Following New York and some other western metropolitan areas, the Slovenian capital will see an array of buildings on top of the track. The roads that divided the city center into two parts and which for many decades were a considerable inconvenience for residents will now be hidden under a shopping complex, an office building and a high-rise residential building. Due to the fact that the station will also be hidden underground, about 20 hectares of area will be freed up.
The office complex and the apartment building will be glazed, streamlined towers 100 and 60 m high, respectively. But the shopping center, which will be the largest in the country, will have a more original look. Its space will be cut through by several public areas connecting neighborhoods on both sides of the old railroad tracks. The rectangular block of the building will be enlivened by bright green oval volumes serving as light courtyards; the shopping center will be covered with a green roof the size of a football field.
The implementation of this large-scale project with a budget of 250 million euros has already begun. The first phase of construction is planned to be completed in a year, and the entire "Center Emonika" will open in the summer of 2010.
