Simultaneous Chess on the Periphery

architect Marko Lavenčić
project Taxa Office Building, Ajdovščina, Slovenia
written by Uroš Lobnik

 

The European “blow-up” of the urban scale of little Slovenia, country with the population of an average European metropolis, is reflected in the sudden urbanization of natural scenery and many small towns. It was as long ago as a century that the lyrical rural land with villages and the occasional towns suddenly started changing into a “city/park”. Interesting, attractive, challenging office buildings can be seen not only in urban centers, but also in former fringe locations. Architects who assumed that the newly independent state would not be able to provide good work outside the top five Slovenian cities stayed in the capital, while those more ambitious, who are still rare, came back to local communities after a period of study or practice in the capital or abroad. The work of architects on the Slovenian periphery has suddenly assumed a special role and significance.