Mladinska knjiga Printing House Revitalization

With the design of the Mladinska knjiga Printing House, architect Savin Sever met all the requirements of the technological processes, which dictate large open areas, complete flexibility of the floor plan, daylight in the working areas and good air conditioning. The reinforced concrete construction allows for perfect band organisation. This is manifested externally as a façade consisting of a frame, infill (brick), glass and triangular skylights. These longitudinal light slits, which run the entire length of the building, are an originally designed zenithal light solution and one of the most distinctive features of Sever’s architecture.

In the scale of the city, the building’s dimensions are very large and characterised by the repetitive rhythm of the façade elements, the play of negative-positive (full-empty), and the skylights that articulate the building. The printing house was awarded the Prešeren Fund Prize in 1967 and the SDAJ (Federation of Associations of Architects of Yugoslavia) Prize in 1968.

In 2022, a complete renovation of a large part of the printing house, which is a listed building, began. This was a challenge for all stakeholders due to the placement of the new, commercial use in a large-scale industrial space, as well as the complexity of meeting some of the essential requirements while preserving, rehabilitating and presenting the protected elements of the building.