Open-plan is a term which in architecture denotes the principle of spatial integration of functions. Although it has been widely used both in science and in practice, not very much research has been directed at essential understanding of this term. Since the 1950's, when it was first introduced in the architecture glossary, open-plan has constantly been connected to the principle of flexibility and fluidity of space, but up until now, their relation has not been adequately explained. On the other hand, although open-plan is a concept used generally in all modern living spaces, as it contributes to the quality and space comfort, particularly in smaller living spaces, there has been no research that aimed to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open-plan, as well as approaches to space integration of housing functions. This is why the aim of this research paper is to shed some light on the origin of this concept, its development in housing architecture and to present the most significant examples that applied the concept of open-plan in a characteristic way. A further aim of this paper is also to emphasize the existence of various design approaches, all contributing to the creation of specific forms of open-plan.

The aim of the paper is to draw attention to the view that the two key elements in achieving good quality of architecture infill in immediate, current surroundings, are the selection of optimal creative method of infill architecture and adequate application of 'the bond' as integrative element, The success of achievement and the quality of architectural infill mainly depend on the assessment of various circumstances, but also on the professionalism, creativity, sensibility, and finally innovativeness of the architect, In order for the infill procedure to be carried out adequately, it is necessary to carry out the assessment of quality of the current surroundings that the object will be integrated into, and then to choose the creative approach that will allow the object to establish an optimal dialogue with its surroundings, On a wider scale, both theory and the practice differentiate thee main creative approaches to infill objects: a)mimetic approach (mimesis), b)associative approach and c)contrasting approach, Which of the stated approaches will be chosen depends primarily on the fact whether the existing physical structure into which the object is being infilled is 'distinct', 'specific' or 'indistinct', but it also depends on the inclination of the designer, 'The bond' is a term which in architecture denotes an element or zone of one object, but in some instances it can refer to the whole object which has been articulated in a specific way, with an aim of reaching the solution for the visual conflict as is often the case in situations when there is a clash between the existing objects and the newly designed or reconstructed object, This paper provides in-depth analysis of different types of bonds, such as 'direction as bond', 'cornice as bond', 'structure as bond', 'texture as bond' and 'material as bond', which indicate complexity and multiple layers of the designing process of object interpolation.

The purpose of the present study was to compare Serbian and Japanese participants in their subjective experience of Serbian and Japanese architectural objects. Subjective experience was operationalized through the ratings on the bipolar scales (e.g. pleasant-unpleasant). In the Preliminary study 1, a set of twelve rating scales was generated. In the Preliminary study 2 twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese architectural objects were specified. In the main experiment two groups of participants, twenty-one Serbian and twenty Japanese, rated twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese objects. A factor analysis extracted three dimensions of subjective experience: Beauty, Firmness and Fullness. Analysis of variance have shown that both Serbian and Japanese participants agreed that Japanese architectural objects looked more beautiful and firmer than Serbian objects. These finding is generally in line with perceptualist hypothesis that stimulus constraints are more effective than culture. However, interactions revealed some cultural differences that are consistent with culturalist hypothesis: compared to Serbian participants, Japanese participants rated Japanese architectural objects as more beautiful, whereas, compared to Japanese, Serbian participants rated Serbian objects as less fragile and emptier than Japanese objects. Generaly, our study have shown that Serbian (Western) and Japanese (Eastern) participants show general similarity in their subjective experience of architectural objects.

In the period from 1948 to 1970 urban housing architecture in Yugoslavia had a distinctly experimental character as it strived intensively towards research and establishment of new architectural patterns and values that would mark the period of economic growth of the country. In conditions of mass housing construction, initiated by the devastated urban housing fund after the Second World War, significant influx of population to towns and the state directed its socialist aspirations at alloting every family acceptable living space. The period of the so-called “directed housing construction“, whose imperative was to establish the limits of existential minimum in collective housing, maximal space “packing“ and optimal functionality of flats, at the same time represents the most significant period in the development of housing architecture in Yugoslavia. The architects focused their interests in housing in mainly three directions: a) the creation and application of new prefabrication systems, b) innovative application of modernistic patterns in aestheticization of architecture and c) experimenting with space units which will enable a higher level of privacy in high-density housing conditions. The first direction of research emerged in the context of post-war housing construction of a wide scope, which encouraged the advance of technological research in areas of prefabrication and practical application of achieved results on the whole territory of Yugoslavia. The second direction dealt with architectural planning which was strictly subordinated to social and ideological sphere with domineering socialist monumentalism and artistic and sculptural approach to architecture. The third was related to experimental tendency with new urban housing patterns which aimed to search and find more pragmatic, humane solutions within mass high-density housing constructions which were the first to utilize and show examples of “double-tract” buildings. These were primarily realized in Serbia, as continuation of tendencies first expressed in activities of “Belgrade School of Housing”.

Historiography expresses a firm point of view that the movement of Brutalism did not have a more significant influence on Serbian architecture. Several researches in their essays point out that there are, however, certain works by Serbian architects that could be denoted as Brutalist in style. Nevertheless, after scientific analysis of the representative examples materialized in raw concrete and brick and their comparison with authentic interpretations of Brutalist principles, it is evident that Serbia does have a significant number of architectural works representing Brutalism. The aim of the research was to consider to what extent Brutalist architecture in Serbia was the consequence of architects being inspired by modern world Brutalism architecture, or whether its emergence stemmed from necessity, i.e. specific social circumstances in Serbia during the 60s and 70s of the XX century.

The issue that the research focuses on is spatial organization of the coliving housing concept and the role that territoriality plays in their typological determination. Past research of co-living concept did not result in a clear systematization of the concept. By comparative analyses of characteristic examples it can be confirmed that in practice, a wide variety of relations between the main functional groups is present (common, shared and individual spaces) and that through links between all of them, different types of the coliving concept are generated. The main thesis of this paper is that the primary parameter, serving as the base of different concepts of coexisting in a shared space, is the "experience of territoriality" i.e. the level of tolerance that space users have in their readiness to share the same space and content with unknown individuals. The main contribution of the paper lies in determination of six characteristic types of coliving communities. The importance of this paper is reinforced not only by the fact that it initiates the possibility of further theoretical research in the housing sphere, but also in its practical usage in spatial and functional organisation of coliving and cohousing spaces. The presented concepts and classifications can serve as the basis for the definition of new programmes and the design of coliving objects.