SASA to facilitate membership expansion into other types of art. As the secretary of the above-mentioned Department, he greatly contributed to the work of SASA. He was editor-in-chief of the SASA Dictionary of Visual Arts and Architecture Terms, volume I, II, II (2006-2013), as well as the president of the SASA Board for Dictionary of Visual Arts and Architecture Terms and project leader for Metamorphosis of Architectural Shapes.

Academician M. Lojanica was a member of numerous scientific and expert institutions and associations including the Academy of Architecture of Serbia since 1994; the Engineering Academy of Yugoslavia, the Academy of Engineering Sciences of Serbia since 1998, Union of Architects of Serbia; Association of Serbian Architects; Association of Belgrade Architects; and the Serbian Chamber of Engineers.

He received numerous accolades and the following can be singled out: two October Prizes of the City of Belgrade (in 1971 and 1982); Recognition of National Council of the City of Warsaw for improvement and development of architecture and urbanism, 1972; Recognition of the students of the University of Belgrade for contribution to university teaching 1973; Grand Award of Union of Architects of Serbia for lifetime achievement, 1982; Award of Association of University Professors and Scientists of Serbia 2010; Charter of Association of Serbian Architects for lifetime achievement, 2011; Award of Serbian Chamber of Engineers for lifetime achievement, 2016; Charter of Union of Engineers and Technicians for 2018; Annual Award of UAS for the most accomplished work in all fields of architecture realised in 2017; Award at the 40th Salon of Architecture – ’the Field of Future’ in the category of architecture for 2018; Nomination for the international EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture  – MIES AWARD 19, 2018.

His departure represents a profound loss to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Serbian society and culture as a whole.