Konstantinovski, Georgi

Georgi Konstantinovski, b. Kraguevac, Serbia 1930, Macedonian architect, graduated at the Faculty of Architecture in Skopje, University "SS Cyril and Methodius" in 1956 and received his Master of Architecture Degree from the Yale University in 1965, under the leadership of Paul Rudolph and Serge Chermayeff, New Haven, USA. He had a professional practice with Ioh Ming Pei, Henry Cobb and Araldo Cossutta in New York. He developed an astonishingly wide range of design features in his search for an individuality appropriate to the philosophy, structure and art of each building and designed more than 450 architectural and urban projects. He was awarded many times with the highest Macedonian and Yugoslav architectural awards and with three "Grand Prix" on the Architectural Biennal in Macedonia. He also got the highest National Award for Art "11 Oktomvri" for the best architectural achievment in Skopje.
He held many significant positions in the cultural and architectural life of his country. With his publications he also contributed for affirmation of the contemporary Macedonian architecture. He was a President of the Council for Urban Planning of the city of Skopje, and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture in the same town. He is a member of the Architectural Academy of Macedonia.
Because of the great clarity of his structures and the great clarity of organization of his plans, he became an enormously successful teacher and architect, for in his work all the fundamentals of contemporary architecture are clearly distinguishable and presented with imagination and with art. With the completed Archives, Stu-dent's dormitories, the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering seismology building in Skopje and the Memorial Center "ASNOM" in Pelince, Konstantinovski has obtained a unique place in the annals of the contemporary Macedonian architecture, and with his Cultural Center in Razlovci is the purest exponent of Macedonian tradition in building, in the noblest creation of which the logic and lyric become one in the service of people.
In any event, both his teaching and completed buildings left a pro¬found impression on the new generation of Macedonian architects.
Konstantinovski was the unique representative of the Yugoslav architects in the group of 50 prominent world's architects on the Third Belgrade Triennal of World Architecture (1991) and also in the group of 55 outstanding Yugoslav architects on the same Triennal.
At present, he is a professor in pension at the Design Department of the Architectural Faculty in Skopje.

(December 2011)