You have been active on the architectural scene for quite some time, but only in recent years has your work visibly shaped the appearance of the capital and the rest of the cities: is such a path typical for an architect, when it bears fruits visible to the public only after years of work? In that ...
You have been active on the architectural scene for quite some time, but only in recent years has your work visibly shaped the appearance of the capital and the rest of the cities: this is a typical path for an architect, when it bears fruits visible to the public only after years of work?
There is certainly some truth in this, but there is another reason for it. After studying architecture in Ljubljana, I started working at the Ljubljana Urban Planning Institute, where I dealt with urban planning. In this case, the time to realization is much longer than in the case of architecture itself, and the author's design can also be completely watered down to realization. Nevertheless, I reached "my" neighborhood relatively quickly, when our team received the first prize for the arrangement of the Business-Residential Quarter Zupančičeva jama. Here we wanted to emphasize the urban, and not just the sleeping, character. This was followed by a master's degree at the American University of UCLA and a specialization in Sweden organized by the Royal Academy. The real architectural journey thus only began with the victory of my team in the competition for the World Trade Center in Ljubljana. At that time, the Genius Loci work was also created in architecture.
Are you the author or co-author of somewhat larger and more interesting residential buildings, such as R5 next to the Northern Ljubljana Park, Trnovska vrata, Kapitelj... Which elements are the most important in residential buildings so that they become sought after or desirable among buyers?
Our field is primarily urban centers, as we have some knowledge and practice in urban planning, which many architects do not have. Our buildings are thus organically woven into compact parts of the city, but at the same time they create a new one, well thought out in terms of context and spatial potential genius loci or the character of a certain location, which gives the city and public spaces a new quality. The city is a constant reconstruction, and in addition to the requirements arising from the project, partial interventions must also follow broader, often unwritten concepts. In addition to good apartments, their immediate environment is very important, where on the one hand we want residents to have direct contact with urban life, shops, bars, public transport, footpaths... and on the other hand to be able to retreat to a peaceful and a green environment safe for young children and safe from vandalism.
In the future, Genius Loci will come up with several interesting solutions for residential or residential-commercial buildings, such as Kokra in the area of the old Sava in Kranj, the Bellevue center near Celovška in Ljubljana, the Aero villas in Celje... Have you specialized in slightly more prestigious constructions?
I think the time has come when we have to offer those interested more, more exclusive locations, more interesting residential environments that preserve the advantages of collective construction, where, for example, you don't have to worry about maintenance, but get the sought-after elements or advantages of individual construction: higher spatial standard, more comfortable bathrooms, work corners, larger outdoor areas, shared but internal park arrangements, the possibility of accessing and storing bicycles and strollers next to the apartment... In the Center Bellevue project, we thus envisioned a larger internal park on the roof of the commercial and retail ground floor, from which the apartments are accessible: terraced houses and apartments in two verticals with large viewing terraces. Some apartments also have open courtyards between the two verticals, where we bring a bicycle, where our pet can live, where you can do something, grow small trees or hide from the annual heat. On the last floor there is a club with a large room and an even larger terrace that is used on the foundation time-sharing for events of individual residents, when they want to invite a larger number of friends.
What is the most attractive place to stay in Slovenian cities?
The most attractive, of course, is urban life, which has a suitable scale, so it is safe and can be managed on foot. The building density is not too high and allows for good sunlight and a view. Now that cars are moving underground, there is also more space for cultural and green areas for pedestrians.
In which existing or planned residential neighborhood would you prefer to live?
If the project will be realized as it is envisioned, it will certainly be Center Bellevue, which will offer, in addition to a new generation of apartments with the aforementioned qualities, minimal maintenance costs. It is designed as a passive building. I also wanted a terraced apartment in the triangular building R5 with a beautiful view of the Castle and the city. But if I lived in Kranj, this is the newly emerging Kokra project, where it will be possible to drive to the door of a sunny terraced apartment with a view of the Kokra canyon, and from there go on foot to run errands in the center, for a walk in the old town or for recreation in the landscape park by the river.
