Solar house in Srem - engineer Milenko Milinković built house that is heated only by sun

(Milenko Milinković)

The solar energy that comes to the earth in a single day is greater than the energy of all known reserves of fossil fuels. Milenko Milinković used a part of Sun’s gift to build a house in Boljevci, near Belgrade. When it comes to energy saving, this house has no match in the world.

When you ask him why the house has the shape of a hemisphere, with 18.5 meters in diameter, Milenko will readily say: - And where have you seen cubic objects in the nature?- He will then mention earth-cabins and igloos and explain that the spheric shape is, mathematically, the most optimal shape because it provides the largest volume with the minimum surface.

When you enter the house whose rear side is under the ground, while the front side is made of glass, you will step into a spacious living room of 220 square meters with a solar swimming pool on the ground floor. There are also two bedrooms with bathrooms and jakuzzi baths on the first floor. Thanks to the solar collectors, of which surface is 115 square meters, Milinković spends only 15 kWh of heating energy per square meter on annual basis for heating purposes. For the sake of comparison, the new apartments in Belgrade consume over 100 kWh of heating energy per square meter on annual basis, while similar solar houses in some other countries spend not less than 40 kWh per square meter.

Labor Medal Winner

– The possibilities of use of solar energy are huge, especially when it comes to water heating. Therefore, many countries have already introduced the regulations that govern these issues – says Milinković. This man is electrical engineer who was dealing with telecommunications for a long time. He will be remembered in his hometown Vukovar as the man who increased the number of fixed phone lines in this municipality from 5 to 33 per 100 citizens while he was the Director of PTT. It happened in 1987, and Serbia reached aforementioned level in fixed telephony in the last few years.

In addition to the fact that he was decorated by the Croatian Government with labor medal with silver wreath, Milenko’s success was also confirmed at the elections in 1990. In the municipality where 32% of the population were Serbs, he "collected" 67% of votes and became a representative in the Parliament. But his political career did not last long. Following the outbreak of the war, he moved with his family to Belgrade where he also moved the headquarters of "Milinković Company", which is now a stable company with more than 50 employees, 16 of whom have faculty diplomas.

Shortly after he left Vukovar, he bought a house in Boljevci, in the vicinity of fish pond "Živača". Milinković’s property now occupies 14 ha. In addition to old house and aforementioned solar miracle, there are also two ferrocement halls and a lake made of backwater of the Sava river on the property. Here, in the silence of rural idyll, he prepares new projects, the most interesting of which is construction of school sports hall of ferrocement. Milinković is one of the world’s greatest experts for use of that material, the proof of which is the gold medal he won at the congress in China last October.

(Living room with swimming pool)

Success in Singapore

– Ferrocement is thin-layer, reinforced concrete that has series of advantages over the reinforced concrete elements of the same mechanical characteristics: it is easy to process, it can last for 200 years, and it is resistant to water, high temperatures, winds and earthquakes. In addition, the facilities built of ferrocement are about 25% cheaper than the classical ones, heating and maintenance costs are 50% lower, while the construction itself is significantly faster. It takes only 15 days for a hall at 1,000 square meters to be built –says Milinković whose project for construction of ferrocement sports halls is backed by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

As far as solar houses are concerned, they will remain science fiction in the country that hits the bottom of the world’s energy efficiency list. Cuba and some other Carribbean countries that are often tormented by destructive hurricans are very interested in Milinković’s project. After the international symposium in Singapore 2001, the solar house whose prototype we saw in Boljevci drew exceptional attention of the expert public and it got its place in the leading architectural textbooks and on the pages of the most respectable environmental magazines. Unfortunately, smuggling of sunglasses in Serbia is still more profitable than the use of solar energy.

Experience from the Hague

Although he received many offers, Milenko Milinković did not want to become politically engaged in Serbia. As he explains, the politics in Serbia is completely different than in some other developed countries, such as Netherlands where he was staying when he was a witness at the trial against Slavko Dokmanović.

– I was sitting with a friend in a restaurant in the Hague and I saw Dutch ministers walking to the restaurant and sitting in it without bodyguards, just like normal people who are temporary government officials with the obligations and tasks that are clearly defined by the Law – says Milinković.

(Note: the complete text is taken over from newspaper Blic of February 1st, 2009)

Milinković Company d.o.o. Beograd

Ministarstvo prosvete Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo sporta Republike Srbije

Milinković Company

Milenko Milinković

Boljevci

Vukovar

fish pond Živača

Singapore

Ministry of Education

Ministry of Youth and Sport

earth cabin

igloo

jacuzzi

ferrocement

Slavko Dokmanović