Western City Gate
The Genex Tower (Serbian Кула Генекс / Kula Geneks ) is a 115 meter tall skyscraper in the Serbian capital Belgrade. The building is the second highest in the city after the Ušće skyscraper. The name Genex goes back to the former state-owned Yugoslav import-export company.
Location
The Genex Tower is located in the western district of Belgrade Novi Beograd district in block 33 right off the highway E 70 / E 75 and about halfway between the airport Nikola Tesla and the city center. Therefore, the Genex Tower sometimes called western gate of Belgrade is (Serbian Западна капија Београда / Zapadna kapija of Belgrade ) refers.
Description
The 35 - story high-rise in 1977 by architect Mihajlo Mitrovic ( * 1922 ) were designed in the style of brutalism and completed in 1980. Engineer of the building was Janko Lisjak. The building consists of two separate parts, which have on their long side each have a tubular extension. At their outer sides of the two tubes portholes. The southern skyscraper with 26 floors will be used for offices, the northern one, with 30 storeys slightly higher, as a residence. Both parts of the building are connected by a sky bridge at roof height of the South Tower on the 26th floor. On the bridge connecting a digital clock is mounted. Also located on the facade of the skyscraper various neon signs. Sometimes the facade of the south tower is also fully draped with a banner ad. The office building has a mezzanine, where in addition to a showroom are also storage rooms.
Both skyscrapers consist of a skeleton of reinforced concrete bearing walls. The facade is - typical of the architectural style - made of exposed concrete. The floors are made of 12 cm thick flat slabs. Both buildings are founded with piles. At the top of the southern tower is located at an altitude 135-140 meters, the tubular mounting a revolving restaurant, which rotates once per hour around its own axis. Currently (April 2012) is the revolving restaurant but closed and not open to the public. On the pulpit are transmitting antennas.
Structurally - structural similarity has the Genex Tower, designed by the Hungarian architect Ernő Goldfinger residence Balfron Tower in London's East End and the Trellick Tower in Notting Hill.