Case Study
- known as Trnovski Blocks
- urban plan_ Roman Rems
- architecture_ Aleksander Persin, Dusan Gorjup
- duration of the project from 1972 to 1983
Neighbourhood VS-1, was built in the immediate vicinity of the city centre. With the tall apartment blocks, Trnovsko suburbs lost their characteristic rural appearance and became a part of the wider city centre. The urban solution arranged the blocks in lines, articulated by the shifting of ground plans and a rhythmic sequencing of structures varying in height. The spaces between the blocks were designed as open green surfaces, partially also on raised platforms over parking garages between the blocks. The entrances into buildings branch off passageways which enable a direct access to the platforms between the blocks, shortening pedestrians’ paths through the neighbourhood. The longitudinal facades have a vertically accented rhythm with alternating accented bands of windows, a filled concrete-panel facade, and bands of balconies with prefabricated concrete parapets. In contrast to the Brutalist design aesthetic, the sides of the structures feature a finely tessellated brick envelope with a decorative overlapping finish of the corners. The visible edges of the horizontal reinforced concrete slabs divide the brick surface into the fields, the specific way of laying bricks emphasises vertical joints, edges and corners. Simple but effective brick’s compositions structure the surfaces vertically and represent a significant element of the architectural character of these buildings. With its visual engagement, Trnovski Blocks became a characteristic backdrop of this part of Ljubljana.
Assessment of the current condition:
A dire lack of parking spaces in neighbourhoods (partly due to the fact that the envisaged parking garages in neighbourhoods BS3 and Ruski car were never built, and the considerably higher densities of inhabitants in neighbourhoods Koseze and Trnovski Blocks ).
