From Sarajevo classrooms to skyscrapers that reshape New York’s skyline, architect Damir Dan Šehić’s career is marked by major projects and international recognition. One of his skyscrapers, 72 floors tall, won two significant architectural awards, while his studio today is working on a project encompassing as many as 21 skyscrapers and 7,200 apartments. Šehić, along with Vladimir Krstić, professor emeritus at Kansas State University, spoke on N1 about his achievements and the challenges of contemporary construction in Sarajevo. Krstić warns that certain new buildings are undermining the identity of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Two architects, whose careers connected Sarajevo with the United States, appeared on N1 as part of the project “Diaspora-Sarajevo School of Architecture in the World,” which brings together architects educated in Sarajevo through exhibitions, lectures, and discussions from October through the end of November.
Krstić left Sarajevo in 1986, when he went to the United States to start his academic career. Šehić left in 1989, and he opened his architectural studio in New York in 2004/2005.
“We had the privilege to build around 55 facilities in America. We are passing 60,” Šehić said, explaining that there are years of hard work behind his success and a demanding process to obtain an architectural license in the US.
72-Story Skyscraper Wins Two Major Awards
Speaking about the projects that marked his career, Šehić singled out the skyscraper in New York for which he got a chance after investors had previously talked with some of the world’s largest architectural firms.
It is a project worth more than 500 million dollars. The investors had previously considered a 100-story building for this project.
“Two families came to me, six people, who for three years sought an architectural company to build a 100-story skyscraper in New York,” Šehić said.
As he stated, investors had previously visited major architectural companies, including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Kohn Pedersen Fox. However, he believes that his ability to present a different solution was crucial.
“You must know how to sell your idea. You have to know how to explain your idea; that is how you get a job,” he emphasised.
According to him, the project was realised in the end as a 72-story skyscraper.
“You know, it received two major awards as the world’s best building in2015. I went to Abu Dhabi to receive that award in 2016, and it also won the Red Award in 2016 as the best skyscraper in New York,” Šehić said.
He spoke about a building on Park Avenue, which he said holds designated cultural landmark status in New York, which requires them to consult him whenever changes are made to the property.
Among the projects he is currently working on, he also mentioned new skyscrapers on 34th Street and Park Avenue, a commercial building in Brooklyn, and a project in Great Neck.
Project of 21 Skyscrapers and 7,200 Apartments: “In the end, I am not satisfied”
Šehić’s story about a massive residential project in Jersey City, across from New York, drew special attention.
“I have one massive project, 7,200 apartments across 21 skyscrapers that I’m working on in Jersey City,” he said.
He explained that investors and urban planners wanted to create a space modelled after European cities, with pedestrian crossings, restaurants, shops, and commercial space below residential units.
However, as he said, investors’ financial interests often took precedence over architectural solutions.
“The reality is that it’s all about the dollars. The dollar regulates everything in America,” he said.
Although his studio, which has 15 employees, worked on a project of this magnitude, Šehić admits that he is not fully happy with the outcome.
“In the end, I am not happy with the outcome. Because they crammed those skyscrapers right next to each other,” he said.
He warned that too much proximity between tall buildings can create issues with privacy, wind, and the residents’ overall quality of life.
He explained he tried to convince the investor to accept different architectural solutions, but market demands are often crucial.
“If you lose the job, there are a hundred other people ready to do it,” Šehić said, adding that he is more satisfied with the design of newer skyscrapers he is projecting for the same investor.
Krstić: “When I come to Sarajevo, I want to find Sarajevo, not some other city”
Vladimir Krstić, whose academic career is connected to Japan and the United States, spoke about the significance of the city’s identity and the responsibility of architects towards the space in which they build.
He emphasised that Sarajevo remained a starting point of his professional development, despite decades spent abroad.
“I prefer to see buildings that belong to Sarajevo, that are defined by the culture of the place, geography, social conditions. Because when I come to Sarajevo, I want to find Sarajevo; I don’t want to find some other city,” Krstić said.
According to him, problems arise when structures are built in Sarajevo that could just as easily stand in any other city in the world.
He cited as an example the Sarajevo City Centre (SCC) in Marijin Dvor.
“Someone may say that, architecturally, it’s not a bad building. It has some formal quality. However, I ask myself, what it has to do with Sarajevo,” he said.
He said he doesn’t want to criticize individual architects, but raise a question of professional responsibility.
“We have a moral responsibility. Every act of architecture is an act of city-making. Sometimes building the wrong structure causes harm to the city’s form and identity,” Krstić warned.
Šehić: “In Sarajevo, everyone does whatever they want; that is a big problem”
Šehić particularly criticized how urban planning and construction are handled in Sarajevo today.
“The problem with Sarajevo is that there is no longer any chamber of architecture or architectural association, and everyone does whatever they want. That is a big problem,” he declared.
He recalled the time when architectural projects were reviewed by expert commissions that gave suggestions before construction.
He mentioned a commission associated with Živojin Janković, which he said included architect Ivan Štraus.
“This no longer exists. It is chaos,” Šehić assessed.
As a contrasting example, he pointed to New York, where, according to him, every project must be aligned with numerous urban planning and building regulations.
Citizens Must Participate in Decisions about the City’s Appearance
Krstić spoke about his experience leading the Kansas City Design Centre, a program in which architecture students, experts, local authorities and citizens worked together on urban design proposals.
“Every project we did was not just an academic project. It was also a project which served the community,” he explained.
He emphasised that it is particularly important to include people living in the area where changes are planned.
“When planning a project, we bring citizens who live there, who are affected by what will happen, and they work alongside us to define the problems, goals, and search for solutions together,” he said.
In his opinion, citizens should not only express opinions about finished projects, but have a genuine role in shaping them.
An Idea for Sarajevo: Railway Station as a Cultural Centre, and a Boulevard in Place of the Tracks
Toward the end of the conversation, Šehić proposed an idea for redesigning a section of Sarajevo, while removing the railway tracks leading to it and building a boulevard in their place.
“Imagine that there is a boulevard like the Champs-Élysées in Paris,” Šehić said.
According to this idea, the railway station would be relocated further from the city centre, while the new boulevard would feature pedestrian zones, roadways, and commercial amenities.
Krstić assessed that it is an interesting proposal, but he also emphasised that such changes require a broader debate and long-term planning.
“It is an interesting idea, but it is one of the ideas. The question is how the city, professionals, city administration, and residents can decide together which projects are most important and will bring true transformation to the city,” he said.
He also expressed the necessity of a comprehensive master plan to establish development and investment priorities.
Returning to Sarajevo after Decades Abroad
Krstić emphasised that after leaving for the U.S., he went nearly 30 years without an opportunity to return to Sarajevo, and that reconnecting with the academic community was made possible through contacts with colleagues and the project dedicated to the architectural diaspora.
He is particularly impressed by the energy of young architects and their belief in the possibility of building a better future.
Šehić, on the other hand, said that he has regularly visited this part of Europe over the years and maintained contacts with former colleagues and professors, including Ivan Štraus, who mentored his thesis.
Speaking about the significance of the profession he dedicated his life to, Šehić concluded the conversation with a message:
“If you love what you do, in my opinion, you don’t work a single day in your life.”
Connecting the experiences of architects who built global careers with new generations in Bosnia and Herzegovina is precisely one of the key goals of the “Diaspora – Sarajevo School of Architecture in the World” project, N1 writes.
