User:Mrmikac/sandbox

Mufid Garibija, architect - Keeper of Sarajevo's history

Mufid Garibija, a distinguished architect, comes from an autonomous Sarajevo family whose roots in this city go back 400 years. He was always interested in the architecture and history of Sarajevo, especially in the period of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule in BiH, as well as in the topics of the Liberation War.

"I was born into a family that is historically aware, so I built my knowledge of Sarajevo thanks to the stories and rich literature from the home library," says the renowned architect, born on September 5, 1960 in Sarajevo's Vratnik neighborhood. In an interview with eKapija, Garibia admits that architecture was his boyhood dream, showing a talent for buildings and aesthetics from a young age.

For this reason, he enrolled in the hometown of the Architecture Secondary School and then the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo. However, he points out that he has never been a careerist, and believes that it does not matter what work is done as long as it is done in the best possible way.

"A career is built in an environment that recognizes talent, hard work and work. In business, I am always aware of my capabilities - my imagination helps me create, but racio keeps me on the ground. Thanks to such a balance between desires and opportunities, I have never been focused on a glorious career but on the personal pleasure that architecture brings me, "he points out.

A visionary since his student days

He started his career more than 30 years ago when he worked in high school during the construction of the Doboj-Tuzla and Laktaši-Banja Luka highways, where he gained valuable experience in the field of civil engineering.

His first solo autos work was created during his student days, namely in 1982, when he reconstructed an authentic wooden minaret at the Jekovac Mosque, which would become a prototype for some other minarets.

During his studies and his internship, from 1984 to 1986, he worked at the then Republic Institute for the Protection and Preservation of Monuments and Culture of BiH, where he was hired as an external associate at the facilities: Mogorijelo near Capljina, Dobričevo Women's Monastery near Bileca. the Orthodox Church in Cajnice and the tower of St. Ports in Egg.

From 1989 to 1992, he was employed by Elmax-Engineering, where he worked on the design of visual communications. In late 1991 to mid-1993, he was active in the BiH Army, which he enlisted through engagement through the Patriotic League and the Green Berets.

Since mid-1993, he has become a full-time employee of the Federal Meteorological Institute of BiH. It is interesting to note that at that institution, he worked, among other things, on the formation of the first chicken farm in the then besieged Sarajevo. He has remained in the Institute until today, where he serves as the head of the department for technical, current and investment issues.

In the meantime, he has worked on projects for numerous buildings in Sarajevo, including the Butique-36, Safir, Kovacs and Hayat hotels, a range of residential and hospitality interiors, close to a dozen mosques.

He has also participated in the reconstruction projects of Sebille as a national object, and the Meteorological Observatory on Bjelasnica. He also did design and artwork for numerous books, including the book "Travels - Meeting the Sign of Time and Space" by Fahira Fejzić, as well as the design of twenty postage stamps.

A blend of game and commitment

Architecture as a call to Garibia is a blend of the game with commitment. Creating a responsibility - towards the customer who buys the idea and believes in it, as well as being responsible for the public good and the environment in general.

The greatest advantage in the work of an architect is the free expression of imagination and creativity, which is often confined to other professions by the boundaries of business. People in this profession have the luxury of putting ideas into action, and the result they achieve is plastic and remains in the form of buildings.

"I would point out that a good architect, in addition to talent for art and design, must also be a good engineer in order to make his idea stable, stable, quality and give it the ability to use it. In addition, it needs the negotiating power but also the ability to convince the client." he states.

World-class buildings

As an expert in his hometown, Garibija points out that there are several fascinating buildings from different historical periods in Sarajevo that, according to him, are world-class.

From the Ottoman period he distinguished "Kurshumli madrassa" as the first school of its kind in Europe, the Moric khan and the Jewish Museum building whose interior is specific and reminiscent of Jerusalem. As far as the Austro-Hungarian period is concerned, the city hall, authored by Alexander Wittek, is the forerunner, which has become a symbol of the city.

In the period of old Yugoslavia, it is the National Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Central Bank), and in the period of new Yugoslavia, it has "nickeled" several great objects, including Najthart's buildings of the BiH Parliament, the so-called "waist-high woman" in Mary's court, except for the last floor, which was subsequently added by order of the Central Committee.

"From 1995 to the present, I would particularly emphasize the stylization of the American Embassy building, an example of how architects 'squeeze' the influences of surrounding architecture and building into a contemporary design. In this case, the influence of the Charles Parzik Land Museum, and several buildings in the vicinity prompted the Embassy architect to design such a facility meticulously. In addition, the building, with its appearance, imparts strength, power, protection, which shows the impact of America on BiH, "Garibija explains.

Football player and fireman

Despite numerous business commitments, Garibia strives to find time for various hobbies such as philately, beekeeping and physics research. Football is his great love and the best way to relax. It is interesting that our interlocutor is also a firefighter, so he "jumps" into that type of work as needed.

During his long career, he has received numerous awards for his work, including the first Philatelic Design World Award in 2000 in a competition of 86 countries. He is also the holder of the largest individual award for his contribution to the development of the Sarajevo municipality Stari grad. In 2007, he was in the group of authors who won the Design Oscar at the World Competition in China on behalf of our country.

He won second place at the Contemporary Philatelic Design Competition in 2009 in Cetinje, and last year won the first place for a console house in Sarajevo.

In all spheres of life he always strives for better things, and in business he does not deviate from the ethically, somewhat forgotten, values - that it is important to succeed while not harming others.