Conceptual design of the reactivation of the former settlement of young brigadiers in Nižepole (North Macedonia)

Cvetkovska, Aleksandra (author), Gregorski, Mojca (mentor)

Pelister National Park is one of the key landscapes of the Pelagonia region, shaping both tourism and the cultural life of nearby communities. Within this setting, the project focuses on the revitalisation of a former brigadiers’ settlement from the 1980s in the village of Nižepole, originally built to accommodate youth brigadiers working on the construction of the Streževo dam. Today, the site is abandoned, while the village itself faces depopulation, erosion of traditions, and unregulated construction that undermines its identity. The proposed program introduces a model of tourism that responds to contemporary needs by combining wellness, cultural, and community-oriented activities. Local participation forms an integral part of the program, supporting the revival of cultural identity, the strengthening of traditional practices, and the renewal of characteristic primary-sector activities. The spatial concept develops new forms of collective and accommodation typologies in the form of modular units, designed as minimal interventions that adapt to the terrain and provide an alternative to mass tourism. It is guided by the need for longer stays in nature and the provision of a more intimate experience of its environment. The reactivation of the abandoned settlement in Nižepole illustrates how degraded areas can be brought back to life through solutions that respect history and context, promote sustainable tourism, encourage community involvement, and respond to contemporary needs for wellbeing.

• Language: English
• Keywords: architecture, reactivation, degradation, tourism, rural areas, nature
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FA - Faculty of Architecture
• Publication status: Published
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 153 str.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175265
• COBISS.SI-ID: 257678595
• Publication date in RUL: 23.10.2025

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Idejna zasnova reaktivacije nekdanjega naselja mladih brigadirjev v Nižepole (Severna Makedonija)

Abstract

Nacionalni park Pelister v jugozahodnem delu Severne Makedonije je eno ključnih območij Pelagonijske regije, ki pomembno oblikuje turizem ter kulturno življenje okoliških skupnosti. V tem okviru se projekt osredotoča na reaktivacijo nekdanjega brigadirskega naselja iz 80. let v vasi Nižepole, prvotno zgrajenega za nastanitev mladih brigadirjev, ki so sodelovali pri gradnji Strežeškega jezu. Danes območje stoji zapuščeno, medtem ko se vas sooča z depopulacijo, izgubo tradicij in nenadzorovano gradnjo, kar ogroža njeno identiteto. Predlagana programska zasnova predvideva obliko turizma, ki odgovarja sodobnim potrebam in združuje wellness, športne, kulturne ter skupnostno orientirane dejavnosti. Vključevanje lokalnega prebivalstva je njen sestavni del, saj podpira oživitev kulturne identitete, krepitev tradicionalnih praks ter ohranjanje značilnih primarnih dejavnosti. Prostorska zasnova razvija nove oblike kolektivnih in nastanitvenih tipologij za obiskovalce v obliki modularnih enot, kot minimalne intervencije, ki se prilagajajo terenu in predstavljajo nasprotje koncepta masovnega turizma. Zasnova izhaja iz potrebe po daljšem bivanju v naravi ter želje po zagotovitvi intimne izkušnje njenega okolja. Reaktivacija zapuščenega naselja za občasno rabo v Nižepolju ponazarja, kako je mogoče degradirana območja ponovno oživiti z rešitvami, ki spoštujejo zgodovino in kontekst, sledijo načelom trajnostnega turizma, spodbujajo vključevanje skupnosti ter odgovarjajo na sodobne potrebe po dobrem počutju.

• Keywords: arhitektura, reaktivacija, degradacija, turizem, podeželje, narava