Substitute venue for SNG Drama Ljubljana theatre wins Piranesi Grand Prize
Portorož, 26 November - Architects Vidic Grohar and their transformation of a 1960s industrial hall into the temporary substitute venue for the national theatre SNG Drama Ljubljana were honoured with the 2024 Piranesi Grand Prize as the 41st Piran Days of Architecture were held Portorož last weekend.
Ljubljana, SNG Drama.
Premiere of Children of the Sun at substitute venue.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
File photo
The international jury at what is one of the world's oldest international architectural conferences praised the compelling transformation, saying the architects successfully addressed the contemporary needs of the theatre through a "space within a space" concept.
They created a contrast between the rough existing structures and the elegant, newly integrated interventions using lightweight construction methods and refined detailing, the jury said about the EUR 1.4 million construction of two new theatres at the Šiška industrial zone venue, sitting 361 and 100 visitors respectively.
The Piran Days of Architecture, initiated and organised by Slovenian architects since 1983, welcomed experts from across the globe as early as last Friday.
Attendees had the chance to listen to numerous lectures, while the highlight was Saturday's Piranesi Grand Prize awards ceremony. The Piranesi Exhibition was opened at the nearby Monfort exhibition space as well and will remain open until 30 December.
In addition to the Grand Prize, two more international honours were conferred. One went to Italian architects from INOUT architettura for the Cortevecchia Square in the historic centre of Ferrara, and the second to Austrian firm fasch&fuchs.architekten for their design of a high school in Tullnerbach, Austria. Luka Mijatović from Serbia was honoured in the student category.
This year, 52 projects from 11 European countries competed for the international Piranesi Award. Slovenia entered five projects.
Along with the wining design, Slovenia's contenders included Atelje Ostan Pavlin for Trg Vstaje (Rebellion Square) in Ruše, the Strip Lab architectural collective for Hiša nad Mestom (House Above the City) in Ljutomer, the Medprostor architectural studio for the Water Supply Bridge over the Ljubljanica River, and architects David Mišič, Uroš Lobnik, Žiga Kreševič, Sašo Žolek, Goran Piršić, and Davor Fistrič for the Magdalena Health Centre in Maribor.