Children's Department and Work Therapy at the Institute for Rehabilitation of Republic of Slovenia
Miran Kambic, Architect’s archive

Children's Department and Work Therapy at the Institute for Rehabilitation of Republic of Slovenia

dans arhitekti as Architects

The Institute complex was designed between 1954 and 1962 by Slovenian architect Danilo Kocjan, who envisioned low and elongated buildings, characteristic of Scandinavia, a pavilion set in a green environment. The new building with the children's unit on the ground floor and the vocational rehabilitation unit on the first floor keeps in with the pavilion-like design. It is linked with the existing complex by means of the interjacent middle part made of concrete and glass housing the lifts. The building itself has a rectangular floor plan with an internal atrium. The corridors and halls are well-lit and interesting. Along the sides of the atrium and the corridors, there are living spaces that open outwards into the exterior space with their wooden terraces. The large windows of the rooms and other spaces overlook the old park with the large trees, which have been retained despite the park's having been reduced in area.


The simple architectural idea of a box in the middle of a park with a wooden atrium is based on the rational and functional plan. But this idea does not convey the whole identity of the architecture. The building tries to surpass the rigid functionality by using some fresh architectural ideas, for instance the wooden atrium, the playful graphics (by Slovenian artist Natasa Skusek) and the character of the exterior.


The building is built around the wooden atrium that enables the light to penetrate into the interior space. The wooden finish gives it a warmth and velvety softness. The users can use the atrium in a way it best serves their needs. The interior of the building is also graphically and sensorially exciting. The bold colours in the hallways with soft flooring serve as orientation around the building. The grey concrete walls of the core contrast the softness of the wood in the atrium, and the hygienic whiteness of the bathrooms is contrasted with bright coloured ceilings.


The building fits organically into the planted environment. The basic facade, made of fibre cement panels with a smooth finish, is white with large horizontal window apertures and a rhythm of vertical yellow accents made of corrugated panels. The volume of the building is perceived as a white canvas for projection of the graphics: the rhythmically placed yellow stripes, which should have been covered with an outer– green layer. The green layer would integrate the building into its environments and at the same time emphasise its poetics.

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