ZlokoviAc's Understandings of Reciprocal Concatenation

Abstract

In this paper, we present Milan ZlokoviAc's theorisation of reciprocal concatenation and its application in his architectural design. For two decades architect Milan ZlokoviAc (1898-1965), one of the founders of Modern Movement in Yugoslavia, studied what he called "the science of proportions". His findings have not received the attention they deserve. Here we analyse his research on proportional method of reciprocal concatenation through the ancient concept of analogy, the correlation among proportional systems, an ideal set of preferential numbers and the use of proportional dividers. Based on his theoretical views, we examined proportions in two of his buildings: the Elementary School in Jagodina (1937-1940) and the Teacher Training School in Prizren (1960). Finally, we show that ZlokoviAc combined reciprocal concatenation with various proportional systems, proving it to be a valuable tool for contemporary architectural design.