The competition coincided with the admission of Slovenia into the European Union. The outcome and the exhibition of project proposals gave rise to a heated controversy among Slovene architects. Eventually this has led to everyday media encounters and has now reached a cultural-political meta-level, which is no surprise. This in every sense high-standard competition has inevitably rubbed salt oin the wounds of the smug Ljubljana architectural scene by raising the following issues:

– Can the city centre accommodate virile new projects?

– How to treat the crown of the city and its skyline, and what scale to use.

– How to increase public awareness and how to challenge the idea of the city gate on the Ljubljana ring.

– How to stop the trend towards the displacement of urban functions, services, and entertainment to the outskirts (e.g. the BTC shopping centre) and the consequent emptying of the city’s parterre.