Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Ljubljana, Slovenia 2020

Type
education, culture

Source
public project competition

Client
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Address/Site
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Site area
15.754 m2

Building area
10.230 m2

Total floor area
27.168 m2

Program
laboratory, classrooms , library, offices, auditorium

Structure
reinforced concrete

Cladding
glass, aluminium

Architect
SADAR+VUGA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Miha Čebulj, Matjaž Bahor, Monika Rus, Petko Grabljič, Aleš Pajk, Andreas Cesarini)

cooperation / Construction: IBE d.d. (Franc Sinur, Slavko Modic), Energy concept: IBE d.d. (Sašo Ocvirk, Andrej Korak), Landscape design: BRUTO d.o.o. (Matej Kučina, Nika Čufer), Traffic concept: City Studio d.o.o. (Igor Stavreviču), Fire Safety: IBE d.d. (Matjaž Kuzma),  Model: Luka Jančič

The Faculty Of Mechanical Engineering is located in the green area under Rožnik hill as a part of the emerging technological campus. The whole area is built unbridled, without any clear urbanist plans. Inserting new buildings for FS and and the Faculty of Pharmacy offers an opportunity to give meaning to the area, create a sequence of urban public places as well as fixing traffic connections to the wider area.

The new building, in spite of the abundance of the program and its contents, acts not only as a huge volume, but as a modern structure of loaded horizontal planes of different sizes and shapes that respond to external and internal parameters. The plains are cross-loaded from SW to the SV and allow federal passage of green space along the PST through atriums and green terraces against the existing buildings of the faculties of chemistry and computer science. They are loaded in a way that they shade south and southwest, protect against rain and create microambients in the space between the outside and the inside. On planes (slabs) appear walkable terraces, which allow students and functioning in a building permanent contact with the outer space. Despite the relatively deep and wide floorplan layout enables optimal illumination of premises throughout the depth of the building.

The organization of the building itself is easy. It is divided into two main program sections, the pedagogical part and the laboratory part. The pedagogical part of the building is located in the northern part,on the ground floor and first floor with classrooms, teaching rooms and computer classrooms. In the southern part of the building there are laboratories distributed throughout the ground floor, 1st and 2nd floor. The third floor is dedicated to a common faculty program such as dean’s office, library, restaurant, space for functional training and multi-purpose room for events and celebrations along the main staircase. All common areas open onto green outdoor terraces and offer attractive views.
Both parts of the ground floor are connected by a passage, which represents the central public space of the faculty and also connects the western and eastern markets.
This passage passes into the upper space and becomes the communications division of the surface and between laboratories, work rooms, lecture halls and classrooms, as well as space for special events and socializing on the third floor. Passage is the most attractive space of the building as well as the space of social interaction and the sphere of events in the building.


The four large green atriums on the ground floor, formed on the crosses between these plains, represent four gardens with grass and low growth trees, allowing continuous visual contact with the greenery even inside the building and not just around the perimeter of the building. The atriums, which extend towards the top of the building, also provide optimum natural illumination throughout the building and allow for short circular paths. They represent an important contact of all the spaces with greenery and serve as an extension of indoor air in the appropriate days. They provide connectivity between faculty users, provide social welfare, but at the same time also provide a functional separation of rooms that need it.

Entrance from the east plaza into the passageway through the entering hall. The entrance canopy protects against rain. The window facade surface is protected by stacking horizontaly. This gives the building a unique and memorable appearance.

From the east plaza we enter the passage through the entrance hall. The entrance canopy protects against rain. The window façade surface is shaded by loading horizontal ones. The materials are a symbiosis between a good glass sheath, concrete shades and panels. Selected combination creates a dynamic game horizontal planes blurring the boundary between inside and outside. It is this that the building characteristic and memorable appearance.
The building is designed in such a way that it will continue to function fresh and current even in 20, 30, 50 years. The flexibility of the organisation within individual panels, the short paths, the optimum illumination and the selection of materials, all of which are subordinated to age well. The entire building acts as a dynamic structure of the horizontal plane, placed at the edge of a new developing technology campus Brdo.
Selected, In progress, Education and Science