Occupational Activity Center INCE Mengeš

The building of the Occupational Activity Center INCE Mengeš raises the question of placing modern-day architecture in the historical scenery of rural environment.
The house located by the stream, on a distinctly elongated territory, is designed to follow village center typology and the organizational characteristics of old farm houses which are known for their separation of a public courtyard by the road and a backyard – a private garden by the stream, while focusing on the center’s specific program of institutional care and occupational therapy.
The use of typical and traditional Slovene building elements, such as a “gank” (a special kind of balcony), wooden components and specific roof shape, makes the building seem a bit smaller and brings it closer to the scale of nearby houses. Its dynamic two-pitched roof keeps the form within the village typology, while making the program function as a complete whole.
Under a continuous roof, the two diverse programs come together in the common room, i.e. a lounge connecting occupants and staff. The surrounding landscape is designed in softened forms and geometrical shapes which, avoiding the existing vegetation and interlacing with the edge of the site, create a subtle seam between the building and the natural scenery by the stream.