A new model for sustainable urban living from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zemlja, is an ecologically and economically viable retrofit apartment located in a former socialist neighbourhood in Sarajevo. 

In a society still recovering from the Bosnian War and the Siege of Sarajevo in the 90s, Zemlja, located in the war-burdened Grbavica neighbourhood of Sarajevo, strives to rebuild a sense of place, home, and shared identity through architectural innovation. It raises the question: can rebuilding a home provide ideas for rebuilding a community, a city, or even a country? 

‘Zemlja', meaning 'earth,' 'land,' and 'country,' offers a glimmer of hope for a viable alternative through sustainable reconstruction. It embodies a holistic approach to deep social repair and healing, promoting the production and use of sustainable materials and knowledge, countering unsustainable post-war building practices in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The original neglected apartment, has been radically transformed by drawing on Sarajevo's architectural history to resonate with the shared identity and resilience of its citizens, while integrating fragments of the original and forming relationships between materials and the people who source, use, and put them together. 

‘Zemlja' is made almost entirely from natural materials. The apartment is like a geological artefact with traces of the human hand left in its crafted surfaces. This creates a sensory experience and a sense of belonging to the earth. The use of locally sourced wood, including solid beech boards, oak parquet, and spruce windows, which are becoming more affordable than imported alternatives, not only contributes to circularity but also symbolically connects the apartment to the forests of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which cover over 50% of the country.