Our friends over at OFIS Arhitekti recently sent us a copy of their latest book that showcases their work, which includes a foreword from David Basulto, Founder & Editor of ArchDaily. We have featured a good deal of the projects featured in this book. If you would like a preview of what book offers check out our features, including a short interview and the Farewell Chapel, ArchDaily’s viewers’ choice for the 2009 building of the year in the religious category. Also check out part of David Basulto’s forward to this book after the break.
After it’s independence in 1990, Solvenia faced a series of changes after moving from a socialist model to a liberal democratic political system and free market economy. Gradually the country grew, became part of the EU, to finally find itself in very good place with several indexes above the average of the rest of Europe (GDP, employment rate, Internet access).
These changes also had a huge impact on the local architecture scene. The old offices working for the state went bankrupt, opening a new space for young architects to enter into a series of competitions to build the new nation, allowing new ideas to sprout. Nonetheless, this new open field quickly became delimited by free market forces, which together with strong government regulation laid over a strict set of rules that left little space for innovation.
In this context we find OFIS, a practice formed by Rok Oman and Spela Videcnik back in 1997, after winning their first competition (housing block), and officially in 2000 after both completed their post graduate studies at the Architectural Association.
In the following years the firm was highly praised and awarded for their work, which immediately stands out in terms of quality of design. But OFIS’s work goes beyond that. Within the previously mentioned context, the budget is the most important issue, and OFIS’ ability to work within the budget, while adding value through innovations in design has become their signature.
Content:
006 Slovenia’s New Export / David Basulto 008 OFIS, Back, Forth and Forward in the Slovenian Architecture Scene / Ethel Baraona 018 Horizontal Shift 024 Curly Villages 030 U2 Tower 034 City Museum Ljubljana 044 Villa Under – Extension 056 Prague National Library 062 Honeycomb Apartments 072 650 Apartments 084 Hayrack Apartments 094 Shopping Roof Apartments 104 Tetris Apartments 112 Dot Envelope 118 Lace Apartment 126 192 Student Studios 134 Football Stadium Maribor 148 Snake Squares 156 Alpine Hut 164 Farewell Chapel 174 Ljubljana City Municipality 182 Store, Office & Shop Container 192 Backbone Village Houses 202 Four – Leaf Clover Kindergarten 210 All Seasons Tent Tower 218 Residence Jules Mousseron 224 Rose Garden Village 232 Skylight Rooftop Museum 242 Football Stadium FC Bate 250 Shopping Pillow Terraces 256 Garden City Cubes
Visit the publisher’s website to buy this book
