Spaces and Solids

By the 21st century, the traditional single-function institutional model of the library and the theatre has fundamentally transformed. Buildings once created to serve one specific programme now increasingly operate as general cultural spaces, accommodating community activities, events, informal encounters and a wide range of public uses. Accordingly, the proposal does not begin by simply placing functions next to one another, but seeks to create a flexible spatial structure capable of absorbing the changing needs of the city over the long term. The most important spatial decision is to place the auditorium and foyer at the same level as the street. As a result, the boundary between the transparent hall space — with its large spans and generous internal height — and the urban square in front of the church becomes blurred, allowing the ground floor to function as a natural extension of the public realm. Beyond theatre performances, this space can also accommodate community events, exhibitions and ceremonies, so the building appears not as a closed institution, but as an active participant in urban life.

The service functions of the building are organised into compact, monolithic volumes, allowing a continuous and freely adaptable central space to emerge between them. The hall is defined on the site by a 40-degree pitched roof, which gives character and a clear spatial framework to the space between the floating monolithic boxes. By raising the level of Kranjska Street, the floor level of the cultural centre is brought into direct connection with the square in front of the church. This gesture extends the use of the main square towards the entrance of the building and strengthens the urban position of the public institution. The central hall can be transformed through mobile walls and a lowerable floor system, allowing a theatre auditorium, ballroom, exhibition space or smaller community event venue to be created within the same spatial framework. This multifunctional use makes it possible to build fewer, but more intensively used square metres, which is also a rational solution from an operational point of view.