Open House Slovenia Festival 2023 – Commitments of Architecture
Open House Slovenia festival will take place between April 14 and 16. The festival opens the door of good architecture for the fourteenth time and offers a varied selection of new, renovated and other interesting and important buildings, which visitors will be able to see for free under the expert guidance of architects, owners and users.
This year’s festival takes place under the title “Commitments of architecture“. The theme aims to highlight the power and responsibility of architecture in the creation of new spatial, social and economic models. The festival thus encourages a more inclusive discussion about architecture and strengthens the role of architecture as a carrier of positive change in solving important social and environmental challenges.
The program of the three-day architectural festival was selected from among the submitted projects by jury consisting of experts in the field of architecture and space: doc. Vlatka Ljubanović, Gašper Skalar, Meta Kutin, assistant. Aleksander Vujovič, Ph.D. Martina Malešič and Andrej Strehovec. This year, more than 80 architectural projects will be included in the festival – such as private apartments and family houses, renovated monuments of architectural cultural heritage, offices and educational buildings, tourist and catering facilities. The organizers also included the most visited and awarded projects of last year’s OHS festival in the program.
Vlatka Ljubanović on the importance of OHS:
OHS is a festival of creativity. Rational thinking has been responsible for the transmission of knowledge throughout human history, while creativity and imagination are the driving forces behind the new inventions. The environmental and social crisis we find ourselves in will be solved by reason, while the creative impulse will care for the humanity and a socially inclusive society. I believe in the mission of architecture and its contribution to disaster relief, and this is why it will survive. In its own, architectural way it will ensure preservation and protection of nature and reduce disparities in a stratified society. It is important that the public feels the power of the creative in architecture, and this is what OHS is working hard to achieve.
This year the focus on sustainability will emphasize building with wood and quality renovations. Visitors will be able to see more than 15 wooden buildings. The increasing use of wood is an indicator of a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable, well designed buildings. With the right choice of wood, construction type and method, wooden constructions can fulfil the standards of modern sustainable buildings, decreasing environmental impact. Wooden buildings also have a positive influence on our well-being and offer a high degree of living comfort. Visitos will be able to see the new Kindergarden Kočevje, Kindergarden Pedenjped, Interpretation Centre Ig, Stora Enso promotional pavilion in Planica and many more.
Quality renovations and new programs in existing building stock are also an important aspect of sustainability and revitalization. In Koper, the renovated historical Sabini-Grisoni Palace will open its door. Visitors can also visit Techology park Ptuj. For the new needs, the architects renovated the building of the former officers’ pavilion of the abandoned barracks and also added a modern extension volume. In Ljubljana, historical icon Kazina Palace, which now hosts Academy of music will be open to public.
The year 2023 is dedicated to the architectural heritage of Edvard Ravnikar, who is considered the most important Slovenian modernist architect. Thematic guided tours and urban walks will be organised to show and explain his most important projects in Ljubljana, Nova Gorica and Kranj. They will remind us how architecture builds a country and a city. Understanding of architectural achievements of modernism, which in Slovenia is still not (adequately) understood by the general public, will be broadened with thematic tours. In Ljubljana, visitors of the festival will be able to see the modernist designs of the Republic Square (Trg republike) with the TR3 high-rise building, Cankarjev dom and the Modern Gallery.
This year we also prepared some English tours in Ljubljana for international guests of the festival. English tours will be held at:
Renovation of apartment Meksika – Saturday, 15th April at 10.00.
Meksika 2.0 – new chapter / new era – Saturday, 15th April at 11.00.
PRISTOP Offices for a creative agency – Saturday, 15th April at 15.00.
NEU Residences – Saturday, 15th April at 17.00.
Rog Centre Creative Hub – Sunday, 16th April at 11.00.
Whole festival program and more information on: https://odprtehiseslovenije.org/en/festival/ or [email protected]
OPEN HOUSE EUROPE
Since March 2023, Open House Slovenia has been a partner of the Open House Europe project, which connects 11 European cities and the country of Slovenia in a network of partners with common goals. They will advocate for the introduction of collaborative methods of knowledge exchange, the strengthening of the position of architectural and cultural organizations, the promotion of education about exceptional examples of architecture and urban environments, the involvement of the audience and better accessibility of culture. The program will introduce a range of new activities and events that will be organized across the continent. The project will include annual conferences in various European cities, a volunteer exchange program, a digital platform and many innovations at Open House festivals. The opening event took place on March 3 in Vilnius. This year’s common theme is Building Futures together.
The project is coordinated by Architektūros fondas and co-funded by the European Union.
OEN HOUSE SLOVENIA 2023 PARTNERS
