1. PRIZE AT AN OPEN PUBLIC COMPETITION

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location

ŠKOFIJE, SLOVENIJA

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project year

2020 / 2023

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client

MUNICIPALITY OF KOPER

 

authors

ŽIGA KREŠEVIČ u.d.i.a. (leading architect)

ANŽE KOREN u.d.i.a. (Studio.A+V d.o.o.)

ROBERT PRAŠNIKAR u.d.i.a. (Studio.A+V d.o.o.)

VIKTORIJA ŽAVBI u.d.i.a. (Studio.A+V d.o.o.)

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scope of work

CONCEPT DESIGN, BUILDING PERMIT, EXECUTION PLANS

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photo credits

ROK DEŽELAK

The architecture of the school must convey its dual nature to the students: On one hand, the school as an educational institution where the individual follows shared patterns of behavior and learning — reflected in the design of the school through the formal arrangement of classrooms; and on the other hand, the school as a space for social interaction that supports the development of the individual as an autonomous subject with their own will, creativity, abilities, and imagination — reflected in the design through a spatially and vertically diverse system of common areas that directly connect all parts of the school with the outdoors.  The specific location of the new Oskar Kovačič Primary School in the Mediterranean area calls for a thoughtful consideration of the importance of outdoor spaces: In the school’s design, the outdoor space is treated as equally important as the interior space.

 

The spatial placement of the school and its entrance upgrades the existing external arrangement of the monument into a walkway through the memorial park. This newly created communication path flows through the school and ends with an exit onto the existing sports field. Along the axis through the memorial park, in the extension of the dry-stone wall in front of the school's entrance, a bust of Oskar Kovačič (author: Jože Pohlen, sculptor) is installed.  The investment in the construction of the school represents a significant undertaking for the local community, but at the same time, it is a unique opportunity to improve the quality of life in the area.