client: Housing Fund Ljubljana

project: 2006 – 2010
bulit: 2010 – 2011

Bevk Perović project team:
Matija Bevk
Vasa J. Perović
Davorin Počivašek
Christophe Riss
Blaž Hartman
Jožef Kalčik
Jure Kozin

photo: Miran Kambič

Housing complex Polje II consists of 6 almost identical buildings, located on the periphery of Ljubljana and is conceived as a ‘chessboard’ of built and open spaces, resulting in a simple, but visually and programmatically rich ambiance.

The site is knitted into the existing suburban fabric to the west, whilst three of the six blocks are strung along the access road overlooking green fields to the east.

The urban plan allows for ‘breathing’ spaces for the individual blocks, affording them privacy and light. The central opening, demarcated by four blocks, is a communal playground where parents and children can congregate informally, creating the heart of the estate.

Each block is square plan, with a central service core where the lift, stairs and lightwell are situated. Around this runs a corridor that accesses the eight units in twin pair entries on each corner of each floor.

The units are small, two or three rooms in size, flexible, each with a balcony opening out from the open plan kitchen/ dining/ living space, relieving the otherwise constricted living/dining open plan area.

The projecting concrete slab, a ‘cream-slice’ or shelf-like structure with infill panels of fibre cement is easy to comprehend – the chocolate-coloured cement composite panels, built as light infill walls, counterbalance the massive cast concrete.

Overall, the housing scheme creates a strong, formal impression – the shifting blocks, each almost identical to the other, create a unified ensemble; a sense of place where a community of families live together and share the communal outdoor spaces that flow through the volumes.