Studio abiro was founded in 1998 by Prof. Miloš Florijančič, who ran it for many years together with Matej Blenkuš. It is therefore one of the oldest modern architectural practices operating in the country today. Both Florijančič and Blenkuš were trained in the drawing room of Prof. Miloš Bonča, so it is not surprising that Bonča’s contextualism is reflected and developed in all the works of the abir, even today. The architecture created in the abiro is thus always a response to the particularities of the place and time.
The studio abiro has shaped generations of young architects who have gained the knowledge and confidence to lay the foundations of their own practice, including some excellent and established Slovenian architects.
In terms of the number of designers working in the studio, it has always been and intentionally remains a small office, with a manageable number of architects who are thus able to participate in all phases of the design process.
The turbulent years, including the economic crisis, brought certain changes and reorganisation, which the well-established small team managed to build on with a new impetus and a rejuvenated team, whose management was fully taken over by Matej Blenkuš after 2015, with the help of his long-time colleague and partner Katja Cimperman.
The analytical approach to thinking and the way of working of the group, which was already present in the infancy of the bureau, is certainly a result of the pedagogical activity of Prof. Florijančič at that time and Prof. Dr. Matej Blenkus today. Understand the context, interpret it through different techniques – architectural sketches and working models are still popular in their practice.
The response to context is also reflected in the materiality of abiro’s objects. Particular attention is paid to the choice of materials, their processing, the way they are joined, fastened and shaped, which is evident in the way they are designed, based on a number of elaborate details that are always the result of serious consideration and frequent original innovation. In most cases, abiro uses “solid” materials, bricks, concrete, glass, steel and wood.
The architecture of the abiro is rather restrained. Although they are enthusiastic about architectural innovations, this enthusiasm is mainly at the expense of new interpretations in terms of content, time and material. They are not interested in a fashion story that exclusively follows form.
In his book Abiro arhitektura, the author of the introductory text Matevž Čelik writes: “The architecture of the abiro is neither repetitive nor does it incorporate specific elements by which a completely personal architectural language could be identified from afar. Each space is special and each house is different.” Just as the clients of abiro are different, their stories are different… so, in fact, is the variety of spaces to which abiro responds. The quality of the abiro is also a response to different criteria, from the small wooden shed in Bizeljsko to the Planiška “giant” ski-jump in the valley below Ponce mountains.
Recently, studio abiro has strongly subscribed to the belief that in order to maintain climate stability, we need to change the way we design, build and treat the environment, space and buildings. Their latest projects follow a commitment to sustainability and a long-term understanding of architecture that puts the future before short-term economic interests.
Let us conclude this brief and superficial presentation of abiro with a thought by the late architect, architectural critic and researcher Tomaž Brate: “Abiro’s architectures are made to last.”
