Central Building of Koevsk i Rog, Base 20 Location

Planning and completion Architect

lnvestor Contractor

Building type

Base 20, Koevski Rog 1986-1988 Oton Jugovec scT Ljubljana uz- Engineering Ljubljana Memorial building Other buildings by the same architect Central Co-operative Union (Glavna Zadruna Zveza; with architect Emil Medveek), Ljubljana 1953-1956; terraced houses in the park, Ljubljana 1954-1956; Joef Stefan Nuclear Institute- Reactor, Podgorica near Ljubljana 1961-1966; residential quarter Selo, Ljubljana 1965-1969; villa at the foot of the hill of Golovec, Ljubljana 1969-1978; renovation of the church in

Retee, Retee 1970-1974; two weekend cottages, Zasip 1972-1973; protection of archaeological excavations of Gutenwerth, Otok near Dobrava 1973; Spanish Combatants Art Centre (Kulturni Dom $panski Borci), Ljubljana 1979-1981

The central building of Koevski Rog is the last work of architect Oton Jugovec and it is quite different from all his previous projects- a feature characteristic of him. Asa true student of Edvard Ravnikar, Jugovec followed the principles of modern architecture in all his works, and as a good architect also the concepts and ideas of the context. In his early works the dialogue with the con text was subordinated to the concept or construction and was realized on the level of abstract lan-guage; i.e. as the vol ume in the case of the Reactor in Podgorica, as a cube in the case of the house in Mirje, as the vertical in the Selo neighbourhood, or as the horizontal of the villa at the foot of the hill of Golovec. After 1970 the dialogue of the architect with the surrounding area became more prorninent and found its expression in modernist derivations of the archetype of the roof or the wall. A ridged roof sym-bolizing a home covered the new church in Retee (1970-1974) or two weekend cottages in Zasip (1972-1973) The protection of archaeologi-cal excavations of the Gutenwerth settlement in Otok near Dobrava (1973) was purified in its form and construction to the essence of its function. The roof marked and protected the area, and it was supported by two columns, while the space of the field fluctuated beneath it with-out hindrance. That roof was also a predecessor of the complex project executed in the case of Base 20 in Koevski Rog.

The memorial of the partisan Base 20 is located ina specific area of the woods of Rog, at the foot of a hill, with the Base huts hidden among rocks, trees and sinkholes.' The plan for the central building of Base 20 was developed in the middle of the r98os, while the con-struction was completed only after the death of the architect.

The basic concept of the building is an interna! dialogue with the wilderness of the woods. The building is located on the edge, at the axis between two sinkholes. The terrain slopes into an open atrium between two central areas. The areas narrow in perspective through two large glass openings and finally meet in the form of a balcony and the background of the woods. The interna! area is delineated by a fragile panelled facade made of washed slabs reminiscent of wooden panelling, and the roofhovers over them asa symbol of refuge. The concept of the roof as an open complex wooden structure of a ridged

..,. Wooden roof construction ... "Base 20 is unique in the same way as all hi s other projects; it is the invention of a construction, interna! area and the concept of the roof."

2oth Century Architecture: From Modernist to Contemporary Giude to Architecture

roof is a supplement to the design from Otok near Dobrava. Further-more, it can be understood as an interpretation of the traditional roof construction of the typically Slovene hay-rack, the so-called toplar. The construction is sim ple, consisting of two large pole-shaped sup-ports resting on four piles with a console-shaped condusion above the common balcony. In the case of the building in Otok near Dobrava, the columns and the ridged roof were the only elements of the design, while in Base z o Jugovec added the element of the wall or an independent facade integument. The treatment of the integument

"The basic concept of the building is an interna! dialogue with the wilderness of the wood s. [ ... ]The parti san memorial of Koevski Rog is hidden in the surroundings in the same manner as the original huts used to be."

as a textile covering of the house, the non-tectonic juncture in corners and the visual stratification of the facade in open conclusions em pha-size the non-supporting nature of the integument. The integument is more closed in the direction of the entrance platform, while it disinte-grates into individual surfaces along the side facade, thus allowing for vistas and finally opening up into a large window onto the woods. Light shining between the trees is transferred into the interior by means of sensitively designed sections oflight. Similar modulations oflight are characteristic of Aalto and modern Scandinavian architec-ture. Respect for local tradition (the roof, wood) and simultaneously for the elementary principles of Modernism (innovation, a bold con-struction, the non-tectonic facade integument) , together with consid-eration for the light of the selected location are characteristics of the architecture of critical regionalism (Frampton 1980: 317).

The regional element of the roof with its hovering character is raised to the symbolic level of a shelter. The weight of the historical

Base 20 is an area in Koevski Rog where the residence of the parti san leadership of the national liberation movement was located between 17 April1943 and De-cember 1944. Members of the Executive Board of the Liberation Front (Izvrni Odbor Osvobodilne Fronte), Su preme Plenum of the Liberation Front (Vrhovni Plenum oF) , Central Committee of the Communis! Party of Slovenia (Centralni Komite Komunistine Partije Slovenije) and others resided there. The Base con-sisted of 26 huts with several partisan hospitals and workshops in the surround-ing area. Their hi story is presented in the form of an exhibition in hut No. 16.

Central Building of Koevski Rog, Base 20

memory is not monumentalized (Ravnikar 1995: 104-1n). The parti-san memorial of Koevski Rog is hidden in the surroundings in the same manner as the original huts used to be.

The final plan by Jugovec represents a synthesis of ideas implied by his former works. The outstanding one is the connection with na-ture, represented here by the direct context of the woods and the huts near-by, and also the original interpretation of the archetype of the roof as a symbolic and contextual element. The interpretation is manifested in the bold concept of the construction, indicating the

"The treatment of the integument as a textile covering of the house, the non-tectonic juncture in corners and the visual stratification of the facade in open conclusions emphasize the non-supporting nature of the integument.

dedication of the author to the spirit of Modemism, with its essence in transcending known concepts. Base 20 is unique in the same way as all his other projects; it is the invention of a construction, intemal layout and the concept of the roof. In the process of creation, Jugovec does not invent new forms, but rather interprets classical elements, construction, materials and their use- the roof, wooden materials, structure and architectural principles. He used his favourite materials in Base 20: washed concrete, plywood, stone and metal.

The central building of Base 20 has never served its purpose bet-ter; however, the most questionable aspect of the renovation is the function which would revive the memorial area.

MARUA ZOREC

Literature

FRAMPTON, KENNETH, Modem Architecture, Thames and Hudson, London, 1980. KOBE, JURE, "Oton Jugovec, Predlog za Preernovo nagrado". AB 66{67, Ljubljana, 1983. KOSELJ, NATAA, "Arhitektura 6o-tih let v Sloveniji", AB, Ljubljana, 1995. PODGORNIK, JUDITA, "Baza 20", Cultural Routes, Guide to Monuments, Ljubljana, 2000. RAVNIKAR, VOJTEH, "Zakljuek obdobja", Piranesi 5{6, 1995-