Podbreg apartment settlement

Current tourist architecture in ethnologically, geographically and culturally sensitive environments, such as Kranjska Gora, an important tourist centre on the edge of the Triglav National Park, seriously invades and perverts the building morphology, the structure of the public space as well as the visual identity of the settlements. The uncritical introduction of popularised architectural attractions, unnecessary technical minimalism and the simplified transfer of tradition into modernity is reflected in the disintegration of the ambient and artistic qualities that these places have developed over centuries of development, both agrarian and touristic. With this project, therefore, within the precisely measured urban conditions and the expected economic return, we have been questioning the (still) possible range of architecture, the relationship between the difficult-to-control spontaneity of construction and precise planning, as well as the role of construction detail, material honesty and authenticity in the reflection of traditional identity.

The three apartment buildings are located on the upper reaches of the Pišnica stream in the centre of Kranjska Gora. The site is part of the built heritage. Each building has between 5 and 6 apartments, which are ascetically sized, yet fully functional, for the needs of a family of four. A very simple type of apartment with a central entrance was chosen, which is very efficient from a functional point of view, but requires central access from the central axis of the floor plan. As a result, the entire building body is articulated by a central staircase, which in this case is an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The articulation is emphasised by the floor offset, which reduces the sense of dimension and breaks the overall length of the building into smaller units. Most of the parking is located in a fully buried basement.

The central staircase is open, sculptural in cast-in-place reinforced concrete, which has been partially sandblasted. The staircase establishes a spatial and material contrast between the full heavy planes and the light translucent timber cladding of the balconies and window niches.

From a technical design point of view, we wanted to create a series of buildings characterised by very simple details and a basic selection of materials. The classical building elements such as the gutter, eaves, window sill, chimney and roof cladding are intentionally executed without special architectural detail. Given that the buildings are located in a traditional village setting, we believe that the construction technique – even today – should remain at a simple and materially legible level. Local fishermen, accustomed to the traditional – sometimes somewhat pragmatic – handling of materials and forms, were engaged for the construction. We have certainly tried to accept this as a challenge and a reflection of local identity.

A design feature is the transfer of the load of the two intermediate beams to the central load-bearing wall via V-beams. These give the loft programme a distinctive character, where the roof floats freely above the slightly more massive timber base.

Construction is based on materials with a low environmental footprint. Very few synthetic materials based on petroleum products are used. The individual building elements are of timber-framed construction. The wooden ceiling structure, including the rafters, is fully visible.

Authors of the project: BLENKUŠ Matej, CIMPERMAN Katja, REZAR Tadej