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Architects: Scapelab
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Photographs:Miran Kambič
Previous state. The site was a dead-end of space on the lower level of the Fabiani bridge in Ljubljana. The bridge runs on two levels, with a four-lane motorway on the upper level, and a pedestrian bridge on the lower level. The structural characteristics of the bridge formed a pocket of unused, untraversed space under the bridge. Soon after the opening of the bridge, this space became a gathering spot for illegal drug use, homeless sleeping (despite a homeless shelter operating less than 100m away), and crime. The bridge was built in a gap formed by a partial demolition of the complex of the former sugar factory, called Cukrarna. This partial demolition of the factory complex was urbanistically necessary to complete the inner-city ring road. The demolition also presented an opportunity. The complex of the sugar factory was planned for reconstruction and revival, and a transformation of this otherwise degraded area was imminent. But the site was negative: a secluded, covered, uncontrolled space with no surveillance near the city center, inviting unwanted use.
