1. About the founders and the Foundation
The Milenija and Darko Marušić Foundation, based in the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS), was founded in 2024. The founder is the architect Milenija Marušić, on behalf of herself and Darko. The author tandem of architects Darko and Milenija Maušić worked together during a 50-year long career on all architectural and urban planning competitions and realizations. Darko Marušić was a full professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, while Milenija worked as a leading designer and expert advisor at IAUS. Their author’s oeuvre includes over 28 architectural and urban planning competitions and more than 50 completed buildings and spatial entities. They are the winners of a large number of awards, including two City of Belgrade Awards (October and April) and two for lifetime achievement awarded by the Association of Architects of Serbia and ULUPUDS. Most of the realized buildings are, like works of Modernism, in the category of complete protection. Among the numerous award-winning realizations, the Cerak Vinogradi residential complex in Belgrade stands out as the first modern residential complex in this part of Europe declared a cultural asset of the Republic of Serbia in 2019, and included in the permanent collection of the MoMa museum in New York in 2019.
The main goal of the Foundation is to promote architecture as a key segment of culture and support young generations who believe in the power of architecture to shape a better society.
The goals of the Foundation are:
– awarding of a monetary award in the field of residential architecture
– publishing and editorial work
– archiving and processing of extensive planning and project documentation M. and D. Marušić
– help and encouragement to young and talented architects and students
– cooperation with protection institutions in the preservation of built objects and spatial units
The Foundation awards an annual Award for a completed work in the field of residential architecture – a work that, through a research process and with social responsibility, records the place and time in which it was created, heritage and builds on the past humanistic values of housing and makes a step forward in relation to current practice; a work that respects the basic principles from Marušić’s creativity – the principles of contextuality, unity of space (between architecture and urbanism, interior and exterior), ambientization of space, evolution of ideas and professional ethics (all according to the basic criteria from the Award Regulations).
The award is given to architects and author teams from the area of the former Yugoslavia, where they created and where the founders were born. More than an award, it is also a topic for dialogue, for critical opinions, inspiration and encouragement for students and young architects.
The monetary amount of the prize is awarded from the basic funds of the Foundation, which consists of personal funds collected during decades of practice in architecture by Milenije and Darko Marušić (from prizes won at architectural and urban competitions and realized works).
2. Headquarters of the Foundation
The headquarters of the Foundation is in the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS) where, like in their second home, Milenija and Darko Marušić worked on all their projects, mutually sharing efforts, successes, recognitions and awards.
3. Previous activities
(1) The edition started – “Trilogy 2019” which consists of three parts: PRELUDE, FOUNDATION AND EDUCATIONAL OVERLAY. The predecessor, printed in 2021, consists of a reprint of four issues of the magazine “Arhitektura Urbanizam 74-77″/ 1975 with additional contributions by contemporaries. The Foundation – “Cerak Vinogradi Settlement” is in the works, and the Educational booklet – “8 Volumes of Housing” has been prepared for printing.
(2) Launch of the Foundation’s annual Residential Architecture Award (2025)
(3) work started on the monographs of D. and M. Marušić and the settlement of Cerak Vinogradi
4. The first regional competition for the MDM Foundation Award
The competition lasted from September 1 to October 15, 2025.
A total of 17 entries were submitted from Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia.
The jury for the 2025 “Milenija and Darko Marušić” Foundation Award consisted of:
Milenija Marušić, architect, founder of the Foundation and president of the jury
Prof. Aleksandar Stjepanović, architect / Serbia
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Kulić, architect, architectural historian / USA
Prof. Vasa Perović, architect / Slovenia
Dr. Tatjana Stratimirović, architect / Serbia
The submitted works covered a wide range of typologies and scales: from holiday homes and small suburban houses, through luxury villas, to large multi-family residential buildings; from very simple to highly complex structures; from reconstructions of existing buildings to new constructions.
The submitted material sheds light on the current state of housing architecture in the region. Collective housing constituted a minority of entries and proved to be qualitatively neglected, while the most successful examples were mainly the result of individual construction.
Assuming the basic criteria defined in the competition brief, the jury considered housing as a comprehensive concept encompassing various models and modes of living.
The key evaluation criterion was what each project offers to its users, viewing the dwelling as the fundamental unit of space in which the life of a family or individual unfolds.
In the context of design practice largely conditioned by the market, this award has particular significance as an incentive and a way of highlighting examples of good practice in contemporary residential architecture.
The jury unanimously decided to shortlist six works, two of which equally shared the Foundation’s prize for 2025.
The award was given to:
– Sadar+Vuga Architects, Gregorc/Vrhovec, Studio Krištof: Residential Building Ellipse, Ljubljana, Slovenia
– Dekleva Gregorič Architects: Twin Alpine Houses, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
The following works were shortlisted:
– Tomaž Ebenšpanger, SKUPAJ ARHITEKTI: House on the edge of the plain, Murska Sobota, Slovenia
– ARP studio: House B2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
– MAPA Architects: TLS family house, Belgrade, Serbia
– Studio ENND: Family house S&A, Boljevci, Serbia
Excerpt from the jury’s explanation of the awarded projects
Ellipse Residential Building / “The design team was faced with an urban requirement that the building have an ellipse base. The proposed solution cleverly neutralized such a rigid form by opening generous, wavy balconies toward the greenery on the southern side. On the north side, however, the building has a completely different face: its calm, compact volume with deeply embedded loggias is a direct response to the traditional facade of its immediate neighbor. Balancing between respect for the context and its own identity, this residential building turns urban constraints into an architectural advantage and can be understood as a demonstrative exercise in the unity of residential space.”
Twin alpine houses / “The reinterpretation of the traditional mountain house typology responds to the new living conditions in which the boundaries between the primary residence and the holiday home are becoming increasingly porous. Located on extremely steep terrain, this tower house offers an extraordinary combination of intimacy and openness to the spectacular alpine landscape. It is an architecture that does not distinguish between everyday and casual, between work and rest, between urban and rural, but all these categories merge into a unique spatial experience adapted to the fluidity of modern life.”
Award ceremony
The award ceremony was held on November 27, 2025. at 6 p.m. in the Artget gallery of the Belgrade Cultural Center.
The fact that the audience occupied the entire hall and the corridor in front of the hall also speaks of the interest in the award.
The exhibition of all the presented works was on the screen during the award ceremony, while the awarded works were printed on the panels.
The host of the event was Marina Lucić, PR Foundation.
The attendees were addressed by Branislava Simić, the manager, and Milenija Marušić, the founder and president of the jury, who also awarded the prizes.
The laureates expressed their gratitude:
Petko Grabljič on behalf of the studio – Sadar + Vuga Architects, Gregorc/Vrhovec, Studio Krištof; and Aljoš Dekleva on behalf of the studio Dekleva Gregorič Architects.
The award ceremony ended with a cocktail.
The Foundation team
