Despite some prejudice that sometimes arises in the air when discussing the modern architecture of the countries of the former socialist bloc, it becomes more and more obvious that it is distinguished by interesting solutions and high quality of implementation. When you come to Slovenia, you don't expect to see so many beautiful new buildings, often made from budget materials, but with great taste. One gets the impression that architects, customers, city authorities, residents - everyone here cares what environment they live in. No matter how pompous it may sound, here you can feel the desire for development in everything.
Ofis bureau is well known to all of the currently working Slovenian architects, so this time we will not talk about them, but we will consider three works of another talented studio - Bevk Perović Arhitekti, headed by a native of Ljubljana, Matija Bevk and Vasa Perovic from Belgrade.
Tower
When the design site of a residential complex is located in close proximity to the railway, and the price per square meter, conceived by developers, is considered high by Slovenian standards, then the building should have a number of qualities that smooth out the shortcomings of the situation and justify the considerable cost of housing. What came out with the architects Bevk Perović is a very good result.
The multifunctional complex Situla includes retail space, office space, a 5-level underground garage and 226 apartments of various types, ranging from studio apartments to duplexes and apartments with patios, imitating the layout of a Mediterranean home. The cost of apartments grows depending on the floor, which is logical, because from above the railway becomes almost invisible, and the view of the old city is more advantageous. As in most tower-type houses, the apartments here turned out to be deep. In this case, it can be difficult to make a really successful layout, but the architects in this project, in the main, succeeded, although in some cases, for example, the area allotted to the corridors seems excessive.
Situla uses the principle of “double façade”: the inner one consists of solid glass with sound insulation, and the outer one consists of perforated aluminum sliding panels, with the help of which, according to the architects' idea, the level of openness of the interior to the environment can be adjusted. Such panels are not cheap, but from an aesthetic and practical point of view, they are very good. In general, it is good news that, despite the considerable cost of some of the materials used, the customers agreed with their use. Separately, it should be noted the very high quality of the project.
The complex has everything you need for daily life; by and large, you don't have to leave it at all: there are shops - from grocery to flower shops, a fitness center, and there is a concierge service that can be used 24 hours a day.
Situla evokes a slight envy of the fact that all participants in the process have done their work with high quality, taste and skill, and are obviously aimed at high results. And the fact that for Slovenia this is not an exception, but a trend is demonstrated by other works of Bevk Perović.
Hostel
How to make housing for students as comfortable and interesting as possible is a topic of constant discussions and competitions in Europe. In Ljubljana, on the border of the city center and near the river, there is a “student house” that can be used as a model for such projects.
The 56-room dormitory is fenced off from the road by rows of trees. It is distinguished by simplicity and functionality of solutions: there is a public first level with spaces for study, recreation, etc., and two residential floors. The rooms for students are organized very simply: two on the sides of the common bathroom and the kitchen-dining room. All rooms have balconies where there is a storage room.
On the facade, perforated folding elements are used, reminiscent of the Situla solution: thanks to them, it is possible to regulate the "privacy" of the premises: even when closed, the street is perfectly visible through the holes in the panels, but nothing is visible from the outside. A big plus is the glazing of a part of the side façade, thanks to which all the stairs received daylight.
Separately, I would like to mention the landscaping of the courtyard, which is also very simple, but elegant, in a combination of several different textures of materials.
Affordable Housing
From the outside, the social housing complex Sotočje looks more like housing for wealthy people. It is located in the town of Kranj overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Kokra rivers. Back in the 19th century, there was an industrial zone here, and just before the start of construction there was a rubber plant, and because of this, the ecological situation on the site was not the best. Therefore, in addition to the measures taken before construction began to clean up the soil, the project includes a platform that serves not only as a garage, but also as a barrier against pollution.
The complex consists of three buildings: the architects tried to arrange them so that most of the 142 apartments have a view of the river. The apartments themselves are quite modest in size and simple in layout.
All buildings are surrounded by balconies, and their shell is again made of perforated panels, the ornament of which imitates the wooden structures of the historical buildings characteristic of this area. The curtains made of tarpaulin deserve special mention - not only durable, but also very stylish.
The landscaping of the courtyard, as in the case of the student dormitory, combines very pleasant textures and textures and is distinguished by simplicity, comfort and elegance of the solution.
I would like to study the modern architecture of Slovenia in detail: there are many interesting details that would have to be recorded for a long time and meticulously with the help of texts and photographs. It is better to come and see everything for yourself: there is a lot to learn here - not only in terms of creativity, but also in terms of the approach to implementation.
