Educational Facility URSIKS
The building is part of the larger new prison complex in Ljubljana, for which we won the public competition in 2017. The complex is located in Dobrunje. The educational center is positioned along Litijska Road, making it more connected to the city than to the prison, which is situated behind it.
Because the program varies between floors, a reinforced concrete frame structure was selected, allowing for flexibility in the floor plan. The concrete columns along the perimeter of the building are inclined to improve stability, giving the façade its distinctive appearance. Vertical circulation is concentrated in reinforced concrete cores located at the center of the building.
The ground floor contains the entrance hall, lecture rooms, and library. The first floor houses training rooms and changing facilities, while the second floor contains accommodation rooms for correctional officers staying during training programs.
The central staircase, which connects all floors, is naturally illuminated through a skylight above.
The material expression follows the principle of material authenticity and the honest display of the structural system, both on the façade and in the interior. The exposed structure simultaneously forms the building’s façade. Due to noise from the highway and the adjacent street, the glazing is double-layered (structural double-skin glazing), resulting in excellent energy efficiency.
The building’s construction and assembly are also openly expressed in the interior. The cores are exposed reinforced concrete, while the partition walls are plastered and feature clerestory glazing. All building services and lighting fixtures are concealed behind a suspended double mesh ceiling.
Within the repetitive structural framework, the different programs on each floor are reflected on the façade through varying parapet wall heights. For example, the training rooms on the first floor are protected from outside views by a high parapet wall.
