Central Building of Ko evsk i Rog, Base 20

Location
Planning and completion

Base

20, Koevski

Architect

Oton Jugovec

lnvestor

scT Ljubljana

Contractor

Building type

Rog

1986-1988

uz- Engineering Ljubljana

Memorial building

Other buildings by the same architect Central Co-operative Union (Glavna Zadruna
Zveza; with architect Emil Medveek), Ljubljana 1953-1956; terraced houses in
the park, Ljubljana 1954-1956; Joef Stefan Nuclear Institute- Reactor, Podgorica
near Ljubljana 1961-1966; residential quarter Selo, Ljubljana 1965-1969; villa at
the foot of the hill of Golovec, Ljubljana 1969-1978; renovation of the church in
Retee, Retee 1970-1974; two weekend cottages, Zasip 1972-1973; protection of

archaeological excavations of Gutenwerth , Otok near Dobrava 1973; Spanish

Combatants Art Centre (Kulturni Dom $panski Borci), Ljubljana 1979-1981

The central building of Koevski Rog is the last work of architect

Oton Jugovec and it is quite different from all his previous projects- a
feature characteristic of him. Asa true student of Edvard Ravnikar,
Jugovec followed the principles of modern architecture in all his works,
and as a good architect also the concepts and ideas of the context. In
his early works the dialogue with the context was subordinated to the
concept or construction and was realized on the level of abstract language; i.e. as the vol ume in the case of the Reactor in Podgorica, as a
cube in the case of the house in Mirje, as the vertical in the Selo
neighbourhood, or as the horizontal of the villa at the foot of the hill of
Golovec. After 1970 the dialogue of the architect with the surrounding
area became more prorninent and found its expression in modernist
derivations of the archetype of the roof or the wall. A ridged roof symbolizing a home covered the new church in Retee (1970-1974) or two
weekend cottages in Zasip (1972-1973) The protection of archaeological excavations of the Gutenwerth settlement in Otok near Dobrava
(1973) was purified in its form and construction to the essence of its
function. The roof marked and protected the area, and it was supported
by two columns, while the space of the field fluctuated beneath it without hindrance. That roof was also a predecessor of the complex project
executed in the case of Base 20 in Koevski Rog.
The memorial of the partisan Base 20 is located ina specific area
of the woods of Rog, at the foot of a hill, with the Base huts hidden
among rocks, trees and sinkholes.' The plan for the central building
of Base 20 was developed in the middle of the r98os, while the construction was completed only after the death of the architect.
The basic concept of the building is an interna! dialogue with the
wilderness of the woods. The building is located on the edge, at the
axis between two sinkholes. The terrain slopes into an open atrium
between two central areas. The areas narrow in perspective through
two large glass openings and finally meet in the form of a balcony
and the background of the woods. The interna! area is delineated by a
fragile panelled facade made of washed slabs reminiscent of wooden
panelling, and the roofhovers over them asa symbol of refuge. The
concept of the roof as an open complex wooden structure of a ridged
..,.

Wooden roof construction ... "Base

20

is unique in the same way as all hi s other projects; it is the

invention of a construction, interna! area and the concept of the roof."

2oth Century Architecture: From Modernist to Contemporary

Giude to Architecture

roof is a supplement to the design from Otok near Dobrava. Furthermore, it can be understood as an interpretation of the traditional roof
construction of the typically Slovene hay-rack, the so-called toplar.
The construction is sim ple, consisting of two large pole-shaped supports resting on four piles with a console-shaped condusion above
the common balcony. In the case of the building in Otok near
Dobrava, the columns and the ridged roof were the only elements of
the design, while in Base z o Jugovec added the element of the wall or
an independent facade integument. The treatment of the integument

"The basic concept of the building is an interna! dialogue with the wilderness of the
wood s. [... ]The parti san memorial of Koevski Rog is hidden in the surroundings in
the same manner as the original huts used to be."

as a textile covering of the house, the non-tectonic juncture in corners

and the visual stratification of the facade in open conclusions emphasize the non-supporting nature of the integument. The integument is
more closed in the direction of the entrance platform, while it disintegrates into individual surfaces along the side facade, thus allowing for
vistas and finally opening up into a large window onto the woods.
Light shining between the trees is transferred into the interior by
means of sensitively designed sections oflight. Similar modulations
oflight are characteristic of Aalto and modern Scandinavian architecture. Respect for local tradition (the roof, wood) and simultaneously
for the elementary principles of Modernism (innovation, a bold construction, the non-tectonic facade integument) , together with consideration for the light of the selected location are characteristics of the
architecture of critical regionalism (Frampton 1980: 317).
The regional element of the roof with its hovering character is
raised to the symbolic level of a shelter. The weight of the historical
Base 20 is an area in Koevski Rog where the residence of the parti san leadership
of the national liberation movement was located between 17 April1943 and December 1944. Members of the Executive Board of the Liberation Front (Izvrni
Odbor Osvobodilne Fronte), Su preme Plenum of the Liberation Front (Vrhovni
Plenum oF) , Central Committee of the Communis! Party of Slovenia (Centralni
Komite Komunistine Partije Slovenije) and others resided there. The Base consisted of 26 huts with several partisan hospitals and workshops in the surrounding area. Their hi story is presented in the form of an exhibition in hut No. 16.

Central Building of Koevski Rog, Base

20

memory is not monumentalized (Ravnikar 1995: 104-1n). The partisan memorial of Koevski Rog is hidden in the surroundings in the
same manner as the original huts used to be.
The final plan by Jugovec represents a synthesis of ideas implied
by his former works. The outstanding one is the connection with nature, represented here by the direct context of the woods and the huts
near-by, and also the original interpretation of the archetype of the
roof as a symbolic and contextual element. The interpretation is
manifested in the bold concept of the construction, indicating the

"The treatment of the integument as a textile

covering of the house, the non-tectonic juncture
in corners and the visual stratification of the
facade in open conclusions emphasize the nonsupporting nature of the integument.

dedication of the author to the spirit of Modemism, with its essence

in transcending known concepts. Base 20 is unique in the same way
as all his other projects; it is the invention of a construction, intemal
layout and the concept of the roof. In the process of creation, Jugovec
does not invent new forms, but rather interprets classical elements,
construction, materials and their use- the roof, wooden materials,
structure and architectural principles. He used his favourite materials
in Base 20: washed concrete, plywood, stone and metal.
The central building of Base 20 has never served its purpose better; however, the most questionable aspect of the renovation is the
function which would revive the memorial area.
MARUA ZOREC

Literature
FRAMPTON, KENNETH,
KOBE, JURE,

Modem Architecture, Thames and Hudson, London, 1980.

"Oton Jugovec, Predlog za Preernovo nagrado". AB 66{67, Ljubljana, 1983.

KOSELJ, NATAA,

"Arhitektura 6o-tih let v Sloveniji", AB, Ljubljana, 1995.

PODGORNIK , JUDITA,

"Baza 20", Cultural Routes, Guide to Monuments, Ljubljana, 2000.

RAVNIKAR, VOJTEH, "Zakljuek

obdobja", Piranesi 5{6, 1995-