Master Builders – The Slovenian Pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale now in Ljubljana at SGGOŠ

The Slovenian pavilion project addresses the development of construction technology and in so doing highlights an unexpected paradox. Despite the many technological advances, the quality and evolution of the built environment still strongly depends on the tacit knowledge of craftsmen on the construction site. The range of their skills, which significantly contributes to translating a design into quality architecture, is essential for the materialization of structures. The Slovenian pavilion features four totems that represent a family of master craftsmen from the construction site and a large-format documentary video about the process of their construction. A totem is a spiritual being, an object or a symbol that serves as an emblem of a group, tribe, or clan. Our totems are constructed and executed as a physical manifesto of craftsmanship. The Slovenian pavilion project is the result of an experimental process that examines the relationship between the architect, the craftsman and architecture. The totems are designed using standard methods and tools, used in architectural planning. The totems’ component parts were designed based on the construction techniques used on construction sites in Slovenia today, and were constructed on a construction site in Kranj, some 35 km north of the capital Ljubljana. The totems were built based on the submitted plans, the bill of quantities and the technical report, in constant communication between the architects and the master craftsmen on the site. After the bienalle closed, the totems were brought back to Ljubljana. They continue to live on in the lobby of the SGGOŠ secondary school of construction.