Rog Art Center
The main objective of the intervention in the former ROG bicycle factory is to preserve the material and historical value of the building and to adapt it to its new public use as a creative city centre. The project seeks to address two main challenges. On the one hand, it addresses the lack of urban connectivity, as the ground floor, despite its privileged location in the historic centre of Ljubljana, was facing away from the Ljubljanica River, towards which it formed a blind 120m long façade at quay level. On the other hand, the building no longer met the current safety standards and had practically no adequate communication or service spaces, which made it necessary to find solutions to reinforce the structure and extend the existing building with the missing spaces in a respectful manner. At the urban planning level, the new design reduces the ground floor level of the existing extension facing Ljubljanica, allowing the blind façade to open onto the river promenade, where workshops, retail and restaurant spaces are located. On the upper floor, the roof of the annex becomes a large urban terrace, which connects the most representative historical space of the hall and library to the river. The main entrance is located in the centre of the building and connects the interior of the square - the new park - with the promenade. In front of the park, a new transparent and luminous slat is created, in which all the vertical and horizontal communications and service areas are located. The proposed solution makes it possible to preserve the existing production facilities, which minimises interference with the expressiveness of the existing structural elements as much as possible. As a result, new uses such as workshops, offices, library, cafeteria and multi-purpose spaces can be placed in the existing building in a way that respects the existing space.
Competition: 1st. prize, October 2008
Status: Completed on October 2023
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Client: Ljubljana City Council
Budget: 17,7M€
Area: 13,000 sqm
Architects: BAX studio, Mendoza Partida, Jaka Bezan
The city of Ljubljana recently acquired ownership of a building that formerly housed an important bicycle factory – ‘’ROG’’. It is a building that represents an important piece of architectural and industrial heritage, being the first reinforced concrete building in this country. It is a frame structure with arches and girders that support a longitudinally proportioned space with bilateral lighting.
Competition: 1st. prize, October 2008
Status: Completed on October 2023
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Client: Ljubljana City Council
Budget: 17,7M€
Area: 13,000 sqm
Authors: BAX, Mendoza Partida