SERBIA’S MEGAPROJECT – EXPO 2027: Kurir at the largest construction site in this part of Europe, a detailed overview of the country’s future source of pride
Massive works for EXPO 2027 are under way in Belgrade, across 800 hectares, with more than 4,000 workers, 400 machines, and deadlines that do not shift for rain or wind
On the site where there were once only Surčin fields and meadows, amid the roar of machinery and huge cranes, an extraordinary complex is now rising for the International Specialised Exhibition Expo 2027, which will be held from 15 May to 15 August 2027 in Belgrade. Alongside the national football stadium, the Expo villages and the complete supporting infrastructure, Belgrade is gaining a complex that will remain, after the exhibition, a source of pride for the Serbian capital and its citizens.
Around 4,000 workers engaged every day at the largest construction site in this part of Europe seemed not to notice the cold, autumn weather accompanied by wind, focused on the work that has to be done. The outlines of the magnificent complex under construction, and especially the national stadium, are already beginning to emerge beneath the construction scaffolding.
Residential complex
As Boris Bjelica, Acting Director of the Construction Directorate of Serbia, told Kurir, works are progressing according to the planned dynamics and within the contracted deadlines.
“The external structure of the apartments has been completed, by the end of the year the external joinery will be installed, after which interior finishing works will be able to begin, but for that you also need to heat the interior space a little. The deadline for the construction of the apartments is summer 2026,” Bjelica said.
In addition to the national stadium, the complex includes the future fairgrounds, facilities linked to the Expo itself, a residential complex and a range of other amenities, such as a four-star hotel.
In parallel, the complete infrastructure is being built, from roads and railways to what lies beneath the ground, such as water supply, sewage and gas pipelines that will supply the heating plant.
“The residential complex, the so-called Expo village, is being built for the purposes of the exhibition, but it will have its function even after the exhibition ends. Everything is being done to the highest urban-planning and construction standards; the complete access infrastructure will be completed, leaving us a legacy of the future Belgrade Fair site, a complex with numerous sports facilities, and a residential zone that will be an excellent basis for the development of many economic sectors,” Bjelica added.
Connection to the airport
The spatial plan for the area of special purpose in which this magnificent complex is located covers an area extending over more than 800 hectares.
“This lays excellent foundations for the area to continue developing after the Expo. We are at the crossroads of two international motorways, and everything will be connected to ‘Nikola Tesla’ Airport and the centre of Belgrade,” Bjelica concluded.
We remind readers that for the International Exhibition Expo 2027 it is planned that 42.5 billion dinars will be allocated from the budget in 2026.
Exhibition halls
7 halls in the zone of the future fairgrounds, connected by annexes
6 halls measuring 90 by 130 metres, 10 metres high
Universal Hall 5 measuring 90 by 140 metres, 13 metres high, which will be able to be used for concerts
National stadium
52,000 seats for spectators
3 levels
3 green rings with a surface area of 5,000 square metres
44 pillars 40 metres high
32 hectares is the surface area of the entire stadium complex
Apartments
160,000 square metres is the gross area of the entire residential complex
1,500 accommodation units
35–102 square metres is the area range of apartment layouts
81,000 square metres is the net residential area
Access roads
8 roads, with a total length of 11.85 km, each with two lanes
18 km of railway track with a station that will be connected to the airport and the city centre
An interchange that will be a direct link to the bypass and the A1 motorway
A road that will lead towards New Belgrade and be connected to the Miloš Veliki motorway
Infrastructure
7 sewage pumping stations
An 8.5 km-long water-supply line and a section of foul sewage with a pumping station towards New Belgrade
2.2 km of water supply and sewage towards Surčin
Main gas metering and regulating station
A major heat source that will supply the entire zone
1 supply substation TS National Stadium 110/10 kV, which will supply the entire area with electrical energy
Workforce engaged every day
Around 4,000 workers work on the site every day
400 units of various machinery, including cranes