Anonymous modernism Trnovo

Between 2020 and 2022, students of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Ljubljana started to research the nearby modernist neighbourhood of Trnovo as part of their elective course Slovenian Architecture of the 20th Century under the mentorship of Prof. Nataša Koselj, PhD. The neighbourhood, strongly influenced by Professor Edvard Ravnikar, had never stirred much professional interest. In the publication and video entitled anonimni modernizem Trnovo three locations from early 1970s and early 1980s were presented: the Vič-Rudnik Music School, designed by Tomo Jurčič, the Trnovo apartment blocks by Aleksander Peršin, Roman Rems and Dušan Gorjup, and the Trnovo Post Office Complex by Aleksander Peršin and Dušan Gorjup. These superbly designed yet unpretentious architectural works significantly contribute to the characteristic image of Trnovo. Their modernist note subtly upgrades the existing architectural tradition and has become an indispensable part of the identity of Trnovo, Ljubljana and Slovenia.

The OHS 2022 tour will be led by architect Aleksander Peršin, Ravnikar’s graduate, co-author of the residential neighbourhood SŠ-6 in Šiška and winner of the Prešeren Fund award; architect Tomo Jurčič, graduate of Prof. Bitenc and Ravnikar’s collaborator at Cankarjev dom and Ferant’ s garden; architect Nataša Koselj, PhD, associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Ljubljana and Slovenian representative of the international organization Docomomo; and fourth-year architecture student and demonstrator Domen Cirar.