The winner of a contest to restore and transform the abandoned NA-MA department store in Podgorica, Montenegro has been revealedThe winning team selected for the 25,000 top prize was MONOBLOCK withPIEZA andLABA studiosfrom Argentina. A second prize of 12,000 was meanwhile awarded to Aleksandra Kozowska from Poland and a third prize of 6,000 went to Cihan Sevndk,Sddk Gvend and Senem Mtak Sevndk of Turkey.The single-stage competition sought proposals for the adaptive reuse of a large four-storey former department store complex which occupies a key corner site overlooking Independence Square in the centre of Montenegros capital city and has been abandoned for the past decade.Competition site: NA-MA department store, PodgoricaThe restoration project will transform the building into a new flexible workspace and a centre for social and cultural events. Key aims include preserving the buildings historical value and cultural significance, creating new jobs for local people, unlocking regeneration opportunities and creating a strong visual identity for the site.Commenting on the winning scheme, the jury said: The awarded project,Spiral of Encounters, stands out for its emphasis on programmatic depth, substance, and narrative rather than primary the visual impact.The design carefully balances the needs of the community with sustainable reuse principles, creating a raw and unfinished aesthetic that is not superficial but deeply rooted in its programmatic and architectural intentions.The judges citation continued: This approach has successfully embedded meaning within the architecture, providing a framework that invites active public engagement rather than passive observation.Strategically transparent and open, the building invites citizens and visitors alike to climb up the spiral that introduces substance, to participate in a program that is accessible and welcoming, emphasizing a sense of community and connectivity. The spiral becomes a meeting point, the library, the auditorium, the office.Competition site: NA-MA department store, PodgoricaPodgorica formerly named Titograd after the Yugoslavian communist statesman Josip Broz Tito is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. It is located at the confluence of the Ribnica and Moraa rivers and was heavily reconstructed following significant destruction during the Second World War.The latest competition launched in July three years after Podgorica launched an open international contest to upgrade Golootokih rtava Square. In 2020, the city launched a separate competition to transform the banks of the River Moraa into a new safe, comfortable and sustainable recreational zone with better connections to the surrounding historic city.Key aims of the latest competition included transforming the department store into a new sustainable and multifunctional facility that provides a vibrant and inclusive gathering place for various activities which help to enhance local civic identity.Judges included Dijana Vuini, architect, researcher and curator at DVARP; Aleksander Vujovi, founder of SUPA; and Duka Mai, chief city architect of the Capital City Podgorica.Submissions were judged 25 per cent on spatial concept, 25 per cent on functionality, 25 per cent on ecological approach, 15 per cent on aesthetics and 10 per cent on economic sustainability.The contest organisers will now host an exhibition of all submitted designs within the department store and commence discussions about potential collaboration with the winning team to refine and implement their proposal in alignment with the projects overarching vision.