The American Experience and a Farewell Note to Slovenian Architectural Masters

A few years ago, I wrote in one of my editorials about the importance of experiencing things in person. It makes such a difference to get to know architecture with your own eyes, with your own senses, to experience it, to see how it fits into a space, and to be able to admire the details up close. A photograph, plans, even a video, as good as they may be, cannot achieve what an authentic experience can bring. And so for years I have been persuading students to try, if possible, to visit as much quality architecture as they can in person.

Something similar happened on this year’s family-business trip to the western part of the USA, where we saw some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural works, including the Marin County Civic Center, the Hollyhock House in Hollywood, and his Taliesin West studio in Arizona, in addition to the beautiful national parks. We moved on to the still-preserved Schindler House from the 1920s in Los Angeles, which surprised us with its modesty and references to traditional Japanese architecture, and the timeless Salk Institute by Louis Kahn in San Diego. I see it as a literal form of Renaissance poetry, executed in concrete, which is and probably will remain one of the unrivalled examples of architecture. Truly inimitable. There is also the special story of the Eames House, which we were only able to see because of a chance acquaintance with the architectural critic Zahid Sardar.

Although the house is only accessible by reservation several months in advance, which was not an option for us, the architect’s grandson Eames Demetrious gave us a personal tour of the house on the basis of the aforementioned acquaintance. He, who literally experienced the house with his own eyes as a child and grew up with it, has for many years been the head of the Eames Foundation, which has been looking after the property in the recent years. During our afternoon visit, we had the opportunity to relive moments and experiences in the interior designed by both Charles and Ray Eames. Truly priceless. All the intelligence available from the use of computers cannot replace the genuine contact you can experience with human, personal interpretation. Of course, such stories cannot happen to all visitors, but that does not undermine the fact that even today, in our digital era, one must experience things in one’s own way. Even architecture. So let me take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Zahid and Eames for making this available to us.

There is one more thing that I would like to mention in my editorial: this year has been really unfortunate for Slovenian architecture: the first to leave us, just before turning 102, was Stanko Kristl, an architect who made a significant mark on the Slovenian architectural scene of the second half of the 20th century. Each of the buildings he realised is of added value in its architectural typology: from the Mladi Rod kindergarten and the University Medical Centre, to the primary school in Kranj and the block of flats in Velenje… Not long after, in February, the architect Janez Lajovic left us at the age of 92. It was above all his project for the Kanin Hotel that persuaded the Slovene and, at that time, the Yugoslav architectural public to award him the Borba Federal Prize. At the time, this was the highest award for architecture in Yugoslavia. Then, in October, another Borba Prize laureate passed away much too soon, at the age of 77. Janez Kobe won the prize for his project Slavic Beach in Budva, but the Slovenian public has still not given him the recognition that his work deserves. All three architects have appeared in Piranesi with in-depth interviews and their personal stories, some of which were presented to the public for the first time here. Unfortunately, we did not interview Fedja Košir, who passed away this summer, but he contributed several articles on architectural theory to the magazine. In view of all this, I wonder, hypothetically, how our Slovenian architectural masters would have fared in a different, American space. Would they have found their way there, would they have been even more visible, would they have been known all over the world? Whatever the case, they are and have been extremely important for our Slovenian space, and we can only hope that the next few months will not bring any more unfortunate announcements, and that 2024 will end on a more cheerful note.

The theme of this issue of Piranesi is Ljubljana Castle, its 50-year renovation and the revival of its programme activities. Over the last half century, the city has managed to transform the once almost dilapidated castle building into one of Ljubljana’s main landmarks and Slovenia’s main tourist attractions, with some one million visitors a year. A figure which, in Slovenian terms, shows that in a relatively short period of time this once ugly duckling has become not just a white swan, but something more. The renovation process itself might not have been so successful if it had not been for a whole series of happy coincidences. In 1969, a competition was held in which the architects Edo Ravnikar Jr., Majda Kregar and Miha Kerin presented a strong conceptual design for the renovation, which they stuck to throughout the following years, keeping their hands and eyes on the renovation. And for all 50 years of the project, in cooperation with the city’s changing authorities. Despite the complications, the lack of funds and political will of the various parties at various times, the city and the architects have managed to renovate the castle to a truly enviable architectural level, with new interventions visibly separated from the existing building, and with the interplay of new cultural content alternating with the catering activity, which further contributes to the revival of the castle.

If only a few years ago we were wondering why an expensive funicular had to be built on Castle Hill, this has now proved to be a worthwhile investment and one of Ljubljana’s main attractions. The architects, together with the experts of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, managed to position it in such a way that it does not spoil the silhouette of Castle Hill, while at the same time allowing a unique view of the city from the ascending cabin. As a result of all these factors, we felt obliged to present the project in more detail, a task entrusted to Andrej Hrausky, who also included Plečnik’s unrealised plans for the castle’s renovation. The renovation process was further illuminated by Majda Kregar, the architect, co-author of the competition entry and of the entire renovation of the castle, in a longer, personal interview. In it, she reveals in great detail the approaches and methods of renovating the castle and also offers us an invaluable insight into her collaboration with Professor Edvard Ravnikar, as she has worked with him on various projects and participated in numerous competitions. Despite her 83 years, she is still active in the office, planning new projects with her youthful energy, full of optimism and faith in the best of human nature.

The Piranesi 2023 Award – for the renovation of the Old Glassworks building in Ptuj by the Elementarna architects – was already presented in detail in the last year’s issue. This time we focus on the Piranesi Honourable Mention – the kindergarten project in Bohinj. It was designed by a group of young architects who, while they were still completing their studies, won a competition and realised a small but important work in Bohinj, on the outskirts of Triglav National Park. A few years ago, the architect Maruša Zorec and her team won a competition to redesign a monastery in Italy. Now the renovation is complete and the monastery has been returned to its original mission. The DCB Montana office building in Ljubljana is an outstanding example of how a building can be placed in a suburban Ljubljana environment, and at the same time become an upgrade of the office space concept, the likes of which have never been seen before in this city. The architects at BAX Studio have certainly made an impression here. While in Maribor, AU Architects have designed a high-quality example of a health centre. These are all examples which show that the top of Slovenian architecture is quite broad and that, in addition to the more established architectural practices, newer studios and younger architects are also producing outstanding work.

The Slovenian Design section of this edition is rounded off by the architect Julijan Krapež, who has been designing furniture since his graduation, initially for the Slovenian furniture industry, which has been in decline in recent years, so his work has been limited to small carpentry workshops or the interior design of individual residential houses. His products have a special charm that is entirely his own, which convinces many a client to treat themselves to a chair or wardrobe designed especially for them. Among the projects of contemporary Central European architectural production, I would also like to highlight the chapel at the Miljana Manor in Croatia, where Alvaro Siza Vieira convinces us with his personal touch on a timeless sacred space, and this is also presented in this edition of Piranesi.