Year:

2013

Location:

Zhuzhemberk, Slovenia

Status:

Competition proposal, short list

Before 1956: Linear Hierarchy

Saint Jacob’s church is the main element in the hierarchy of the square.
Space of the square is subordinated and oriented to the volume of the church and works complementary to it.

1956-2013: Homogeneous Emptiness

After demolition of the square ensemble the spatial organisation of Zuzemberk’s center stands seriously damaged.
Center of town’s public activity is replaced by meaningless emptiness. All the social functions form periphery 
of the hollow space occasionally and chaotically occupied by car parking.
The footprint of the church remains abandoned and is therefore succeeded by the trees.

Since 2013: Overwhelming Implication

Pavilion standing on the border of the church’s footprint forms and meantime connects two public spaces with different programs. 
The first one is the open space for fairs, markets etc. equal to the old square. The second one is more intimate eastern green and shadowed part of existing Zuzemberk central square.
Pavilion only points the center of the whole square. The main approach is reached by the space itself. Organised before according to the dominancy of the church’s belltower, the spatial structure of the square is now rethought in terms of horizontal relation.

Vertical/horizontal

Re-thinking of the square centerpiece. Hierarchy and vertical subordination of the St. Jacob’s church belltower are replaced by horizontal connections of multifunctional ‘architecton’ which acts as urban furniture object, fairground unit and place of social activities.

Conversation with God / conversation with community

Re-thinking of the space for communication: lapidary orthogonal rows of pews is the only literal visual symbol of the church standed on this plot before. This visual code of the past is overlayed on the green carpet of the existing park.

The entire complex is permeable for the activities of the surrounding town, each extension conceives to establish the most appropriate and stimulating connection.

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