OHS Award 2024

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the closing event of this year’s Open House Slovenia festival took place in the Edvard Gallery in Ljubljana, featuring the awarding of prizes to selected architectural projects presented during the OHS architectural festival, which was held from April 12 to 14 across the country.

Voting for the architectural projects presented at the festival took place from April 12 to May 5, 2024. Visitors to OHS festival 2024 had the opportunity to view more than 70 architectural projects at the festival and vote for the best project in the categories of Public, Social and Business Projects, Housing Projects, and for the first time, Wood Projects. The OHS festival is based on a simple concept that allows everyone to connect with and personally experience quality architecture. Guided tours, led by architects, conservators, engineers, owners, investors, and contractors, enable visitors to gain a comprehensive understanding of the creation and significance of each architectural work.

The OHS Award has been awarded since 2019. It is not a traditional architectural award given by a selected professional jury to experts in the field of architectural design. The OHS Award is given with the aim of encouraging maximum public participation in understanding and deciding on selected projects. All the buildings presented in the festival program are approved by a professional jury, while the general public and visitors cast their votes for the project of their choice. Thus, the OHS Award is given to the team that collectively created each project – architects, engineers, contractors, clients, and investors. The role of every individual is of utmost importance in the project – moreover, all participants must understand what constitutes a quality space and jointly adhere to this idea until the project’s completion. Compromised and unprofessional solutions often remind us for a long time of the consequences of prioritizing the shortest execution times, particular interests, and the lowest costs.

The multifaceted nature of the OHS Award is particularly important to highlight today from two perspectives – the award is voted on by the general public, who are the users of the space and for whom the architecture is ultimately intended. In addition to architects, the OHS Award also recognizes the significant roles of investors and contractors who care about and understand the importance of spatial culture for the development of the community both today and in the future.

Blaž Budja, a member of this year’s expert jury, emphasized the importance of community in today’s society, which is increasingly inclined towards individualism. He believes that with the Open House Slovenia festival, we elevate general culture and give architecture the opportunity for greater, broader communal understanding and respect.

“The OHS festival is not a world championship in architecture; it seems that here, despite everything, the individual gives way to the collective. Moreover, participation is important, and the victory is shared. The OHS Award is thus the only award given by the people. Only in this way can architects lay down the burden of proving their expertise through the lens of seeking the social significance of their profession.

I believe that with the Open House Slovenia festival, we elevate general culture and give architecture the chance to uplift its creators, architects, from the unfortunately quite negative general perception today of someone who is just there to ‘handle the paperwork.’ Clients, who are important stakeholders in the process of creating architecture, are brought to a state of calm and satisfaction.”

Architect Blaž Budja, member of expert jury of OHS 2024, photo: Nejc Fon

The awarded projects and recipients were presented at the event in the Edvard Gallery. The awards were given in three categories.

In the category of Public, Social, and Business Projects, the award recipients were:

Water Tower Brežice

Client: Municipality of Brežice

Architecture and Interior: NAINO Architectural Office – Grega Bizjak, Tadeja Šepec Bizjak, Črt Breskvar

Landscape Architecture: Mitja Škrjanec

Responsible Conservator at ZVKDS (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia): Mojca Veršek Rems

Main Contractors: SL Inženiring Boršt d.o.o.

Covering the remains of the church of St. John the Baptist in the Žiče charterhouse and the temporary lapidary

Client: Municipality of Slovenske Konjice

Architecture: Medprostor – Jerneja Fischer Knap, Rok Žnidaršič, Samo Mlakar, Katja Ivić, Dino Mujić

Head Conservator at ZVKDS (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia): Matija Plevnik

Main Contractors: Gradnje Marguč d.o.o., GNOM d.o.o.

Metal structure and equipment: Kostroj – strojegradnja, d.o.o.

Mechanism of the retractable roof: Maori d.o.o.

Češča vas swimming pool

Client: City Municipality of Novo Mesto

Architecture and Interior: Enota

Landscape Architecture: Krajinaris d.o.o.

Main Contractor: CGP d.d.

In the category of Housing Projects, the winners were:

Residential neighbourhood Dolgi most II

Client: Housing Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, public fund

Architecture: Architects Počivašek Petranovič and Bevk Perović arhitekti – Davorin Počivašek, Urban Petranovič, Urša Gantar, Matija Bevk, Vasa Perović

Main Contractor: TGH d.o.o.

Apartment in Štefanova

Client: Majda Senekovič and Vladimir Senekovič

Architecture and Interior: a2o2 architects

Main Contractor: Stavbarstvo Žerjal – Marko Žerjal s.p.

House in Podutik

Client: Uroš Križanec

Architecture and Interior: Mertelj Vrabič Architects

Landscape Architecture: Svit Oliver Katanec

Main Contractors: Filipič & Co d.o.o. construction engineering and Urteh d.o.o. construction company

In the category of Wood Projects, the awards were presented by State Secretary mag. Dejan Židan. The Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sport, and SPIRIT Slovenia, a public agency, were the national partners of the OHS Award in 2024. In his address, he emphasized the importance of sustainable construction and the use of wood in architecture.