THE BUILDING AS A MICRO CITY The concept of the project come directly from Mariborís city center observation. Our intention has been from the beginning to design not just a building for the European Capital of Culture 2012 but a space that belongs to the city itself, a new part of the city where the object is the building together with the streets, squares, outdoor galleries and widdenings: a space where the social life will take place. The concept of a building as a micro city with close and open spaces will perfectly integrate the new part of the city with the old one even solving the different height (due to the cityís topography) through ramps and stairs. The Complex is divided into different volumes: from the smallest ones at the end of the site to the highest one (12) in front of the river. The particular shingles wants to characterized the Maribor sky line with a concave reinterpretation of the traditional red roofs. All the volumes are articulated around the central part (7) where most of the urban spaces as a stepping square , an urban tier and a sloping space(6- 8) are. Cofees (5), restaurant (4), library (10) and lounge areas are mainly leading into those articulated urban spaces so that they can be differently used and conquered by the people all day long. The site position, directly after the end of the pedestrian riverside, give a strong quality to the fragmented building concept since there will be a lot of permeability in between the plot and the river front and will of course give new life even to this part of the river side. The New Maribor Art Gallery will, for sure, bring new life even to the river side, which is now not perceive as a livable and pleasant space because of no actractive functions are placed around it. The different volumes of the Complex will instead create new connections throug activities and urban functions.
