Oris: Letos praznujemo 100 obletnico rojstva arhiteksta Jurija Neidhardta. Večkrat ste poudarili, da je veliko pomenil za vaše usmerjanje k arhitekturi. Sicer pa ste to tudi potrdili s svojim prizadevanjem, da bi dostojno obeležili ta jubilej. Kaj je pomenil
za vas?

Ugljen: Profesor Neidhardt je v Bosno prišel v tridesetih letih iz Le Corbusierovega ateljeja in sicer na povabilo arhitekta Dušana Grabrijana, ki je takrat učil na STŠ
v Sarajevu. Grabrijan je prvi, raziskujoč orientalno hišo, prilagojeno zahtevam našega podnebja, odkril vrsto načel, ki so
jih razglašali pionirji moderne arhitekture kot temeljna izhodišča sodobne arhitekture, uporabljena v stanovanjski enoti. Naj povzamem: nekatera teh izhodišč so bila polivalenten prostor, odstranjevanje odvečnega pohištva iz prostora, vgradnja zidnih omar, potem prostorsko prežemanje,
prežemanje eksteriera in interiera, veliko svetlobe, pravica do pogleda, naselje v zelenju in narava kot prvina kompozicije, hiša, ki se od zunaj pojavlja kot kubistična plastika.
Neidhardt je vedno poudarjal, da je bil navdušen nad temi spoznanji,
iz katerih je izvlačil nadčasovne vrednosti arhitekture. Njegovo nadaljnje delovanje je bilo sublimirano v številnih natečajih in drugih delih - skozi sintezo univerzalnega in regionalnega, pri čemer je docela stal na pozicijah moderne arhitekture, sublimirano v številnih natječajih in drugih delih.
(...)

Oris: This year is the 100th anniversary of Juraj Neidhardt’s birth. As you have pointed out
on several occasions, he played an important role in your decision to take up architecture. Your engagement in organising
a jubilee celebration worthy of his name seems to confirm this. What did he mean to you?
Ugljen: Professor Neidhardt came to Bosnia in the thirties from Le Corbusier’s studio, accepting the invitation of architect Dušan Grabrijan who was then teaching at the Secondary Technical School in Sarajevo. Grabrijan studied the adaptation of the oriental house to the requirements of the local climate and was the first to recognise the application of a series of principles proclaimed by the pioneers of Modern architecture as the basic tenets of contemporary architecture in the design of local dwelling units. To cut a long story short, some of the principles were multi-functional space, space cleared of superfluous furniture, built-in wardrobes/cupboards, then spatial interpenetration, interior and exterior interpenetration, lots of light, a view, a green environment and nature as an element of composition, and external appearance reminding you of a cubist sculpture.
Neidhardt would always stress how exalting it was to recognise these principles and see in
them the timeless values of architecture. His later efforts yielded many competition entries and other works which were the synthesis of the universal and regional, standing firmly behind modern architecture.
(...)