APLE ERASMUS+ project
APLE Fest 18-20 February 2026
Student Pavilion – IMPRINTS OF NERETVA

APLE Erasmus+  in the final third year of the project organized an architecture festival called APLE Fest, hosted and organized by the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Banja Luka. APLE Fest is an interactive architecture festival that connects academia, practice and the public through innovative forms of presentation.

Along with numerous panels and sessions, the three-day festival focused on student workshops and the creation of individual pavilions for each APLE project partner. The pavilions were worked on by students from Trondheim, Norway, NTNU University, and students of architecture from the University of Sarajevo, University of Banja Luka, University of Montenegro in Podgorica, and University of Mostar. Our students from the undergraduate university study of Architecture and Urbanism began their work on the pavilions in the premises of FGAG SUM and during online meetings with the organizer and other partners. Over the past two months, 15 students from the A+U study program have been working diligently, and the initial thoughts on the exhibition theme have gradually gained structure, materialization, and presentation methods. Each student pavilion from Trondheim, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Banja Luka presents a lot of hard work and excellent results. However, our pavilion entitled " IMPRINTS OF NERETVA " captivated visitors to wander along the imposed path and feel the river as tame and friendly, offering not only visual motifs but also sound. The use of cellophane in thick layers creates transparency, a dark part of the river, and its noise. Recycled nylon taken from the construction site with its traces served in the design and emphasized the reflection on sustainability and the ecological dimension in the application of materials. At the exhibition, the Neretva River becomes the central motif, starting point, and fundamental concept that shows the connection between space and people, past and future, nature and architecture.

We will certainly talk more about the exhibition and present it on another occasion with printed and video material and a presentation by students. It is worth highlighting the first five names of students who physically set up and designed the exhibition in Banja Luka, as well as other students who worked hard on certain segments and made a great contribution to its creation. These are: Romana Vidović, Katarina Šantić, Marija Barbarić, Barbara Lasić and Katarina Rajič, and Ana Maria Prusina, Marta Herceg, Antonela Vasilj, Nika Barać, Marko Terkeš, Kazimir Juričić, Ivana Vasilj, Iva Miloš, Petra Milićević and Lucija Primorac.

Teachers from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, team member MSc. Tatjana Džeba, team member assistant Gabrijela Rajič and project manager Assistant Professor PhD Valerija Kopilaš also participated in the work on the exhibition pavilion. Teachers participated in daily sessions as part of the organizers' program, which you can see in the attachment.

As one of the partners in the APLE Erasmus+ project, the University of Mostar and the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy set broad guidelines within the three-year project. Bringing together students and academic staff with experts from practice through workshops, lectures and educational courses has improved practice-oriented teaching and learning.

 Assistant Professor PhD Valerija Kopilaš