GEN-I DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR THE ENERGY FUTURE

LOCATION
Ljubljana, Slovenija

COMPETITION YEAR
December 2019

ARCHITECTURE OFFICE
Ravnikar - Potokar arhitekturni biro d.o.o.

ARCHITECTURE
Robert Potokar, Matej Fornazarič, Tina Gradišer, Anže Kotnik, Špela Kuhar

COLLABORATOR
Anja Patekar

The development centre building is conceived as an organism that simultaneously brings together and separates different programmatic components. The elongated form of the building gives its northeast and southwest façades two distinct characters, which are meaningfully integrated and complement one another within the interior. The building is positioned as far back from the road as possible, allowing the new development centre to create its own entrance plaza. This defines the entrance, emphasises the importance of the building, and, on a broader urban scale, contributes to the openness and spatial quality of the surroundings.

The southwest – urban – façade appears serious, restrained, and professional, while at the same time expressing innovation through the integration of photovoltaic panels. It embodies the impression the company seeks to convey to the outside world. The rear – garden – façade becomes more dynamic and playful through the shifting of individual box-like volumes out of the façade plane. Greenery is planned on the terraces of these offset volumes, connecting the building with the surrounding green landscape.

The floor plan follows the main concept, with spaces facing the road and the urban side arranged in a grid-like layout. These spaces are compact and separated by partitions or glass walls. The spaces in the central part of the building are predominantly service areas with vertical circulation elements and individual intermediate divisions. The spaces on the garden side of the building are completely open, fluid, and flexible, without intermediate divisions. In this way, nature is also able to flow freely through the building on this side.