Architecture studio established in Ljubljana, Arhitektura, has designed "The Double Brick House" in the district of Rožna Dolina, in Ljubljana, that is currently undergoing a gradual redevelopment process, in a neighborhood that shows a great historical reflection of the political changes that the capital of Slovenia has undergone during its history.

The district has evolved throughout the century, it began standing out as a district of areas of wealthy families, during the 1930s it was transformed into a neighborhood of low-quality areas where factories and workshops abounded, for already in the years 60 end up being dominated by the construction of massive apartment blocks.
Arhitektura has designed The Double Brick House, the project stands out for being a prismatic and narrow volume. The contrast of the dark color used in the brick as well as the flat layout of the roof comes into a clash with the traditional residential architecture of blocks with gabled roofs.

It has to be conceived as a monolith, a modified prism that has to be perceived as a sculptural piece that has undergone different transformations, and it is characterized by the contrast generated between the repetition of slender openings on the south side of the building on the first floor and the wide openings, which open on other sides.
 

Project description by Arhitektura

Rožna dolina was known for a long time as the most prestigious villa district in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. However, as early as the 1930 ’s, its periphery slowly began to spontaneously fill with low quality housing. Today these poorly maintained houses are surrounded by overgrown gardens, woodsheds, workshops and are affecting the overall aesthetic, functional and hygienic conditions of this once important urban district.

In this degraded part of the city the process of gradual re-urbanization is currently taking place. It has started in the socialist period some 60 years ago with an extensive demolition of existing urban fabric and the construction of new massive blocks of flats. Today it is continued with an erecting of increasing number of new buildings, either in the form of luxurious villas blocks or individual exclusive modern villas.

A new urban matrix is emerging that will gradually outgrow the chaotic suburban tissue. This interim period is, however, full of paradoxes and grotesque gaps between the old and the new. Despite the lack of a clear spatial vision and broader strategy, the district is slowly being filled with modern facilities which will raise the quality level of both living standards and urban area.

The new residential semi-detached house stands on a long and narrow plot of land, which is sandwiched between older adjacent residential houses. The new house is designed to accommodate two large families of five and it is built on the site of a previously dilapidated residential building, which was of poor quality and low living value.

The unusual building plot dictated a unique narrow floor plan, which measures only 6 m in width and 30 m in length. The height of the building is 9 m and has three functional floors. It houses two identical residential units, each having a usable area of 170 square m. The units are sequentially placed one behind the other with a common parking area in front of the building facing the access street.

On the ground floor there is a large living room with an attached kitchen. Encompassed with a glass panoramic windows the living quarters are well lit and can be fully connected with a 30 m long and 6 m wide outdoor atrium. The first floor is where the children's rooms, their bathrooms and a study are located. The master bedroom with adjoining rooms is located on the top floor, with access to a large rooftop terrace. The house acquired its characteristic and recognizable silhouette in the process of stacking together the functional areas.

Visually, the building is conceived as a monolith, a materially uniform cube, which is sculpturally modified, according to the sculptural principle of subtraction. The façade cladding made of dark brown bricks gives the house its desired uniformity of materiality and corporeality. The different rhythms of the windows and the alternation of open and closed surfaces on the facades do not defeat the volume perception of the building, as it is perceived on the scale of a building primarily as its texture and not as a structure.

The further arrangement of the wider spatial environment of the building will be the result of negotiations with neighbors, who may in the future follow the example and replace the dilapidated buildings and improve the general urban condition of the space, among which also such common things as using underground conduction of electrical conductors, repairing the sidewalks, fixing roads, mending fences and revamping green gardens.

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Architects
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Project team
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Architects.- Peter Gabrijelčič, Boštjan Gabrijelčič, Aleš Gabrijelčič.
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Dates
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2020.
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Location
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Rožna Dolina, Ljubljana, Central Slovenia Statistical Region, Slovenia.
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Arhitektura - Office for Urbanism and Architecture, is an architecture firm based in Ljubljana, established in 1997. The practice is lead by Boštjan Gabrijelčič, Peter Gabrijelčič and Aleš Gabrijelčič.

Peter Gabrijelčič. Graduated in 1973 from Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana, with proffessor Edo Ravnikar as mentor. Dean of the Faculty of Ljubljana and full proffesor of urban planning and architecture. He won many awards such as the Borba Award for Slovenian architecture, Prešern Foundation Award, Belgrade Salon of Architecture Award, Architecture Event of the Year Award in Belgrade, European Architectural Award in London, Trend award. Also won the Golden Pencil and the Platinum Pencil awards of the Slovenian Chamber for Architecture and Space. Has co-authored numerous projects for intrenational competitions.

Boštjan Gabrijelčič. Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana in 2007, foreign exchange in Vaduz, Lichtenstein 2005, worked in atelier Podrecca in Vienna 2006, partner of Arhitektura d.o.o. studio; Major architectural realizations: Urban Parasite 2006, Magic Box 2009 (with Peter Gabrijelčič, Tomaž Budkovič), Private House Suha 2012 (with Peter Gabrijelčič); Has exhibited at: Prague architecture week (2012); Ljubljana Gallery DESSA – exhibition 11×1 (2012); Zavod BIG – Houses of the World Exhibition (2012), Awards: 2012 the Golden Pencil award of the Chamber of Architects for private house Suha (with Peter Gabrijelčič), shortlisted for Trimo architecture award 2008 for Urban Parasite, selection ECOLA award.

Aleš Gabrijelčič. Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana in 2014. Worked on the project of designing and constructing schools in South Africa. Worked in Johannesburg, ZA for 2 months and later went to study in Madrid, ETSAM at the studio of Campo Baeza and worked at the architectural office of Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos. Also served as a student assisant for the subject of architectural design. Has exhibited at the Days of Oris, Zagreb (2008) and with the SAIP 2011 team at the Royal Institute of British Architects (2012) and at the Chamber of Architects annual exhibition (2013). Shortlisted with the SAIP 2011 team for The Royal Institute of British Architects Student Award in 2012.
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Published on: January 11, 2021
Cite: "Perceive by texture. The Double Brick House by Arhitektura" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/perceive-texture-double-brick-house-arhitektura> ISSN 1139-6415
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