Sasa Radulovic

Radulovic, after studying architecture in Sarajevo and Belgrade, obtained his degrees in architecture from the University of Manitoba's School of Architecture, where he met his partners Johanna Hurme originally from Helsinki, Finland and Colin Neufeld from Winnipeg. Growing up outside of Canada, provided "...outsider’s perspective (that) might be one factor in their breaking the mold." Despite its lack of big city resources, 5468796 finds Winnipeg a fertile ground for architectural innovation. According to the trio, the city has many other advantages, such as being able to make an impact with the most modest of projects or interventions. They also feel that Winnipeg has a distinct quality : "It’s quirky making it interesting here."

Radulovic fled Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. His personal experience as a war refugee has influenced his work as an architect. For example, an earlier commission involved constructing affordable, yet livable, housing for immigrants and low-income renters. The structure was built around a muse and a courtyard with numerous windows ‘putting eyes on the street’, while each townhouse dwelling was equipped with a balcony and private exterior entrance.

Several of their public housing and residential projects have included courtyards, thus providing city dwellers with a peaceful green space. Their Parallelogram House, 2018 recipient of Governor General Award, located on the outskirts of Winnipeg, is noted for its flowing spaces and connection to the exterior landscape. A recent $20 million contract involves redeveloping a Winnipeg heritage building and received much local media attention. Radulovic met regularly with city planners, resulting in several concessions so the project could go ahead in 2017.

Radulovic sits on an executive board, as well as an advisory Committee, at the University of Manitoba. He regularly speaks at various public engagements and academic conferences. In January 2018, he gave a lecture at Dalhousie University in Halifax concerning the influence of architecture on design. In 2017, he and partner Hurme were part of the Omaha lecture series organized by the American Institute of Architects. They have also headlined conferences at Université Laval in 2018 and at Université de Montréal in 2015. In 2015, Radulovic participated in a public discussion held by the Toronto Society of Architects. In 2012, he and Hurme were asked to present at the Architectural League’s lecture series in New York City.

Using inexpensive materials their monochromatic buildings have been described as having "...a restrained yet celebrated aesthetic." A hundred year old office building was transformed into a residential block by adding a black facade and different sized balconies. A new cube shaped structure, made from aluminium, was designed to act as both an outdoor stage and art installation. The hyper-modernist OMS stage won the Governor General's Medal in Architecture in 2014. In 2012, their three-story condominium project, a white boxlike building called Bloc_10, also received a Governor General's Medal in Architecture.

Recipient of numerous prizes and honours, Radulovic represented Canada at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. Radulovic, Hurme and Jae-Sung Chon curated the transformation of the permanent Canadian Pavilion. In 2013, he and Hurme received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Emerging Architectural Practice Award. In 2014, 5468796 Architecture competed against top international firms, winning the Best Future Project prize at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore. In 2015, Radulovic and his two associates were voted the top 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans. In 2017, Radulovic and Hurme were bestowed fellowships by The College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Sasa Radulovic (born in 1972) is a co-founding partner of 5468796 Architecture - an award-winning Canadian firm from Winnipeg. His firm is known for affordable, highly innovative, urban architectural projects, which include institutional, commercial and residential structures.